Tehran’s Daily Newspaper Review

Ayatollah Khamenei’s stern warning to Western countries and Israel over the consequences of any possible attack on Iran, uttered during a graduation ceremony of Army officers in Tehran, was the top headline of Tehran’s newspapers today. Iran’s Supreme Leader warned of “stinging slaps” and “iron fists” awaiting those harboring any idea of attacking Iran. “We will respond to any act of aggression with an iron fist” (Etemaad), “we will consume the enemy from within” (Iran), “we will respond to any act of aggression with powerful slaps and iron fists” (Jomhouri-ye Eslami), “the Iranian nation’s response will devastate the US and Israel” (Kayhan) and “Iron Fists” (Vatan-e Emrooz, atop a picture showing off the might of the Iranian Army).

Etemaad’s front page contained an interview with acclaimed Iranian author Mahmoud Dowlatabadi on his last book “The Colonel”, that has appeared on the long-list of the Man Asian Prize, yet is banned from being published inside Iran. “I still have my hopes,” (for the book to get into the hands of Persian-speaking readers) Dowlatabadi is quoted as saying, while a German translation of the novel has been published by Haus Publishing. In a sequel to the accusation race over the 2.6 billion-dollar bank fraud, the Central Bank deflected the blame towards Mahmoud Jahromi, former head of Saderat Bank, the main site of fraud, calling him “the primary culprit” who has breached the law. “If it wasn’t for the debauched Western culture” which promotes birth control, said the Reformist analyst Abbas Abdi ironically, Iran would be facing dire economic, social and security challenges today, defying remarks by senior officials (most important of all Mahmoud Ahmadinejad), who have frequently spoken against the measure (birth control).

Iran gave a religious flavor to its critique of the Tehran Municipality’s fiscal operations, citing religious scholars to verify that the municipality’s financial transactions through the purchase of gold bricks and coins breach Islam’s jurisprudential verdicts on economic deals. The younger generation of the post-Revolution era has experienced war, sanctions and threats and is fervently waiting for the final face-off, read Iran’s editorial. The uprising of the “99 percent” has distressed US and Europe and their cries for war stem not from power, but from anguish, the editorial continued.

Jomhouri-ye Eslami featured remarks by Hashemi Rafsanjani on the aftermath of the recent banking scandal, and by Ayatollah Vaez Tabasi, who stressed that “undermining the clerical institution is the biggest harm”, supposedly to the country and the Revolution. The newspaper’s editorial called for the senior officials of the country –who, according to the newspaper, stand in the same political camp- to tone down their arguments amid multilateral pressures from the Western countries, culminating in Yukia Amano’s Wednesday report on Iran’s nuclear program.

Ahmadinejad’s visit to the Chahar-Mahal and Bakhtiari province, Seyyed Hassan Nasrullah’s appraisal of Ayatollah Khamenei’s leadership, and the Qatari PM’s comments on the future direction of popular uprisings in Arab countries appeared on Kayhan’s front page. The newspaper’s analysis of the recent unfolding pressures against Iran, from the assassination plot allegations to Ahmed Shaheed’s human rights report to Yukia Amano’s latest report on Iran’s nuclear program, are pieces of a puzzle designed by the United States to find a temporary solution to its financial crisis, curb the anti-war sentiments among American citizens, mend fences with Russia and China after supporting Qaddafi’s overthrow, and save Israel from its critical situation.

Shargh’s front page material included reports on the Sadr’s family’s efforts to find a final answer to the fate of Imam Musa Sadr (the Iran-born leader of Lebanese Shi’as abducted by Qaddafi in the late 1970s), the Central Bank’s attack on the former president of the Saderat Bank, another decrease in Iran’s oil production, and renewed efforts by Tehran to approach Moscow following Yukia Amano’s report. The newspaper’s editorial, “Competitive Market and Goods’ Trafficking”, called for both the government and economic agencies to make markets competitive in order to render useless the smuggling of goods into the country.

Vatan-e Emrooz featured a remark by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad –who has been bombarded with accusations of defying the Supreme Leader’s orders by the right wing political camp- on the top right of the front page: “The Leader of the Revolution is the flag-bearer of monotheism and justice across the world.” The deaths of two protestors in anti-Capitalism demonstrations in the United States, and Sayyed Hassan Nasrullah’s prediction on the consequences of a military attack on Iran also appeared on the front page of the newspaper.

* Notes:

The editorial section of Iranian newspapers is not the work of the editor-in-chief or the senior editorial staff of the newspaper by default, but can be a contribution by experts and politicians (typically agreeing with the newspaper’s political stance.) The newspapers may also occasionally publish without an editorial.

Vatan-e Emrooz daily does not publish on Thursdays.

Trouble with understanding some terms? Check our Glossary of Iranian Political Terms.

Briefing

Etemaad is a Reformist newspaper owned by former MP Elias Hazrati. The newspaper supported Mehdi Karroubi in the 2005 and 2009 elections. In 2010, it was temporarily banned from publishing (for a three-month period) by the Judiciary.

Iran is the official organ of the administration. Its current editor-in-chief is Ali-Akbar Javanfekr, former media advisor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Jomhouri-ye Eslami (The Islamic Republic) was known as the official organ of the Party of the Islamic Republic, founded in 1979 and disbanded in 1987. Currently, it is an open critique of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies and is known to be a mouthpiece of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Kayhan (Universe) is a hard-line conservative newspaper. Its editor-in-chief –currently Hossein Shari’atmadari- is directly appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader. Shari’atmadari’s editorials often spark off controversy and debate inside Iranian political circles.

Resalat (Mission) belongs to the moderate wing of the Principlist camp. Resalat’s best known analyst is Amir Mohebbian, its political editor.

Shargh (East) is a moderate Reformist newspaper. It was the most popular and influential Reformist newspaper in its first period of publication which lasted from August 2003 until September 2006.

Tehran-e Emrooz (Tehran Today) is a “Principlist/Reformist” newspaper, connected to Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Tehran Mayor and a likely candidate of the 2013 presidential election.

Vatan-e Emrooz (Motherland Today) is a supporter of the president’s policies.