Tehran's Daily Newspaper Review

With the parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in two months, Tehran's newspapers’ content will be hogged by news of electoral alliances, promises and controversies by the end of the Persian year 1390; which ends on March 20.

Iran's headline focused on key figures of Iranian parties in the upcoming parliamentary elections. According to the newspaper’s figures, “of the 68 renowned political figures who have registered for candidacy from Tehran constituency, 36 belong to the United Front of Principlists [the mainstream Principlist camp led by Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani], 15 are affiliated with the Resistance Front [proponents of the “Ahmadinejad minus Mashaei” doctrine], … nine come from the Reformist camp, and five have registered as independent candidates, though they have a Reformist bent.” In the meantime, Abbas-Ali Kadkhodayi, Speaker of the Guardian Council (the body in charge of approving nominees’ qualifications to run in the elections) threatened those speaking of the Deviant (Astray) Current infiltrating the Council of legal pursuit. In another counter-attack against Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, potential contender against Ahmadinejad's favored candidate in the next presidential election, Iran quoted Speaker of Tehran City Council Khosrow Daneshjou (whose brother is Ahmadinejad's Minister of Higher Education), who spoke of “massive fiscal violations” by the Tehran Municipality.

Jomhouri-ye Eslami’s top headline concerned the West’s bleak economic prospects at the outset of the new Christian year. The newspaper also reported of the spread of Islamic Awakening in Jordan, as protests against the ruling elite have gained momentum in the Hashemite monarchy. Complementing the report was a photo of young Jordanians setting Israel's flag on fire. The newspaper also reported that on behalf of Majles’ lawmakers, Speaker Ali Larijani has filed a lawsuit against Moradi, government’s representative to the parliament, who created controversy after cursing and slapping an MP in the face during a session discussing the Purposeful Subsidies Bill on the first anniversary of its enforcement. “A law-shy government is in power,” Jomhouri-ye Eslami quoted Principlist MP Ahmadi Tavakkoli, ardent critic of the government. The newspaper’s editorial ran a statistical analysis of the EU’s economy in 2011 before accusing the Europeans of trying to deflate their economic crisis towards other regions of the world, even if it is through military means.

Kayhan also reported of the political composition of the parliamentary elections as the registration phase ended on Saturday and the Guardian Council is set to start the process of screening the nominees to decide on their qualification for the Majles’ poll. The newspaper also reported of a joint Qatar-Saudi Arabia plan for military intervention in Syria, in alliance with Al-Qaeda remnants in Iraq and fundamentalist Syrian Islamists, in order to topple the secular Bashar al-Assad government. Kayhan’s front page also featured a large picture of the Iranian navy firing missiles during the Velayat 90 military drill in the strategic waters of the Strait of Hormuz. The newspaper’s editorial reviewed 2011 developments in the Middle East and North Africa, and their equals in the US and EU, all of which had the same root motives, according to the author of the piece, Hesameddin Boroumand.

“Nineteen candidates will compete for each parliamentary seat” on average, Resalat quoted Minister of Interior Brig. General Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar. “Iran's response to every threat will be regrettable,” the newspaper cited Secretary of the National Security Council and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. “All political groups have participated in registration,” Resalat quoted Speaker of the Guardian Council Abbas-Ali Kadkhodayi, who tried to play down the abstention of the majority of Reformists in taking part in the elections in response to a remark which called the upcoming ninth parliamentary election non-competitive. Resalat’s editorial was an effort to derive practical guidelines from Ayatollah Khamenei’s recent meeting with Iran's ambassadors and attachés to foreign countries. Applicants should undergo a closer pre-employment screening process before joining the Foreign Ministry to make sure they are ideologically in line with the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic agenda, the author argued. Mahmoud Farshidi also emphasized the need to attend to “cracks”, which may mislead the families of Iranian diplomatic attachés in foreign countries and result in their reception of permanent residence or dual citizenship, which would be a security threat.

Shargh’s top headline was the Police Chief Brig. General Ahmadi-Moghaddam’s call for the formation of a Banking Police, which would be in charge of screening fiscal transactions in order to prevent further frauds such as the 2.6 billion dollar scheme which has undermined public trust in the government. “Banking Police?!” was a response by the renowned pro-Reform lawyer Ne’mat Ahmadi to Ahmadi-Moghaddam’s remarks. “Expansion of security and investigative bodies cannot help administrating affairs,” Ahmadi argued, and the effective solution is strict adherence to legal responsibilities. Iran's test-firing of newly developed advanced missiles during the military drill in the Strait of Hormuz was also covered by Shargh. The newspaper also reported of successive correspondence between Iran and the Five plus One team to resume negotiations concerning Iran's nuclear program, which have been put on a halt after neither side agreed on the other’s preconditions.

Tehran-e Emrooz’s top headline reported of an “alliance between the Deviant [Astray] Current and the government’s supporters”. According to the newspaper, Mojataba Samareh-Hashemi, Ahmadinejad's low-profile yet influential ‘senior assistant’, has decided to take charge of the president’s electoral campaign geared to secure the majority of the parliamentary seats for pro-government candidates. The newspaper’s editorial criticized the government for direct involvement in the parliamentary contest, and suggestively questioned the reason why Ahmadinejad's electoral bureaus are still active while the presidential portfolio is limited to two successive terms, according to the Constitution.

* 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

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 critic 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.