Tehran's Daily Newspaper Review

Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks in his meeting with members of the Islamic Association of Iranian Students in Europe were the top headline of Iranian newspapers today. Iran's Supreme Leader dubbed erudition and elaborating on the Nezam’s true stances as the key responsibilities of overseas Iranian students. He also addressed the West’s successive failures against the Islamic Republic of Iran despite their increasing pressure.

Iran's top headline spoke of the “West’s failure in its new power display”, announcing the futility of new sanctions by the US targeting the Central Bank of Iran. The newspaper also pointed to a Bloomberg report which ranked Tehran Stock Exchange second in the global market in terms of gains. Iran also featured report on Washington’s 100-billion dollar fund dedicated for founding a Taliban Bureau in Afghanistan.

Jomhouri-ye Eslami reported of Iran's success in manufacturing the first domestic nuclear fuel rod, a blow against “inhumane sanctions” of the West that is hitting cancer patients hard, according to the newspaper. On the front page, Jomhouri-ye Eslami also covered the first-time test-firing of Mehrab, homegrown intermediate-range, anti-radar, surface-to-air missile, by the Iranian Navy as part of the maritime Velayat 90 military maneuver in the Persian Gulf. In its editorial, the newspaper angrily called the 30-billion USD arms’ deal between Washington and Riyadh another phase of “the US Arab-hoaxing policy” and “maturation of the Iranophobia project.”

Kayhan’s top headline reported crackdowns in Bahrain, which led to death of 15-year old protestor by Al-Khalifa security forces, and the US Federal Policy, on the New Year’s Eve. Kayhan also quoted “Western commentators” who called the new Central Bank of Iran's sanction bill ratified by Barack Obama “a law for non-enforcement.” In its editorial, the newspaper warned about the adverse consequences awaiting the Principlists if they refuse to united for the upcoming parliamentary election and waste their energy to challenge each other and run smear campaigns.

Resalat’s top headline came from Speaker of the United Principlist Front and Former Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who stated that of the 29 Principlist candidates which secured all but one of Tehran constituency’s seats in the eighth parliamentary election, half will be absent from the electoral slate now in the pipeline. Obama's approval of a Congress bill proposing a boycott on the Central Bank of Iran was called “playing with fire” by the Conservative newspaper that warned Obama to prepare to face the consequences of their “outrageous measure.” The newspaper’s editorial was written by Saleh Eskandari -with his typical mannered vocabulary- who lambasted the Reformists for upsetting the apple cart in the 2009 presidential election which disqualified the majority of them from taking a role in Iranian politics thenceforth. Eskandari called for creation of new political criteria which could replace the outdated political paradigms in IRI’s political arena.

The Statistical Center of Iran’s confirmed the income-expenditure gap of the Iranian households Shargh reported. “Those doubting the 2009 [presidential] election had problems with the elected figure, not the election process” Shargh quoted First Deputy of the Judiciary Ebrahim Younesi. The cleric also stated that those who used the election results as an excuse for protests were seeking revenge from the Islamic Republic. Foreign “satellite channel’s impact cannot be denied” the newspaper cited Mohammad Hosseini who added that cultural concerns of the officials could abate if the state-run TV delivered higher-quality programs for the audience.

“The US has no place in Iran's financial transactions” Tehran-e Emrooz quoted Chairman of the National Chamber of Commerce Mohammad Nahavandian. “Nuclear negotiations awaiting Iran's green light” the newspaper wrote, pointing to EU chief diplomatic official Catherine Ashton’s letter yet unanswered by Secretary of National Security Council Saeed Jalili. The newspaper also reported that despite their claims of boycotting the parliamentary elections, the Reformists have participated in the registering process. Reformist MP Mostafa Kavakebian –who has turned into the Principlist media’s political figure following the purge of senior Reformist figures in the wake of the 2009 political unrest- was quoted as saying that at least 700 Reformist candidates have registered to run for the winter parliamentary elections, while, according to Tehran-e Emrooz, the majority of them are trying to find their way to Baharestan through smaller cities.

* 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.