Tehran’s Daily Newspaper Review
“The government will add up 15 percent to the civil servants’ salary,” and “Majles blocked increase of cash subsidies.” The juxtaposition of these two headlines by the government’s organization, Iran, was quite meaningful. In the meantime, in his yesterday speech of the people of Karaj, labor magnet in West of Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that the recent turmoil in the gold and foreign exchange market aimed to foil the government’s Purposeful Subsidies bill.
Jomhouri-ye Eslami’s top headline reported of massive protests spreading from the Shia-dominated east of Saudi Arabia to southern region of the kingdom, where female students have staged protests due to poor services of the King Khalid University. The newspaper also covered the second trial session of Amir-Mansour Aria and his teams, indictees of the most scandalous post-Revolution bank fraud estimated to be worth 2.6 billion dollars. “Unemployment will be eradicated by the end of the Tenth Administration’s tenure,” stated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his visit to Karaj, while governmental figures speak of a 11.8 percent unemployment and there is two years left to the end of Ahmadinejad’s presidency. The newspaper’s editorial slammed NATO for its greed to take a share from the Libyan Revolution, blaming it for the declaration of autonomy by militia leaders and tribes’ chieftains of the east of Libya.
Kayhan, the vanguard of media anti-corruption campaign for years, reported in large fonts of “billion Tomans of bribe in the wallets of bank fraud indictees.” The newspaper spoke of the US Ambassador “flee” from Cairo following the intensifying popular protests against Washington’s role in Egyptian politics. “Iran will not allow implementation of the American project in Syria, Kayhan quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian who attacked the West and some Arab countries for arming the Syrian opposition. As Iranians get ready the new Persian year which starts from March 21st, Kayhan reviewed the developments of the year 1390, calling it “a historical turning point” in which Iran once again defied the Western plots.
Shargh viewed the Syrian saga from a different vintage, reporting of an agreement between Moscow and the Arab League according which puts Bashar Assad’s days on the countdown and following a Yemeni model, introduces his deputy Farouk al-Sharaa as the interim president. Shargh also covered the dubious fate of MPs’ decision to summon Ahmadinejad to the parliament, as seven key legislators have published an open letter calling for the signatories of the summoning motion to shelve their request not to “make bitter the sweet taste of the glorious parliamentary election,” though there are alternative readings of the covert pressures to block the act.
* 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.