Iranian Media and Ayatollah Khamenei’s JCPOA Directive

(Photo: Front page of Vatan-e Emrooz newspaper on Thursday October 22nd, 2015, with the headline "Antidote")

The most important news of last week in Iran's political scene was Ayatollah Khamenei's much awaited directive on implementation of JCPOA. During the previous month, the parliament had been engaged in a lively debate over approval and implementation of the JCPOA that occasionally turned into ferocious exchanges like the time hardliner MP Rouhollah Hosseinian threatened to bury Ali-Akbar Salehi, Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization and member of the nuclear negotiating team, at the core of the Arak reactor and pour cement on him.

In his letter that was released on October 21, 2015, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his skepticism towards the good will of the West, particularly the United States. He also pointed to loopholes in the JCPOA and called for ultimate vigilance during the adoption phase, lest such loopholes be misused to hurt Iran's national interests (official translation of his letter can be read here.)

Ayatollah Khamenei also praised the role of the parliament in examination of the JCPOA, and reminded Hassan Rouhani that JCPOA is no panacea for economic problems of Iran. His skepticism towards the Western parties was reflected in several segments of the letter. Iran's Supreme Leader called for extracting from other parties objective guarantees and clarity in implementation of their commitments in the JCPOA, including in lifting of sanctions, redesigning the Arak heavy reactor, and swapping uranium stockpile.

Rouhani's response to the Supreme Leader's letter, released one day after on October 22, 2015, betrayed a significantly different tone, optimistic and with a significant dose of hyperbole. The Iranian president thanked Ayatollah Khamenei for his "intelligent leadership" and "continuous support" for the government and the negotiating team, and reassured that the Supreme Leader's concerns have been, and will continue to be, taken into consideration in adoption phase. Meanwhile, he did not miss the opportunity to present a long list of Iran's achievements in the negotiations and highlight potential opportunities in the post-JCPOA era.

Predictably, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's letter was the top headline of most Iranian newspaper on Thursday, one day after his letter was released.

Reformist newspapers, all in favor of the nuclear deal, opted for neutral headlines, while Principlist newspapers highlighted the 'conditional' nature of Ayatollah Khamenei's support. On the Reformist side, Arman and Aftab-e Yazd chose similar headlines: "Supreme Leader's Important Directives on Implementation of JCPOA". Shargh and Etemad, the two most popular Reformist newspapers went for "Conditional Approval of JCPOA" by the Supreme Leader. Iran, the government's mouthpiece, showed more optimism, with the headline "Supreme Leader's Order for Implementation of JCPOA"

Principlist newspapers, on the other hand, had better options for their top headline. Jam-e Jam's headline read "Nine Conditions for Implementation of JCPOA". Javan, affiliated with IRGC, bore a similar headline, "Conditional Approval of JCPOA with Nine Conditions". Resalat's headline was a quote from the letter: "The US President and the EU Should Provide Written Guarantee for Termination of Sanctions." Kayhan and Vatan-e Emrooz, on the more extreme side of the Principlist media preferred to go with more sensational headlines. On the eve of Ashura, tenth day of the month of Muharram when Shi'as commemorate the battle of Hussein against the tyrant Yazid to save Islam from diversion, Kayhan chose an apposite headline: "The Son of Ashura Foils America's Plot". Vatan-e Emrooz chose the headline "Antidote", presumably against a toxic nuclear deal.