Tehran’s Daily Newspapers Review

Providing the fodder of hot news for the foreign media, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, a well-known religious figure, called the Holocaust a superstition.

Hamshahri

Majles Committee of National Security Cautions [IAEA Chief Yukia] Amano: Do not add new complexities to Iran’s nuclear dossier

Withdrawal of Fifth [Development] Plan Bill; Government’s Silence, Majles’ Confusion

MPs Demand: Action by Supervisory and judicial bodies on non-enforcement of the Metro credit bill [passed by Majles but ignored by Ahmadinejad]

Iran

Minister of Trade Announces: Historical trade level with 100-billion dollar record

Vice President for Legal Affairs Predicts: Increasing possibility of 3-day holiday for Fetr (1)

Jomhouri-ye Eslami

Foreign Minister: Diplomacy is not the arena to make imprudent remarks

Israeli FM [Avigdor Lieberman] Protests against Futility of Compromise Talks [between Israel and the Palestinian Authority]

At Tehran University; Fetr Prayers Held by Leader of the Revolution

Kayhan

Ahmadinejad in Qatar, New Relations with Arab States

LA Times: Iran-Germany trade ties boosted after sanctions

[Lebanese PM Saad] Hariri: I should not have accused Syria of my father’s assassination

Khabar

Iran Has the Highest Number of Holidays in the World: 1262 Billion Tomans [approx. 1.2 billion dollars], the price the country’s economy pays for each holiday

Minister of Telecommunications in an Interview with Khabar: We will remove the Internet speed connection limit with Majles’ approval

MPs Explain: How can maximal attraction occur?

Resalat

[Senior Principlist] Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani: Culture is enemy’s tool in ‘soft war’

Abbasi, Minister of Cooperatives: The cooperatives segment has created 3 million jobs

The Cause of Reformists’ Fall and Green’s Dispersion

Shargh

Ex-Deputy Governor of Tehran Sentenced

Mottaki Objects to President’s Special Representatives

[Guardian Council Head Ayatollah Ahmad] Jannati Smiles at the Rumors of His Death

Tehran-e Emrooz

The End of Mr. Diplomacy’s Patience: Foreign Ministry of the country slams Hamid Baqaei’s remarks

Disagreement over the Existence of ‘Underprivileged Areas’; [Head of Presidential Bureau for Underprivileged Areas] Besharati: We don’t have [any], MPs: We do

100 MPs Meet Tehran’s Mayor [Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf]

Vatan-e Emrooz

Saad Hariri Admits [Seyyed Hassan] Nasrullah’s Remarks on False Witnesses in Rafik Hariri’s Assassination Dossier: We Erred!

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi [Religious Leader]: Holocaust is a ‘superstition’

(1)   Eid-e Fetr (or its original pronunciation in Arabic Id-ul-Fitr) is the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the month of Ramadan.

Briefing

Hamshahri (citizen) is the official daily newspaper of Tehran’s Municipality. Its general directions in politics, culture and economy are determined by the mayor of Tehran, currently Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

Iran is the official organ of the administration.

Jomhuri-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 appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader. Shari’atmadari’s editorials often spark off controversy and debate inside Iranian political circles.

Khabar (News) is a principlist daily newspaper which adopts a critical stance towards Ahmadinejad’s policies.

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

Tehran-e Emrooz (Tehran Today) is a ‘principlist reformist’ newspaper, connected to Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

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.

Vatan-e Emrooz (Motherland Today) -which started its publication in November 2008-, belongs to Mehrdad Bazrpash, the thirty-old pro-Ahmadinejad politician who is also head of Iran’s second largest auto manufacturer company, Saipa. Vatan-e Emrooz is a supporter of the president’s policies.