Tehran’s Daily Newspaper Review
Iran reported that “government will manage steel and cement market” with close monitoring to stop efforts that aim to disturb the supply and demand status quo. The front page photo of Iran daily was a picture of a friendly visit paid by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the family Ali-Reza and Mohammad-Reza Movahhed-Danesh, well-known martyrs of the Iran-Iraq war, a picture Ahmadinejad’s revolutionary fans prefer to see more often. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s talks with Ayatollah Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were also covered by the newspaper. Iran’s editorial by Ali-Akbar Javanfekr was a criticism of the recent detention of governmental officials by the judiciary and the tirade against what he called “the illusionary, fake, Astray Current.”
Jomhouri-ye Eslami’s top headline was a quote from the Iranian Supreme Leader: “US is the real enemy of Pakistan’s national unity.” The IRGC’s raid on a headquarters of the Kurdish separatist group PJAK-- which lead to the death of five members of the terrorist organization-- was reported by the newspaper. Jomhouri-ye Eslami’s editorial argued a decline in Washington’s strategies in the Far East.
Besides Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks in his meeting with Asif Ali Zardari, Kayhan reported the uprising in Bahrain and the “one citizen, one vote” chants. “I will meet Bashar Assad’s opposition in Damascus by Obama’s order,” the US ambassador to Syria has stated, according to Kayhan. The editor-in-chief of the newspaper was also quoted saying that “the Astray Current is a comic sequel to the ’88 Fetneh,” during a speech to the Guardian Council’s supervisors in the northern province of Mazandaran. The newspaper’s editorial was a historical analysis of the Middle East balance of power and its implications for Washington’s regional strategy.
Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi was quoted by Resalat as saying that “new documentaries on infiltration of the counterrevolutionary [circles] will be displayed.” As usual, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief’s remarks find a good placement on the front page. Seyyed Morteza Nabavi stated that “the Astray Current regards Mahdaviat [the belief in resurrection of Shi’a 12th Imam, Mahdi, to reinstate justice] as a tool to maintain power.” The newspaper’s editorial by Saleh Eskandari was an essay on how two key conservative clerical institutions, namely the Combatant Clergy Association and the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom, should promote participation in the elections as a religious obligation.
Shargh’s top headline was Hashemi Rafsanjani’s remarks in his interview with Iranian Diplomacy on the regional developments. “People’s rule is definite.” The newspaper also reminded its readers that two years have passed since Rafsanjani’s sermon at Tehran’s Friday prayers –where he was a regular- his last speech occurring one month after the 2009 presidential election in which he called for the release of political prisoners and demanded that officials “not to do something that the enemies sneer” at the Islamic Republic. The high-profile murder in the city of Karaj of Ruhollah Dadashi, star of a televised power lifting competition and known as “Iran’s Strongest Man”, was also covered by Shargh. “I will forgive, but I won’t forget,” written by the nationalist opposition figure Lotfollah Meysami on Nelson Mandela’s political doctrine and its Islamic correspondents, was Shargh’s editorial.
Tehran-e Emrooz’s top report was on the disturbing situation of the real estate market. The newspaper covered Dadashi’s death with the headline “Murder of an Iron Man”. The frequency of high-profile violent murders in Tehran during recent months urged Tehran-e Emrooz to publish its editorial with the title “We live for morality”, criticizing the moral apathy of Iranian society in recent years.
Vatan-e Emrooz focused on another violent assault in Tehran, not against an “iron man” but a young cleric who was stabbed by the passengers of a personal car while trying to stop them from harassing three young girls at midnight. Vatan-e Emrooz also quoted the intelligence minister saying that “the enemy wants the ’88 Fetneh to be forgotten.” He added that the turbulence that followed the 2009 post-election upheaval lingers, and the Fetneh is going to strike another blow against the Nezam.
* Note: Vatan-e Emrooz does not publish on Thursdays.
Trouble with understanding some terms? Check our Glossary of Iranian Political Terms.
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.
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 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.
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.