Tehran's Daily Newspaper Review

Ahmadinejad made his day full of controversy on Wednesday, from expressing his disbelief in the existence of a “cultural war” (against the opinion of the Supreme Leader), stating that “man can create whatever God has created” and saying that the current amount of liquid subsidies paid to every Iranian citizen (around 40 USD) can be tripled.

Iran daily; however, preferred to choose an innocuous headline, quoting Ahmadinejad that “the government won't withdraw; we stand by people’s rights.” Renovation of the airplane fleet was a promising news appearing on the front page, when Iran has one of the highest rates of deaths due to aviation accidents.

Jomhouri-ye Eslami predictably seized to opportunity to criticize Ahmadinejad. The paper’s top headline read “Theologians criticize Ahmadinejad's non-expert remarks.” The newspaper also quoted Chief Magistrate Sadeq Larijani who claimed that some executive bodies impede the fight against corruption. Jomhouri-ye Eslami also covered the statement released by Assembly of Experts in its ten convention which had called for avoiding expression of controversial remarks to safeguard the interests of the Revolution.

Kayhan reworded the Assembly’s statement in a different way: “Experts warning to past and present Fetneh-perpetrators: creating tension won’t be tolerated”; “past and present Fetneh-perpetrators” referring to Mashaei’s circle and Green activists. Million-strong demonstrations in Italy and Spain, the Bahrain uprising and Iran's protest to Turkey’s decision to host NATO radar system also appeared on the front page. Kayhan’s editorial took the economic crisis afflicting the eurozone as proof to soundness of the Islamic principles on trade and finance and called for promotion of the “Islamic Economy” as the new model.

Resalat’s headline was rosy, quoting none of Ahmadinejad's controversial remarks, but his comment on velayat-e faqih, which, according to the president, “is the prerequisite to the global rule” of Islam. Resalat’s editorial warned about the new wave of atheism, as well as “fake mysticism” and “Godless spirituality” targeting the universities, calling for introduction of Islamic mysticism as an antidote.

Shargh focused on Ahmadinejad's controversial remarks on its front page, quoting the president that a military mien should not be imposed on culture. The newspaper also covered a comment by head of the police forces Brigadier Ahmadi-Moghaddam who had called for avoiding security attitudes towards environmental problems, referring to the recent protests on the dire state of Lake Urmia. Shargh’s editorial also focused on a solution to save Lake Urmia.

“Commanders in observation of citizens’ rights will be dismissed” Tehran-e Emrooz quoted Ahmadi-Moghaddam. Dollar exchange rate and the price of gold, the arch-struggle between the government and Tehran's municipality over the metro budget and Assembly of Expert’s statement were also covered by Tehran-e Emrooz. “United States and Non-Starter Plans” the newspaper’s editorial, argued that Washington’s (covert) military initiatives to contain Iran's regional influence have failed to bear fruit. Washington should accept Islamic Iran as a reality and respect its entity, the editorial maintained.

* Notes:

The editorial section of Iranian newspapers is not always the work of the editor-in-chief or the senior editorial staff of the newspaper, but can be a contribution by experts and politicians (typically agreeing with the newspaper’s political stance.) Editorials may not be published on a daily basis in some newspapers.

Vatan-e Emrooz daily 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.

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.

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.