Tehran's Daily Newspaper Review

The Supreme Leader’s meeting with attendees of the Congress on Islamic Awakening Literature appeared on the front page of Jomhouri-ye Eslami, as well as many other newspapers, except for –predictably- the Reformist Shargh.

It is common knowledge in Iran at the moment, but it won’t do any harm to restate that the pro-Ahmadinejad media’s aggressive language against the Conservatives is reminiscent of their Reformist predecessors. Iran’ top headline today is one among the voluminous body of evidence substantiating this argument: “President should stop the electoral show taking place in Majles,” the show being the parliament’s presiding board’s acknowledgement of receiving a motion from 79 members calling for Ahmadinejad's summoning to Majles after months of ignoring the demand, and only a few weeks before the parliamentary election.

Jomhouri-ye Eslami viewed the MPs’ demand not as a publicity show, but a taboo that was finally broken by the parliament. “The Islamic Awakening Movement will change the course of the Muslim Ummah’s history,” the newspaper quoted Ayatollah Khamenei. The newspaper did not miss Hashemi Rafsanjani’s implicit criticism of Ahmadinejad's economic policies and the country’s overdependence on oil revenues.

Kayhan reported of Majles drafting a bill for cutting off oil exports to certain European countries. “Majles ready to approve the bill,” the newspaper quoted Speaker Ali Larijani. He also added that this decision has unnerved the Europeans, as five European ambassadors have visited the Iranian parliament to avert Majles’ proposal.

Resalat’s front page disclosed Obama's liaison with drug lords, based on an NY Times report. “A preemptive speech”, the newspaper’s editorial, read into the Supreme Leader’s speech during the latest Friday prayers’ gathering. The author, conservative MP Heshmatollah Falahatpishe, stated that Ayatollah Khamenei’s Friday remarks were a warning to the West not to tie its interests to Israel, since an Israeli instigated war could have dire consequences for them as Iran embarks on asymmetrical warfare.

Shargh reported that Ahmadinejad's summoning to Majles is going to take place after the late winter parliamentary election. The newspaper also covered the “revolution in the Maldives”, calling it another piece in the Arab Spring domino. “Maverick policies have diverted Iran's economy off the correct path,” Shargh quoted Mohammad Khosh-Chehreh, orthodox Principlist economist and a critic of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“Damascus, heart of the new Cold War”, Tehran-e Emrooz claimed on its front page, reviewing the confrontation between Moscow and Washington over the fate of Bashar Assad’s regime. The newspaper also covered 79 MPs’ decision to summon the president to the parliament as the first authority in this position in the history of the Islamic Republic.

“Obama begged us to return the drone,” Vatan-e Emrooz quoted Hashemi Golpayegani, head of Ayatollah Khamenei’s office. The newspaper’s editorial called the parliament’s decision to summon Ahmadinejad to Majles a ‘deviatory’ question, adding that it would tarnish the image of the Eighth Parliament on the threshold of the next parliamentary elections.

* 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.