Press Panorama:July 5

Tehran, July 5, IRNA - The English language paper Iran Daily in its Press Panorama column to be published on Sunday has reviewed several Persian newspapers:

Shahrvand: The cabinet of ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reduced working hours in the holy month of Ramadan, which was a blatant violation of the laws.



Since President Hassan Rouhani’s government has pledged to comply with the laws, it announced that working hours in the scorching summer days will not be changed.



However, certain lawmakers affiliated to conservatives have criticized Rouhani’s administration for “turning a blind eye to the demands of the strata that fast in the holy month”.



Despite such a claim, Ahmad Tavakkoli, a senior lawmaker, had warned during Ahmadinejad’s presidency that reduction of working hours would hamper efficiency in state bodies.





Barzani’s plots

Vatan-e Emrouz: Kurdish President Massoud Barzani’s disagreement with the Iraqi central government has worked to the detriment of the Arab nation.



Barzani supports some of Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Malikiˈs opponents who have been convicted of treason.



Reports indicate that he had been informed, in advance, that the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) would invade the Iraqi territory.



Barzani held clandestine meetings with the remnants of the Baath Party and the ISIL, and signed a secret deal with these terrorist groups to ensure the security of Kurdish security forces called Peshmerga.



Nowadays, Arbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, is the haven of terrorists affiliated to ISIL and former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.



A few days ago, Barzani announced plans to hold a referendum among Iraqˈs Kurdish population to formally secede from the central government.





Conservatives follow Rouhani in prayers

Arman: President Hassan Rouhani’s flexible approaches have not only exerted a positive influence on economic and cultural sectors, but also on political parties.



Rouhani’s political plans hinge on convergence among political parties based on moderation and prudence.



The president held a meeting with well-known conservatives on Thursday, who were unhappy over Rouhani’s landmark victory in the June 2013 presidential election.



In the meeting, Rouhani called for unity and consolidation among all political parties to secure national interests.



After the meeting, conservatives followed Rouhani in evening and night prayers.





Servility in politics

Etemad: Ardent supporters of ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who extended full backing to his policies and plans, today seek to disavow any link to his detrimental policies.



Certain conservatives placed Ahmadinejad on a pedestal to get rid of the reformists and redouble their political clout.



But the ex-president was able to catch them red-handed and pursued his “own principles” in politics, which often infuriated conservatives.



Had certain individuals not acted as yes-men, they would not have to take resort to desperate measures like self-exoneration.





ISIL clout

Ebtekar: Globalization, telecom facilities and cyberspace have helped terrorist groups pit people against each other.



An al-Qaeda breakaway group operating in Iraq has managed to overrun the Iraqi territory by such means and destabilize the central government.



The terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) announced its evil motives via social networks and propagate its discourse. It succeeded in attracting hordes of misguided and malicious extremists.



While governments fail to meet people’s expectations, the media inadvertently help terrorist groups disseminate their evil ideology.





Industrial enrichment a redline

Kayhan: This conservative daily lashed out at US officials for their excessive demands in nuclear talks with Iran.



Industrial enrichment is one of the redlines of the Islamic Republic that cannot be crossed, but the White House insists that Iran be entitled to enrich uranium only as a laboratorial project, the daily wrote.



The paper also criticized the nuclear negotiation team for making significant concessions to P5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) instead of “hollow promises”.



“Although President Hassan Rouhani said no tinker is able to repair the ˈbowl of sanctionsˈ, US Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that the White House will maintain embargoes as long as Iran refuses to succumb to Western pressure,” the daily claimed.





Inflation cause of social divide

Sharq: Rising inflation has widened the social gap between the poor and the rich.

The ex-administration implemented the first phase of “Subsidy Reform Plan” to aid the poor strata, but such an approach backfired.



As the national currency depreciated, the assets of the wealthy increased and the poor had to grapple with severe poverty.



Galloping inflation works to the detriment of people who have to live from hand to mouth, but helps the affluent see an appreciation in the value of their properties.

Four years have passed since the planˈs launch, but the social divide has worsened.