19 Conscripts Victims of the Death Bus

The Iranian newspaper Iran has dedicated a report to the bus accident involving soldiers from Camp 05 in Kerman, stating that "19 conscripts became victims of the death bus." The newspaper noted that early Wednesday morning, the road from Kerman to Shiraz witnessed two separate fatal accidents involving the fall and overturning of two buses, resulting in over 40 passengers being killed or injured. In the first incident, which occurred at 1:20 AM near the city of Neyriz, a Volvo bus, while traveling west on the Sirjan-Neyriz route, veered off the road at the Lairz pass and fell into a 20-meter deep ravine. This bus, which was heading from the training camp 05 in Kerman to Ahvaz, was carrying conscript soldiers, and as a result of this tragic accident, 19 soldiers lost their lives. According to the report, "16 people died at the scene and 3 in the hospital. 17 passengers were also injured and were transferred to the Martyrs Hospital in Neyriz for treatment." The newspaper also reported on the second bus overturning incident, stating: "The second accident occurred at 2:20 AM on the same route. This time, a Scania bus overturned near the city of Sarvestan due to the driver's inattention and fatigue." The newspaper Shahrvand featured a headline on its front page titled "Riders of Death," reporting: "Two horrific accidents in the early hours of Wednesday turned the roads of Fars province bloody. In these incidents, two buses overturned, leaving 19 dead and 80 injured. The 19 fatalities were educated soldiers who lost their lives due to the bus falling off the Sirjan-Neyriz route." The second bus was also carrying soldiers and overturned due to the driver's drowsiness, resulting in 50 injuries. Meanwhile, another bus also overturned early Wednesday in Kashan, leaving 36 more injured, and now "experts are investigating the main causes of these three accidents, which occurred within a few hours of each other." The newspaper Shahrvand quoted Mojtaba Khaledi, the spokesperson for the country's emergency services, stating that "the condition of 8 of the injured from the bus accident involving the soldiers from Camp 05 is critical," and quoted one of the injured soldiers about the incident: "I am a soldier from Camp 05 in Kerman, and along with my comrades, we intended to go on leave at the end of our service. While I was asleep, I was startled awake by a loud voice of one of the passengers shouting 'the bus has lost its brakes,' and I saw the bus veering off the road and speeding towards the bottom of the ravine." According to the newspaper, Mohammad Hossein Hamidi, the commander of the police road forces, attributed the cause of "both bus accidents involving soldiers" to "the driver's insufficient skill in controlling the vehicle and also the lack of guardrails on the road curve," but regarding the role of "technical defects in causing this accident," he stated: "We are waiting for the results of further investigations regarding technical defects, and as soon as the results are announced, we will inform you." The newspaper Vatan-e Emruz, close to the Stability Front, attacked Mohammad Javad Zarif for the dismissal of Hossein Amirabdollahian from the position of Deputy Minister for Arab and African Affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, accusing him of sending a "wrong message." This newspaper emphasized that "there are issues regarding the change of Hossein Amirabdollahian that seem to require an answer from Javad Zarif," writing: "Given Zarif's history of weak behavior in regional issues, especially the passive actions of the Foreign Ministry towards Saudi Arabia, is Amirabdollahian's dismissal not suspicious?" Vatan-e Emruz also noted that Zarif's statements at the Oslo Conference and after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of this conference indicated that "Iran may be ready to show more flexibility to advance a political solution in Syria," and wrote that "Saudi-affiliated individuals assessed this dismissal as a sign of Iran retreating from its positions in Syria, especially regarding Bashar al-Assad's survival," while some media outlets also viewed it as "indicative of the Rouhani government's determination to cooperate with the Arabs." Hossein Alavi, in a column for Vatan-e Emruz, also accused the Iranian Foreign Minister of pursuing partisan interests, writing: "Pursuing partisan interests within the framework of foreign policy issues is one of Zarif's managerial characteristics, and in this context, Amirabdollahian's dismissal may also reflect this behavior." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, also harshly criticized the Foreign Minister and the regional diplomacy of the eleventh government in an editorial titled "Post-JCPOA Excesses," stating: "The passive view believes that if a softness is shown in regional developments against the Western partner, namely the Saudi regime, problems can be solved, and it is not surprising that some dismissals and appointments occur with this approach." This newspaper even wrote: "The absurdity of this logic is evident in that three years ago it was said that if we get along with the 'big guy,' all problems would be solved, and now it has come to the point where we must get along with the 'big guy's servant,' who happens to be the most backward political system in the world," and "it is not unlikely that in serial JCPOAs, a day will come when we need to satisfy, for example, Djibouti's opinion as well." Mohammad Javad Akhavan, the editorial writer for Javan, emphasized that we are now facing "post-JCPOA excesses," and "the basis of this project can be seen as laying the groundwork for changing the behavior of the Islamic Republic in areas of Western interest, which includes a package of national, regional, and international issues," and it can even be claimed that what the hegemonic system is pursuing in this excess is far more important than its achievements in the JCPOA. This newspaper described the current outlook in the government and ministry as "passive," stating that it "looks at the opponent's rail-laying and is forced to play within that framework," and wrote: "With the implementation of the JCPOA, it quickly became clear that the concerns were not unfounded, and now the passive view prescribes a begging diplomacy to perhaps turn these nothingnesses into some concessions." The Javan newspaper emphasized that "the passive view does not quite believe that one can reject the big guy and must inevitably move in step with his excesses," and this has caused the other side to "now raise topics such as regional issues or internal issues in Iran and expects us to sign JCPOAs 2, 3, and 4..." Meanwhile, the newspaper Iran, close to the government, reported that Mohammad Javad Zarif, during a meeting with French officials in Paris, stated: "No one can tear up the nuclear agreement or repeat negotiations." According to this newspaper, Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Paris on Tuesday afternoon and, in addition to meeting with President Francois Hollande, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, and Gerard Larcher, President of the Senate, "discussing problems and crises in the Middle East in the path towards political solutions and how to cooperate to combat terrorism and extremism were other topics of discussion between the Iranian Foreign Minister and French officials." This newspaper also reported that during this trip, Zarif emphasized that "we oppose the political use of human rights," and in response to a question about human rights in Iran, he stated: "As someone who has taught human rights for 30 years, I oppose the political use of human rights. Recently, a human rights resolution against Iran was passed at the United Nations. Countries voted that have no elections or parliaments. These are countries whose citizens they execute." The Iranian Foreign Minister of Hassan Rouhani's government, however, emphasized that "I am not happy with the number of executions in Iran," but stated: "You should know that 90% of executions are related to drugs. The head of the Iranian judiciary is also interested in reducing the number of executions. However, we must find another deterrent method instead of execution." The newspaper Etemad dedicated its front page to Mohammad Reza Aref and his first statement after the internal elections of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, quoting the head of the Hope faction as saying: "I have grievances, but I am not sulking." According to this newspaper, Mohammad Reza Aref, after a few weeks of silence, responded to some rumors about his position, stating two things: "First, I am not one to sulk, and second, I have serious grievances with some members of the Hope coalition. He also had another grievance." Etemad also quoted the head of the Hope faction, who had previously been mentioned as a candidate for the Education Commission of the Assembly, stating: "There was 'engineering' in this commission's elections." Newspapers close to the principlists have focused on the statements of Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, during a meeting with government members. The newspaper Kayhan quoted the leader as saying: "Astronomical salaries are an assault on values, but everyone should know that this issue is an exception, and most managers of the agencies are honest people, but this small number is still very bad and must be dealt with." The newspaper Arman also dedicated its front page to Hassan Rouhani and his statements during an iftar ceremony with "professors and doctors," quoting the President as saying: "Let us not give slogans from the people's pockets." The newspaper Shahrvand also highlighted another part of the statements of the eleventh government president, quoting him as saying: "We should not look at the university and students through a security lens." The newspaper Arman also reported that Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, has reported an increase in the phenomenon of "selling newborns in the mother's womb," stating that "today we are witnessing the sale of newborns in the mother's womb and before birth," adding: "We do not have statistics on the number of these newborns, but the number has become so significant that it has turned into news." According to this newspaper, Shahindokht Molaverdi emphasized that the phenomenon of selling newborns in the mother's womb is "not a single-factor issue," stating: "Economic poverty, cultural poverty, addiction, homelessness, and child marriage are among the factors that can drive women towards selling their children." The newspaper Hamdeli titled its front page on the third of Tir as the anniversary of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rise to power in 2005 as "The Birth of Iranian Populism," stating that one of the main reasons for Ahmadinejad's rise to power was "his opportunism in using slogans and implementing populist measures to attract public opinion." The newspaper Vaghaye Ettefaghieh, while publishing a report on the "dismissal of the governor of Khuzestan," wrote that on Wednesday, Hossein Ali Amiri, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, regarding the reasons for the dismissal of Abdolhossein Moqtadaei from the governorship of Khuzestan, stated: "The start of disagreements between the Khuzestan governor and the Ministry of Interior was Moqtadaei's insistence on appointing 11 women," and "Moqtadaei subsequently decided to change 20 of the province's governors, while there was no necessity for that." The spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior stated that Abdolhossein Moqtadaei "was not dismissed by the order of the President," adding: "At the national level, several ministers and deputies complained about Moqtadaei, and their complaints reached the President, but none of them requested the dismissal of the governor." The newspaper Arman, however, reported in a piece titled "The Last Wire of the Former Governor in Farewell" that Abdolhossein Moqtadaei emphasized during his farewell ceremony that "the godfathers who have clung to Khuzestan's treasures like a dragon have played a role in my dismissal," stating: "It was probably the President's will that I resign from this position." The dismissed governor of Khuzestan also criticized some remarks regarding his dismissal, stating: "I will retire on the first of Azar next year; therefore, the claim that I have been dismissed is unfounded," adding that "initially, I thought this matter was related to the appointments I made." The dismissed governor also stated: "Mr. Rouhani says his expertise is in key-making and unlocking locks, but some locks in the country have rusted, and these locks need to be cut, and here a 'lock cutter' was needed to open any lock that hinders the province's development. To realize economic goals, political power must exist, but my pockets were closed, and I was honest," and after "I changed four governors, an excuse was created to remove me. Meanwhile, in other provinces, some governors issued similar decrees and even changed up to 10 managers and governors, and nothing happened."