205 Points in Iran at Risk of Avian Influenza

The newspaper Farhikhtegan has reported, citing the director general of the Biodiversity and Wildlife Office of the Department of Environment, that "205 points in the country are at risk of avian influenza." Majid Khrazian-Moghadam, the director general, stated that "the source of the highly pathogenic avian influenza comes from Southeast Asian countries, which has now affected 45 countries worldwide." He mentioned that this H5N8 virus has impacted domestic poultry in 11 provinces of Iran and has affected two wetlands and one pasture in wildlife. Since the source of the virus is migratory birds, there is a possibility of affecting 205 existing sites of aquatic birds in the country. This environmental official noted that hunting permits for birds will not be issued as per the directive sent to the provinces, and previously issued permits have been revoked. He stated, "Bird markets must be closed, and currently in Mazandaran province, some bird markets have been shut down following a request to the prosecutor, and we hope all these markets will be closed to protect public health," adding that "the traps and fishing sites in Fereydunkenar that catch migratory birds using aerial nets must be dismantled." In the report by Farhikhtegan, it was mentioned that during the outbreak of avian influenza, "most casualties of migratory birds occurred in the Miqan wetland in Markazi province, with 1581 birds killed, of which 1313 were related to gray-legged geese, and other casualties included cranes, gulls, flamingos, and various other species, while the Miankaleh wetland and Fereydunkenar pasture had fewer casualties." The newspaper Shargh highlighted the statements of the Guardian Council spokesperson regarding the potential disqualification of the "President," stating, "There has been and is no guarantee for the confirmation of qualifications." The newspaper reported that Abbasali Kadkhodai, the spokesperson for the Guardian Council, answered a long-standing political question with more certainty: "Is it possible for Rouhani to be disqualified this time? Is it a norm that presidents are confirmed for a second term?" Kadkhodai's response on Wednesday was: "There has been and is no guarantee in this regard." Shargh reminded that Hassan Rouhani himself had previously stated during the 2013 elections in response to a question about what he would do if disqualified by the Guardian Council, "There was no blasphemy like me, it was not easy." The newspaper noted that while some government opponents have long been calling for Rouhani's disqualification and talking about forming pre-election headquarters, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesperson, stated on Tuesday: "The claim that some factions are discussing his disqualification is a baseless and illogical statement. The President has not yet announced his candidacy; how can a headquarters be formed? If the President had announced his candidacy, every action and decision would have been interpreted as part of these individuals' electoral programs." Shargh also pointed out that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani had previously told this newspaper that "the likelihood of Mr. Rouhani's disqualification is also unlikely. They have become somewhat clearer themselves. I believe these events will not happen." Abbas Abdi also reacted to the possibility of Rouhani's disqualification, stating: "Those who say this do not have a proper understanding of the Iranian system and think that the decision-making structure is ignorant enough to take such an action. The Iranian government system is very intelligent and has thus far managed to navigate through the worst conditions and crises; at least up to this point, it has been able to do so. If the system concludes for any reason that Rouhani should not be there, Rouhani himself will not run, rather than being disqualified. But I am sure that the system's preference is for Rouhani to return and become President again because a system that accepted the JCPOA is also bound by its consequences." The newspaper Noavaran emphasized in its Friday headline that "disqualification is the new keyword for undermining Rouhani." The newspaper stated that "the psychological war against an election in which Rouhani has a high chance of winning has begun," writing: "Media that themselves are funded by public resources accuse this government of using public assets for its electoral headquarters, which becomes the most documented reason for starting a psychological war stating that there is no guarantee that any president will be confirmed for a second term." Salahuddin Harsani, a political science and international relations instructor, emphasized in a note in the newspaper Jahan Sanat about the "possibility of Hassan Rouhani serving only one term," stating: "Before the extension of sanctions by the Republicans, public belief was that Rouhani's government had achieved significant success due to negotiations with the 1+5 group regarding the JCPOA. However, after the extension of the D'Amato law, these beliefs and hopes have faded, and alongside some internal problems, they have become the Achilles' heel of Rouhani's government." The columnist of this newspaper pointed out that "currently, the main internal problem, namely the economy, alongside rampant unemployment, inflation, and the decline in people's purchasing power, along with the government's record in the JCPOA, has become a tool for organized attacks by opponents against the government." The newspaper Jahan Sanat also referred to the attacks by the principlist faction against the eleventh government, writing that some of these attacks are the result of "unjustified actions" by the government that "has given the opponents the excuse for these attacks," including the recent economic report presented by the government on the first TV program. In this report, it was said and heard that the government, by taking refuge under the umbrella of populism, has somewhat escaped from the economic realities of society, to the extent that if someone did not know he was Hassan Rouhani, they would think he was an Ahmadinejad who intends to deal with simple issues." This newspaper also wrote that "the government, alongside all the tensions with the municipality and opposing factions, has put the scenario of conflict with the judiciary on its agenda," effectively placing "all those opponents in front of it on the eve of the elections," and now "indications show that the new controversy between the government and the judiciary, alongside the fishgate scandals and the JCPOA, will lead to a new wave of organized attacks against the government. Furthermore, the new confrontation between the government and its opponents, especially with the massive psychological operations that will undoubtedly escalate in the months leading up to the elections, will make things difficult for Rouhani and his team, especially since the opposing side is not committed to ethics." Jahan Sanat emphasized in this note that "the main goal of these organized attacks" against the eleventh government indicates that opponents are trying to ensure that Hassan Rouhani's government becomes the first single-term government after the revolution." Simultaneously, the newspaper Nasl Farda dedicated its front page to Sadegh Larijani and Hassan Rouhani with the headline "No Truce in Sight," writing: "The artillery of the judiciary and the executive branch is currently firing continuously and bombarding the other side with criticisms." The newspaper Etemad also reported under the title "Breakdown of Dialogue" that since August 10 and for five months, "no meeting of the heads of the three branches" has been held. This newspaper wrote: "What we are witnessing these days in the political atmosphere of the country is the exchange of positions between the heads of the branches, especially the heads of the executive and judiciary branches, which completely places them on opposing paths. There is hardly a day that one of the heads of the branches does not raise a topic, and the head of the other branch does not prepare a response for it at the first opportunity to speak. It seems they have forgotten that for positions indicating existing differences between the heads of the two executive and judicial branches, the media is not a good place, especially when they have other opportunities to resolve these differences, which is the meeting of the heads of the branches." This newspaper, while reviewing the history of the meetings of the heads of the branches and the interruptions that have occurred since 2010 during the previous administration, wrote: "The first three years of Hassan Rouhani's governance ended with his attendance at meetings hosted by one of the heads of the branches, but with the onset of the fourth year, the past fate of the meetings of the heads of the three branches was repeated." Etemad recommended the heads of the branches to "discuss their disputes in three-person meetings and maintain the appearance of the issue among the general public to prevent the disputes of past years between the heads of the branches from being revived in the last year of the eleventh government, and it would be better if they hold a joint meeting after five months and address these problems and come up with a solution." The newspaper Javan, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, dedicated its front page to the reaction of the Deputy Chief of the Judiciary to Hassan Rouhani's statements, quoting Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei as saying: "Hassan Rouhani mentioned that we are ready to establish a system for the government's income and expenses, so why don't you do it? Who is stopping us? Or another (Akbar Turkhan, Rouhani's assistant) claimed that we are ready to clarify our electoral resources on the condition that others do the same. Why do you set conditions? Just do it." This newspaper quoted Mohseni Ejei as saying that pressure on the judiciary "from inside and outside will increase until the elections and will likely continue," but "now I ask you, how much money is needed for a presidential election headquarters? Certainly more than 20 billion tomans, so tell us where this money came from?" This newspaper, close to the IRGC, also described the "hunger strike" of political prisoners as part of the pressure on the judiciary and quoted the Deputy Chief of the Judiciary as saying: this "is not an analysis but news, and our intelligence systems provide this news, and there are also evidence and indications that the hunger strike of Arash Sadeghi originates from outside and some internal factors are pursuing it and inciting it, stating that they are forcing individuals to put pressure on the judiciary in any way. The reason for this is that the judiciary is dealing with major corrupt individuals, the children of powerful people with corruption, and those affiliated with power feel that the judiciary will soon come after some individuals, so they want to prevent and create a narrative and apply pressure." Abdullah Naseri, a reformist figure, however, in the editorial of the newspaper Shargh under the title "Suspicious Money in Which Headquarters," emphasized that "the story of one of the senior officials of Ahmadinejad's government helping 170 principlist candidates for the parliamentary elections has not left the public's mind," writing that "in contrast, all individuals who have been active in the electoral headquarters of the reformists know well that our faction has always been deprived of such resources and has tried to ensure that the financial turnover of the headquarters is completely transparent. The reason for this is firstly the multilayered oversight of supervisory and security institutions and secondly the belief in the futility of such extravagant expenses in changing people's opinions." The editorial writer of the newspaper Shargh, referring to the access of the principlist faction to "various unofficial and opaque resources," wrote that they have access to numerous financial resources "from vast cash assets to specific banks and various committees and public institutions." The newspaper Aftab Yazd, with the headline "Fereydoun, the Code Name for Attack," wrote: "From the very first days of Hassan Rouhani's presence in the presidential office, the principlists were on the lookout to find the President's Achilles' heel and at critical moments to target it for undermining Hassan Rouhani. Since they could not find an excuse from the President himself, they decided to create an 'Achilles' heel.' Who could be more suitable than the shadow of Hassan Rouhani, or as the West calls it, the eyes and ears of the President?" This refers to "Hosein Fereydoun," who "has walked alongside his brother for the past three years like a shadow, and his presence next to the President has been so prominent and noticeable that it has even become a subject for foreign media. This constant companionship of Fereydoun has led principlists and opponents of Hassan Rouhani to focus on him and create a narrative around him, turning him into a code name for undermining Hassan Rouhani." This newspaper emphasized that "the level of attacks on Hassan Rouhani with the code name 'Hosein Fereydoun' has surged in critical moments and has subsided after a while, and now, on the eve of the twelfth presidential elections, the undermining of the President with this code name has intensified to the extent that yesterday 40 members of the parliament targeted the President with the code name 'Hosein Fereydoun' and in a written warning demanded that Hassan Rouhani address the accusations against Hosein Fereydoun; accusations that have not been proven in any court." The newspaper Vaghaye Ettefaghieh dedicated its front page to a "gathering for identification papers," reporting that on Wednesday "a group of people without identification papers from Sistan and Baluchestan gathered in front of the parliament, singing the song 'O Iran.'" According to this newspaper, "on Wednesday afternoon, a number of Iranian Baluch residents of Alborz province gathered in front of the entrance of the Islamic Consultative Assembly to remind the parliament representatives that hundreds of children, elderly, and young Baluch have been grappling with a major issue of being without identification papers for years. They are just a sample of hundreds of Baluchis living without identification papers in Sistan and Baluchestan, Mashhad, Golestan, and various parts of Iran; a group came from Shahriar and Qaleh Hassan Khan to gather and ask parliament representatives to break the years-long spell.