Banks Authorized to Withdraw from Customers' Accounts

The newspaper Jomhouri Eslami, in its editorial titled "Dangerous Strikes Against Supportive Institutions," warned about the "exploitation" of government opponents using the Friday prayer platform and Basij to "destroy" these institutions, stating: "The instrumental use of supportive institutions is one of the most dangerous blows to these institutions themselves and ultimately to the Islamic system and revolution." The editorial emphasized that everyone must seriously avoid this dangerous action. The newspaper Ebrar dedicated its front page to the remarks of Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi during the pre-Friday prayer sermon in Tehran, quoting him as saying: "I do not trust any of the Hezbollah news agencies." According to this newspaper, the speaker of the pre-Friday prayer sermon in Tehran stated: "I almost do not trust any of the Hezbollah news agencies and websites because they are illiterate and ignorant. I also recommend that you do not trust the statements that these media attribute to individuals." The spokesperson for the Guardian Council, in an interview with Shargh newspaper, emphasized that "our judgment is not immune from error," stating that the red line for the Guardian Council in reviewing the qualifications of those who endangered the security of the Islamic Republic in 2009 is clear, but regarding the 170 representatives who received money from Mohammad Reza Rahimi, there is currently no law regarding "unknown funds" spent on elections and "we have not verified their unlawful source." The newspaper Etemad reported that "the Money and Credit Council has approved access to the accounts of customers who use the ten million toman goods facilities and the withdrawal of overdue installments from customers." The newspaper Arman is one of the few that has highlighted the attack on the office of Yusuf Sanei, a cleric close to reformists in Najafabad, on its front page. This newspaper also published the statements of Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, quoting him as saying: "The Friday prayer leader of each city is a living Imamzadeh." According to this newspaper, Ahmad Alamolhoda stated at a gathering of Friday prayer officials in Khorasan Razavi province: "Since the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] is the Imam, the Friday prayer leaders of each city are in the role of the Imamzadeh of that city, and the shrine and tomb are the same as the Friday prayer institution, so you must protect the Friday prayer leader of your city," and "people should not criticize the Friday prayer leader without restraint." Masoud Soltani Far, head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, emphasized in an interview with Iran newspaper that "we should not be afraid of foreign tourists." Masoud Soltani also stated: "We want to turn Iran into the most important center for halal, religious, pilgrimage, cultural, and historical tourism in the world." Iran newspaper also reported with the headline "ISIS Fire in the Heart of the Bride of the Middle East" that "in suicide attacks by Takfiris in Beirut, 43 people were killed and 200 were injured." Abdolhossein Mokhtabad stated in an interview with Hamdeli newspaper that "the state television does not allow traditional music to flourish." Azar Mansouri, a member of the central council of the 'Unity of the Iranian Islamic Nation' party, emphasized in an interview with the same newspaper that "ignoring women's issues will affect the entire society." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, dedicated its front page to Gholamali Rashid, a senior commander of the Revolutionary Guards, quoting him as saying: "Traitors and simple-minded people beautify America." This newspaper also reported on its front page an "increase of 400 trillion tomans in liquidity in 26 months," stating: "The liquidity volume during the terms of the ninth and tenth governments grew by 400 trillion tomans from 78 trillion tomans to 479 trillion tomans," and now "according to the Central Bank director, the liquidity volume of the country reached 872 trillion tomans by the end of Shahrivar 94, meaning that in 26 months of the eleventh government, liquidity increased by 15.1 percent monthly, almost as much as 96 months of the ninth and tenth governments." The newspapers Vatan Emruz and Kayhan have repeatedly published articles accusing 'Nizar Zaka', a Lebanese citizen arrested in Tehran, of executing information technology development projects against the Islamic Republic and even described it as "the cyber occupation project of Iran." Kayhan also published part of the response from the Ministry of Communications regarding the article published in this newspaper against Nizar Zaka, attacking and criticizing Nasrollah Jahangard, head of the Iranian Information Technology Organization. Kayhan also quoted the Ministry of Communications' response, describing the activities of the 19th Article Institute, which seeks to provide easy access to the internet for Iranians and bypass filtering, as "hostile activities." The newspapers Etemad and Iran reported on the potential trip of Hassan Rouhani to Italy, the Vatican, and France, describing this trip as a "historic journey" if it occurs. The criticism of the Jomhouri Eslami newspaper regarding the "exploitation" of Friday prayers and Basij. The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper, in its editorial titled "Dangerous Strikes Against Supportive Institutions," warned about the "exploitation" of government opponents using the Friday prayer platform and Basij to "destroy" these institutions, stating: "The instrumental use of supportive institutions is one of the most dangerous blows to these institutions themselves and ultimately to the Islamic system and revolution." This newspaper noted that "in the structure of the Islamic Republic system, there are institutions that strengthen this system as a belief-based system and enhance its credibility," stating: "The Friday prayer institution, the clergy and authority, religious gatherings, and the Basij institution are among these institutions," and despite the fact that "these institutions are not officially considered parts of the governing system, in practice and in terms of function, they contribute much more to the stability and longevity of the Islamic revolution and the governance that emerged from it than all the official organs of the system." The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper, implicitly referring to the speeches of Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi in the pre-Friday prayer sermons in Tehran, wrote: "These days, many words are circulating about the exploitation that some individuals have made of the pre-Friday prayer speeches, claiming that American infiltrators are present in all layers and institutions of the system, and many express regret over why individuals who do not properly recognize the place of Friday prayers are allowed to speak at Friday prayers and try to feed their memorized statements from such a sacred and important platform to the people to promote their personal or factional goals." The editorial writer of the Jomhouri Eslami newspaper wrote: "Some of these individuals, when their efforts to influence the grand religious authorities for a stance against the JCPOA fail, instead of reconsidering their deviant thoughts, have made weakening the authority part of their agenda." This newspaper noted that "just two days ago, the grand religious authorities praised the efforts of the nuclear negotiating team during Mr. Zarif's visit and endorsed the JCPOA," stating that now "the negative stances of the alarmists and their pessimism against the authorities have begun." The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper referred to the opponents of the nuclear agreement as believers in "the rule of the jurist" and wrote: "They even prove their disbelief in the rule of the jurist with harsh slogans against one of the senior members of the nuclear negotiations at the press exhibition and with what they say in their meetings and gatherings, showing that they believe in 'the rule over the jurist' rather than 'the rule of the jurist,' because if they believed in the rule of the jurist, they would not chant slogans of treason against those whom the jurist of the time has testified to their piety, commitment, and service." The editorial writer of this newspaper also noted that "some are trying to incite the Basij against the nuclear negotiation group and convey to them in their gatherings that the JCPOA is a betrayal of the country and must be resisted," stating that they "create a confrontation between the Basij and the people that benefits neither." This newspaper, in another section of its editorial on Saturday, emphasized that "the same misleading propaganda is being attempted to be brought into religious and mourning gatherings, and by instrumentalizing this sacred institution, they are trying to convey their erroneous thoughts to the devout people," stating: "The greater regret is that the national media is also cooperating with these efforts in various ways and instead of giving hope to the people, they are entirely reciting verses of despair." The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper, implicitly referring to the statements of Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi in the pre-Friday prayer sermons last week, which spoke of American infiltration in all branches of the Islamic Republic, described these statements as presenting a "powerful" image of America and "insulting the Iranian nation," stating: "Now, no one is unaware that this opposition rhetoric has its roots in the 2013 presidential election and targets the February 2016 elections." The newspaper wrote that while "it is natural for some to be dissatisfied with the 2013 presidential election, what is unnatural is the attempt to exploit supportive institutions of the system and harm them," stating: "Friday prayers must be strengthened, and strengthening Friday prayers means that it should be a place for the dissemination of logical, strong, measured, and desirable statements of the system, not desirable for this or that faction and group or the tedious repetition of the memorized statements of some extremist and narcissistic individuals." The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper also emphasized that "the authority is a great asset that must be used to protect the essence of the revolution, the system, and the country, and no one should be allowed to attack it," just as "no one should feel entitled to use these institutions for advancing their factional and group goals," because "religious gatherings and popular Basij are among the most useful and effective supportive institutions of the revolution, the system, and the country." This newspaper concluded that "the instrumental use of supportive institutions is one of the most dangerous blows to these institutions themselves and ultimately to the Islamic system and revolution. Everyone must seriously avoid this dangerous action." The account of the spokesperson for the Guardian Council: Disqualification based on "red lines." The spokesperson for the Guardian Council, in an interview with Shargh newspaper, emphasized that "our judgment is not immune from error," stating that the red line for the Guardian Council in reviewing the qualifications of those who endangered the security of the Islamic Republic in 2009 is clear, but regarding the 170 representatives who received money from Mohammad Reza Rahimi, there is currently no law regarding "unknown funds" spent on elections and "we have not verified their unlawful source." Najatollah Ebrahimi, regarding potential disqualifications in the upcoming parliamentary elections, stated: "We in the Guardian Council do not disqualify anyone because of their political affiliation. We have a red line, and that is that those who endangered the security of the Islamic Republic at that time have their commitment to the Islamic Republic in doubt. It requires effort to confirm their qualifications." The spokesperson of the Guardian Council, however, stated that "it is possible for an individual to have exercised their legal rights and been in the campaign headquarters of someone or shouted in favor of someone; this does not necessarily mean their disqualification, but the final answer is that 12 people must sit down and examine the individual's behaviors and be convinced that this person is committed to the system and the law." Najatollah Ebrahimi told Shargh newspaper: "The behaviors of individuals must be evaluated as a whole. Depending on political and ideological groups, the issue of disqualification or qualification is not solely raised. We examine an individual's file; if it is felt that they are committed to the system, there is no obstacle." The spokesperson for the Guardian Council, in response to criticisms regarding "local investigations" about candidates for the elections and the possibility of false testimony or statements against candidates, stated: "We have no choice but to pay attention to the information of trusted individuals for verifying certain matters. Essentially, the mechanism of the executive committee is the same. They are often selected from trusted individuals. There may be biases here as well; for example, there may be forged documents. It is not the case that we accept forged documents or statements based on biases outright. If investigations are conducted, we must pay attention to the signs and reasons. We give the party an opportunity to defend themselves. We listen to all the statements of the opposing party, and then we decide. Therefore, there is a possibility that false statements may be made somewhere, but this does not invalidate the credibility of this method. Secondly, we do not accept these statements outright; rather, we examine them carefully." He also mentioned the "170 representatives who received money from Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the first deputy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," stating: "When reviewing qualifications, we will certainly examine this matter," but "several discussions arise; one of them is whether the funds were obtained from unlawful sources or not." The spokesperson for the Guardian Council, however, stated: "Currently, that file is not closed; it is a judicial matter; secondly, the funds that he claimed were not obtained from unlawful means. The payment methods mentioned relate to a different stage. We do not currently have a law that allows us to disqualify someone if unknown funds are spent on elections but we have not verified their unlawful source."