Car Imports 'In the Name of the Needy, for the Benefit of Brokers'

The newspaper Etemad has reported that part of Mohammad Javad Zarif's remarks in an interview with Charlie Rose has faced opposition from some of his supporters on Facebook, as well as criticism from some political activists residing abroad and journalists inside and outside Iran. Simultaneously, the newspaper Qanoon emphasized that Zarif now sees 'the active civil society that he always viewed alongside him as having fractures and divisions.' However, the newspaper Arman described the statements of the Iranian Foreign Minister as a 'diplomatic response.' The newspaper Shahre Vahdat reported on 'the criticism of the Chairman of the Assembly of Experts regarding the idea of a Leadership Council,' quoting Mohammad Yazdi as saying: 'Some propose a council leadership for themselves and think that Islamic decrees and laws are like newspaper articles and some theories.' The newspaper Resalat also quoted Yazdi in its headline, stating: 'The executive branch must implement Islam.' The newspaper Ettela'at reported a 'sharp increase in the birth rate,' stating: 'In 2014, 1,534,361 people were born in Iran, which is unprecedented in the last 23 years.' This newspaper, citing 'the official report of the Civil Registration Organization,' wrote that in 2014, '1,534,361 infants were born in Iran,' averaging 127,863 newborns per month, 4,204 newborns per day, and 175 newborns per hour. The newspaper Jomhouri Eslami reported in its 'For Your Information' column about 'the disappearance of a resident woman in one of the hospitals in Ahvaz.' The newspaper Jahan San'at published a report on 'the illegal import of cars by the Relief Committee' with the headline 'In the Name of the Needy, for the Benefit of Brokers,' noting that 'everything started from the Interior Minister's speech in the open session of the parliament. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli mentioned the entry of 27,000 luxury cars by 100 people through the Relief Committee,' stating that these remarks by the Interior Minister 'levied serious and important accusations against the Relief Committee.' The newspaper Sharq dedicated its front page to the march of some workers in Tehran, emphasizing that 'workers found an opportunity to march.' It wrote: 'From 2007 until last Friday, workers had not received permission for a march on International Workers' Day.' Sharq noted: 'The International Workers' Day march, held on Friday between Abou Rayhan Street and Palestine Square with a crowd of about 20,000, was accompanied by many slogans from workers of various professions,' and workers 'held placards demanding insurance for construction workers, job security in workshops, and the employment of Iranian workers instead of foreign workers.' The newspaper Kayhan wrote on its front page: 'The Iranian fact sheet is published, cannot be published, has been published,' describing the statements of senior officials of the eleventh government as 'an insult to the intelligence of the people.' This newspaper, published under the supervision of the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, wrote: 'Previously, Salehi announced that the Iranian fact sheet was written and in Zarif's pocket, and the Foreign Minister believed that there was no need to publish the Iranian fact sheet.' However, Hassan Rouhani has now stated in a speech in Shiraz: 'The night the agreement between Iran and the 1+5 was made and the statement that was announced in Lausanne, one hour before that, news agencies published the Iranian fact sheet.' The newspaper Khorasan, however, published a text titled 'Iran's Oral and Written Fact Sheet' by correlating 20 hours of explanations from the nuclear team and the announcement from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Lausanne agreement. The newspaper Hemayat, affiliated with the Judiciary's Prison Organization, wrote on its front page that 'simultaneously with the drafting of a potential agreement in New York,' the U.S. announced that 'we do not trust Iran.' The newspaper Vatan Emrooz referred to Massoumeh Ebtekar, head of the Department of Environment, as 'the special hunting lady' and wrote: 'In the commotion of the public relations activities of the Department of Environment, foreign hunters roam freely in Iran.' The newspaper Shahre Vahdat published a report titled 'Both the Public and Doctors are Dissatisfied,' examining 'the new medical examination tariffs.' This newspaper also wrote on its front page with the title 'Tax Dispute over Chelo Kebab': 'Value-added tax has reached restaurants,' but the head of the Chelo Kebab and Chelo Khoresht Union emphasized that 'we did not reach an agreement with the tax organization, so we will not pay the value-added tax.' 'Divisions in Civil Society' Following Zarif's Remarks The newspaper Etemad reported that part of Mohammad Javad Zarif's remarks in an interview with Charlie Rose faced opposition from some of his supporters on Facebook and criticism from some political activists residing abroad and journalists inside and outside the country. Simultaneously, the newspaper Qanoon emphasized that Zarif now sees 'the active civil society that he always viewed alongside him as having fractures and divisions.' However, the newspaper Arman described the statements of the Iranian Foreign Minister as a 'diplomatic response.' The newspaper Etemad emphasized that 'the aftershocks of Zarif's two remarks shook the virtual space,' writing: 'Thursday and Friday were tumultuous and noisy days for Mohammad Javad Zarif,' and the Iranian Foreign Minister, who participated in the month-long review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and negotiations with the 1+5 in New York, 'engaged in a Twitter battle with the hardline Republican Senator Tom Cotton and also responded to criticisms from some Iranians and political activists inside and outside Iran regarding parts of his 70-minute conversation with Charlie Rose.' According to this newspaper, Mohammad Javad Zarif stated in this interview: 'We do not imprison people for their beliefs. The government in Iran, like any other government, has programs for the development and strengthening of human rights. I believe that we, as a government, have a responsibility to the people. However, individuals who commit crimes and those who violate the laws of a country cannot hide under the titles of journalist or political activist. People must respect the law.' Etemad emphasized that 'these remarks by Mohammad Javad Zarif faced opposition from some of his supporters on Facebook and criticism from some political activists residing abroad and journalists inside and outside the country.' According to this newspaper, 'after the criticisms that were raised in the form of comments on Zarif's Facebook page, the Foreign Minister provided clarifications in a new Facebook post regarding the criticisms of his remarks about journalists and prisoners in Iran,' and in his Facebook response, he referred to 'the issue of criticisms of his statements regarding journalists and prisoners in Iran,' stating: 'Stranger than all, a group of compatriots inside and outside have taken my specific, precise, and necessary response to a question about a journalist, whose situation has recently become an excuse for several amendments in the U.S. Senate to counter the nuclear agreement, and turned it into lengthy articles on this subject, and some friends have also graciously criticized me without hearing the question and answer.' According to the newspaper, Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Facebook: 'I have always respected freedom and criticism and welcomed criticism of my thoughts, words, and actions from the classroom to the foreign policy arena. But I have always stated that criticism in a healthy society must have two criteria: fairness and consideration of national interests. A prerequisite for fair judgment is accurate information. At least once before writing long articles about my statements that you criticize, listen to them. The necessity of considering national interests also demands that we do not pour water into the mill of foreign warmongers who use my absence from the front to the seizure of a violating ship to arrest one or several individuals as an excuse to continue tension and crisis.' The newspaper Arman dedicated its front page to Mohammad Javad Zarif and in a report titled 'The Tribulations of Mr. Diplomat' reported on 'the sharp reactions to Zarif's media diplomacy,' stating that 'the struggle and full-fledged activity' of the Foreign Minister 'alongside its many benefits has sometimes brought challenges and created controversies that, of course, these frictions are also aligned with Zarif's intelligent management towards the overall goal and become a piece of the puzzle of Zarif's diplomacy for managing public opinion.' Reza Raeisi, in a report for the newspaper Arman, implicitly defended Mohammad Javad Zarif's remarks, writing that 'Zarif's specific response, which related to the issue of Jason Rezaian and the severe onslaught of Western media surrounding it, faced reactions inside.' While 'the Iranian Foreign Minister diplomatically answered the American host's question, some inside expanded Zarif's specific remarks, which were in the capacity of a Foreign Minister and not a political activist or human rights activist, to the internal space and raised sharp criticisms against him, reactions that accompanied Zarif's Facebook response just a few hours later.' The newspaper Qanoon also dedicated its front page to Mohammad Javad Zarif, writing: 'We must be careful with Zarif.' The newspaper Qanoon noted that 'Mohammad Javad Zarif is a popular Foreign Minister; a Foreign Minister for whom a welcoming ceremony is held upon his return to the country, and the nuclear statement he has caused can immerse the country in a wave of joy and satisfaction for two days.' It wrote: 'Zarif, who has always been under constant pressure from both American extremists and Iranian hardliners, now sees the active civil society that he always viewed alongside him as having fractures and divisions.' This newspaper referred to the Foreign Minister's remarks and the reactions to them as 'margins' and wrote: 'In the past three days, Zarif has been embroiled in margins that have turned the virtual space into a battleground for his opponents and supporters.' Maryam Ghorbani Far, in a report for the newspaper Qanoon, noted that 'Mohammad Javad Zarif may not have believed during the interview [with Charlie Rose] that answering the host's strange question could create such a serious challenge for him among his supporters.' She wrote: 'He, as a seasoned diplomat who has conducted dozens of interviews in the past two years, faced a question from the American host that previously had similar questions from the head of state. A question that, of course, does not have a direct connection to the work and executive duties of Rouhani and Zarif.' This newspaper, however, reminded that Mohammad Javad Zarif also answered questions related to the accusations against Jason Rezaian at New York University on Wednesday, stating about the Washington Post journalist who has been detained and imprisoned in Iran for ten months: 'Unfortunately, your friend and my friend, Jason, has been accused of a very serious crime, and I hope he is acquitted. However, he must face his charges in court. He is a citizen of Iran. It is regrettable that a low-ranking agent has tried to exploit him.' The newspaper Qanoon wrote that with these statements by Mohammad Javad Zarif, 'if Jason Rezaian's connection with an American intelligence agent is proven, it cannot be said that the Iranian Foreign Minister lied about him, and on the other hand, the trial and the process of Rezaian's accusations have nothing to do with the Iranian Foreign Minister, and given the issue of the independence of powers in Iran, proving Rezaian's guilt or innocence is the responsibility of the judiciary, not Zarif.' Hassan Beheshtipour, an international affairs expert, also emphasized that 'critics do not understand the conditions in Iran, and some do not comprehend Mr. Zarif's position during the press conference.' He told the newspaper Qanoon: 'Mohammad Javad Zarif plays a leading role in the front of the diplomatic and media war.' The newspaper Qanoon quoted Hassan Beheshtipour as saying: 'He must stand against the questions and attacks from foreigners who want to show him as passive for any excuse and also respond to internal criticisms that are sometimes factional and not performance-related,' and 'it is very important that Zarif's position is understood and a platform is provided for 75 million Iranians to support him because the Iranian Foreign Minister is trying to thwart internal conspiracies.' Gholamali Jafarzadeh Iman Abadi, a member of the ninth parliament, also emphasized that 'the recent internal attacks on Mohammad Javad Zarif are just making excuses,' telling the newspaper Qanoon: 'At times when officials and negotiators make mistakes or say things that have internal and external effects, they should be warned, but I believe that criticism should be fair.' The Criticism of the Chairman of the Assembly of Experts Regarding the Proposal of the 'Leadership Council' The newspaper Shahre Vahdat reported on 'the criticism of the Chairman of the Assembly of Experts regarding the proposal of the Leadership Council,' quoting Mohammad Yazdi as saying: 'Some propose a council leadership for themselves and think that Islamic decrees and laws are like newspaper articles and some theories.' According to this newspaper, Mohammad Yazdi, in a speech at the National Defense University, emphasized that 'authentic Islamic foundations tell the jurist that if you are approved, you have no right to imitate. The Guardian Jurist also says that the imamate given to you allows you to consult, but you cannot operate in a council.' He stated: 'The Assembly determined that among the appointees of the Imam, one individual is more qualified than other jurists, and this chosen jurist is obliged to act within the framework of Islam and not based on personal tendencies and opinions. Therefore, the Guardian Jurist has advisors, but it is not governed in a council.' The Chairman of the Assembly of Experts in the final year of the fourth Assembly emphasized that 'religion without leadership and without a Guardian is not religion at all,' and criticized the proposal of 'the Leadership Council,' stating: 'Being in a council is one matter, and consulting is another. A religion without leadership and without a Guardian is not religion at all. A religion that does not have a leader above it to tell the believers this issue is...