Chabahar Agreement

The Iranian newspaper has reported on the 'Regulation of Government Officials' Salaries' and stated: 'On Tuesday, the First Vice President instructed the head of the Management and Planning Organization to ensure that all government members prevent any illegal and unconventional payments of salaries, wages, and welfare benefits under their supervision.' This newspaper noted that 'two weeks ago, the issue of some unconventional payments in the salary slips of government officials caused significant public sensitivity following the publication of the salary slip of a board member of Iran Insurance,' reminding that 'payments of 40 to 80 million tomans in these slips sparked widespread protests among the public, while the minimum wage in Iran is currently 810,000 tomans.' The newspaper 'Jahan San'at' dedicated its front page to 'Rising Prices in the Car Market,' stating: 'With a drip-feed distribution in the car market, the government triggered price increases.' According to this newspaper, 'The government's policy of liberalizing the prices of certain cars has stimulated the market, and now the prices of some cars have found a market margin of 1.5 to 2 million tomans, and speculation has spread.' The newspaper 'Te'dal' reported on its front page about 'Making History in the Chabahar Corridor,' stating: 'The most important agreement on the agenda of the Indian Prime Minister's visit to Tehran was the signing of a trilateral transit-trade agreement for Chabahar port, which was achieved during a tripartite meeting of Iranian, Afghan, and Indian officials.' According to this newspaper, the first discussions on this plan began during the presidency of Hashemi Rafsanjani and continued during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, but sanctions against Iran had made India hesitant to implement this plan, which it also insisted on. 'Te'dal' noted that 'the lifting of sanctions against Iran has given the two countries the opportunity to plan for the implementation of this project,' stating: 'According to the trilateral Chabahar agreement, the loading and unloading capacity of this port's docks will be expanded to facilitate commercial activities. Iran and India are set to make a joint investment to develop the port's infrastructure as well as roadways in this important Iranian port' to 'connect Chabahar to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.' This newspaper also reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 'the allocation of $500 million for the development of Chabahar port infrastructure.' The newspaper 'Qanoon' described this agreement as 'a new alliance of Iran, Afghanistan, and India,' stating on its front page titled 'Chabahar Agreement': 'Tuesday was a historic day in the relations between the Indian subcontinent and the Persian geography of the Middle East. A day when two presidents and one prime minister signed a document of a major alliance of nearly two billion people and showed it to the world.' This newspaper emphasized that 'now Chabahar has become a season of friendship and peace and can be considered a new capital for unity and synergy,' stating: 'Now the Middle East has witnessed a new, unexpected, and very attractive alliance,' and the significance of this agreement lies in the fact that 'in the past one or two years, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have extended their hands of cooperation towards each other and pursued strange goals, including rumors of nuclear bomb sales from Islamabad to Riyadh. However, now a power has formed around Pakistan that itself is in need of fundamental assistance.' The newspaper 'Javan,' close to the Revolutionary Guards, in a note titled 'The Functions of the Fifth Assembly of Experts,' wrote: 'The special political conditions of the country in recent years have created an environment that has significantly increased the importance of the fifth Assembly of Experts, and the competitive atmosphere of this election, which is unprecedented in its own right, has doubled this importance.' Mohammad Javad Akhavan in a note for the newspaper 'Javan,' referring to the results of the elections in Esfand, emphasized that 'the fifth Assembly of Experts remains with a revolutionary atmosphere and even at a higher level than the fourth Assembly of Experts in terms of its value-oriented and revolutionary approach,' stressing that 'the ill-wishers' desire to drag political and powerful challenges into this assembly has remained inactive.' Completing 'the revolutionary and principled composition of the Assembly of Experts in the new term with a presidency in line with the Islamic Revolution,' 'maintaining orientations and approaches based on the discourse of the Islamic Revolution until the end of this assembly's term,' 'keeping the Assembly of Experts away from the greedy eyes of enemies,' 'vigilance against the conspiratorial scenarios of the Assembly of Experts in fulfilling its supervisory duties,' and 'safeguarding the idea of the Islamic regime and the theory of Velayat-e Faqih' are among the 'functions' that this newspaper close to the Revolutionary Guards has listed for the 'fifth Assembly of Experts.' The newspapers 'Shargh,' 'Etemad,' and 'Kayhan' have also published reports about the competition between Ebrahim Aminy and Ahmad Jannati for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts. The newspapers 'Shargh' and 'Etemad' introduced Ebrahim Aminy as the candidate supported by the 'People's Experts' close to Hashemi Rafsanjani, while Kayhan quoted Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani as saying: 'A large number of Assembly members are calling for Ayatollah Jannati's presidency.' (On Tuesday, Ahmad Jannati was elected as the president of the Assembly of Experts.) The newspaper 'Etemad' in its front page on Tuesday titled 'Motahari's Warning' wrote: 'Those who were elected with the Hope List should observe ethics and not speak against the Hope faction.' This newspaper reminded that Ali Motahari's reference was to Behrouz Nemati's statements, a representative close to Ali Larijani, who, having entered the parliament on the Hope List, recently stated that 'the troubles caused by reformists are more bothersome to him than the performance of the Steadfast Front.' The statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on Tuesday also received widespread coverage in the newspapers. The newspaper 'Javan' reported that Ayatollah Khamenei, in a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister, stated: 'The fight against terrorism, which unfortunately has emerged in the name of Islam, must be entrusted to Muslims and Islamic countries.' According to this newspaper, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic stated that 'in this fight, those Islamic countries should be present that are not subject to the policies of the United States and the West, as these countries do not intend to seriously and genuinely fight against terrorists.' The newspaper 'Shahrvand,' however, published part of Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks at Imam Hussein Military University on its front page, quoting him as saying: 'I have not been and am not in favor of disrupting speeches.' According to this newspaper, Ayatollah Khamenei stated: 'Sometimes some individuals, out of ulterior motives, commit these wrong acts and then pretend that they are the work of Hezbollah elements and believers, so one must be fully vigilant.' The newspaper 'Kayhan,' however, described the Supreme Leader's remarks at this university as 'a readiness for a great jihad,' stating: 'The great jihad manifests and appears in political, economic, cultural, and artistic arenas as well; in all these areas, instead of following the infidels and polytheists, we must follow the work program of Islam and the Quran,' adding that 'if the Iranian nation were willing to comply, they would certainly have accepted the missile power and nuclear energy, and the issue of human rights would never have been raised.' Kayhan also criticized the awarding of the best screenplay and best actor at the 69th Cannes Film Festival to Asghar Farhadi and Shahab Hosseini for the film 'The Salesman,' emphasizing that the film's subject 'dealt with the issue of sexual assault and harassment that occurred in the life of an acting couple. The assault and harassment, which the use of zeal and pride in response to it was portrayed as violence and reprehensible in this film.' The writer of Kayhan warned about the content of the film 'The Salesman,' stating that 'the portrayal of an Iranian Muslim's zeal in response to the assault on his wife as violence and the disregard for punishment of the assailant as a sign of opposition to violence is precisely why Mr. Asghar Farhadi's film 'The Salesman' is deemed worthy of receiving two awards at the Cannes Film Festival for the lead actor and screenplay writer.' The newspaper 'Shahrvand,' however, described the film 'The Salesman' as 'a product of Iranian cinema' and praised Asghar Farhadi, stating: 'Asghar Farhadi is someone who has his own taste, perspective, and horizon. He knows what the audience wants, and on the other hand, at least in his last four experiences, he has succeeded enough that both the people have paid attention to his film and his works have been seen at festivals.' Ali Sarti, a cinema producer, in a note for the newspaper 'Shahrvand,' wrote: 'Compared to Mr. Kiarostami's successes, who had previously shone in global festivals including Cannes, he has taken a step forward. This is a move forward that as a filmmaker, you create a work that is both appreciated at festivals and resonates with the people inside the country.'