Criticism from Principlist Newspapers on the Potential Opening of an EU Office in Iran

The state-run newspaper Iran reported on Sunday about the possibility of opening an EU office in Tehran, but several government-critical newspapers have criticized this move using terms like "green espionage house." The state-run Iran mentioned the "arrival of a 70-member European economic delegation in Tehran," their "intensive consultations" with Iran's private sector, and the potential establishment of an EU office in Tehran. In contrast, Vatan-e-Emruz, close to the Steadfast Front, wrote in a commentary titled "green espionage house" that "the establishment of the EU office in Tehran allows European countries to use diplomatic immunity and advantages to exert broader influence on Iran's policies by connecting with political currents and creating opposition within the system." This newspaper referred to a meeting in 2013 between then EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, stating that "the effort to condition the improvement of relations between Iran and Europe on creating freedom of action for the sedition current under the guise of human rights and dragging Iran to the human rights negotiation table" was evident. Vatan-e-Emruz also noted the reaction of Mohammad Javad Larijani, a senior judiciary official, to the potential establishment of the EU office in Tehran, quoting him as saying: "The duty of this office is to support secular forces, the 2009 sedition agents, and homosexuals in Iran." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, also quoted Mohammad Javad Larijani emphasizing that "the European office should not be active in Iran at all." According to this newspaper, Larijani insisted that if the EU office is established in Tehran, it "must regularly monitor that secular forces in Iran are not under pressure or that secular forces in Iran have a field of activity or that those who were pressured during the 2009 sedition should also be released from prison and restrictions and have a field of activity, and follow the situation of minorities, homosexuals, and many other issues," but "this office, with this very bright list of responsibilities, will by no means be welcomed in Iran." This senior judiciary official even mentioned that "the European Parliament had a resolution last year called the strategy for relations with Iran, which was communicated to the European Commission. There, the establishment of the office was mentioned, and its duties were listed. In the economic field, it states that this office should pave the way for the development of European goods exports to Iran. Now, for example, what market is there in Iran that does not have European goods?" The newspaper Javan quoted Mohammad Javad Larijani stating: "It makes no sense that with the high records we have in human rights, they sit in Europe and constantly issue statements against us; currently, most of the human rights attacks against Iran originate from Europe." The newspaper Shargh dedicated its front page to the meeting of the heads of the three branches and reported with the headline "Agreement of the 3 Presidents" that "Hassan Rouhani and the Larijani brothers agreed to form and separate some ministries." According to this newspaper, in the meeting of the heads of the branches hosted by Sadeq Larijani, the head of the judiciary, "fundamental changes in the structure of the government were discussed, and with minor changes, an agreement was reached among all three branches," and Abdolreza Azizi, the head of the Social Commission of the 10th Parliament, announced that based on this agreement, the "Ministry of Roads and Urban Development" will be divided into two ministries: "Housing and Urban Development" and "Road Affairs," and "electricity-related matters" will be separated from the Ministry of Energy and attached to the Ministry of Oil, and the name of the Ministry of Oil will be changed to "Ministry of Energy." Additionally, the "Municipalities Organization" will be transferred from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Housing, and it was also agreed to create a ministry that will only deal with the affairs related to the country's villages, focusing its activities on this sector. According to Shargh, "the Environmental Protection Organization and Natural Resources and the urban and rural water and wastewater organization and regional water" will also be merged to form another ministry. Furthermore, the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade will be divided into two ministries: "Export Development" and "Commerce," and regarding the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the youth sector will be separated from sports and will continue its work in the form of a "National Youth Organization." The newspaper Shargh published the opinions of several experts, some of whom agree with the new structural changes in the government, while others emphasize that "we need a change in thinking, not a new structure," stating that structural changes in the government "raise doubts and uncertainties among experts. It is unclear why, at a time when the government is so delayed in paying salaries and benefits to its employees and also in paying subsidies, it should be engaged in enlarging its size instead of shrinking it, which has been emphasized in all five-year development plans and also in the 1404 outlook document." The newspaper Shahrvand reported on the issue of unauthorized financial institutions raised in the meeting of the heads of the three branches, quoting Hassan Rouhani as saying: "If institutions have encountered problems, while we have a duty to address people's problems," but "the Central Bank also has constraints, and it cannot be said that it should use the Central Bank's money to solve these problems. Of course, credits can be considered for these issues, and in this regard, the three branches must cooperate with each other." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, in its front-page headline titled "Shameless Missile Proposal," described a commentary by Ahmad Naqibzadeh, a university professor, in Saturday's Arman newspaper, which agreed to negotiate with the EU regarding the Islamic Republic's missile program as "ridiculous, cowardly, and shameless," deeming its author a "traitorous compatriot" deserving of "punishment." Ahmad Naqibzadeh wrote in Saturday's Arman newspaper in a commentary titled "Europeans Want Missile Negotiations" that "the positions of the Europeans seem somewhat wise. They want to silence the Americans' clamor and do not want the missile issue to turn into an irreversible crisis. Of course, Iran is also in a good position and has achieved its goals and can stop these programs at this current point. There is no range of more than two thousand kilometers in Iran's programs. It is better for us to start negotiations to avoid the dangers of war and sanctions. If we do not negotiate, the Europeans may accompany the Americans' tough positions on this issue." However, the newspaper Javan attacked the author of this commentary, the Arman newspaper, and media close to the reformist faction, stating: "On the very day that the President warned about new enemy conspiracies, addressing the media and those with platforms to 'be vigilant not to play into the enemy's hands,' the reformist newspaper Arman appeared in the role of a soldier for the Europeans, especially the French, and passively initiated missile negotiations." This newspaper wrote: "The reformist faction, at a time when Macron raised his 'missile club' before his trip to Iran and during his trip to Saudi Arabia, took on the role of 'foreign carrot' as the enemy's foot soldiers and introduced Europe and Saudi Arabia as 'seriously endangered by Iran's missile system' and proposed missile negotiations to lift the threat of war from us." The newspaper Khorasan also wrote in a commentary regarding Ahmad Naqibzadeh's proposal for negotiations with Europe about the missile program: "The proposal to initiate negotiations on missile and regional issues is contrary to interest, experience, and political wisdom. The reality is that negotiating for a trade-off in the country's defense sphere will not only not remove the shadow of war from the country but can confidently be seen as a precursor to disarmament and then a military attack on Iran." This newspaper wrote: "The excuses of the European Union for actions against the Iranian people are not limited to the nuclear issue. Some analysts predicted that after the nuclear agreement was reached, they would find a new excuse to exert pressure on our country. Human rights, defensive and missile capabilities, alleged support for terrorism, extremism, etc., form a domino effect that Iran's enemies intend to pursue one after another to ultimately undermine the country's independence and turn Iran into a submissive country." The newspaper Sobhe No reported on the gathering of families of patients suffering from MPS disease, stating: "On Saturday, families of MPS patients who have faced difficulties in obtaining medication gathered in front of the Food and Drug Organization, demanding attention to the situation. The medication for these patients, known as special medication, has not reached them for nearly four months, seriously jeopardizing their health." This report, titled "Danger Looming for Children with Rare Disease," noted that in Iran, 350 individuals have been identified as suffering from this disease, stating: "They must take their medications on time, but the lives of families facing this disease have turned into hell for four months, and they have gone everywhere to obtain this medication, but in the end, their situation has led to a gathering." The mother of one of the sick children, who came from Mashhad representing the families of 20 patients at the gathering in front of the Food and Drug Organization, told Sobhe No: "My sick child must take medication regularly to survive, but 'it has been four months that they keep postponing the medication; they send us to pharmacies that also do not have it; the Food and Drug Organization does not respond to us properly,' while 'the skeletons of MPS children are falling apart, and their hands are gathering, and their hearts, livers, and eyes are having problems; who should be accountable to us?' Fahimeh Qasemi, head of the medical section of the Rare Diseases Foundation of Iran, also stated: 'The medications for these patients are not provided for all types, and the Food and Drug Organization has not considered co-payments for all types, and the price of some medications can reach up to 60 million tomans. Only the medications for types one and three of this disease are included in the supply list. Those not on the list must obtain them freely through the 13 Aban or 12 Farvardin pharmacies.' The newspaper Jameh Farda raised the question, 'What is the reason for the repeated changes in military officials?' stating: 'The ceremony for the farewell and introduction of the new and old deputies of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Coordinator Deputy of the Army was held on Saturday morning, attended by military and state commanders and officials.' This newspaper quoted Abdolrahim Mousavi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, regarding the changes in the body of the Islamic Republic Army, stating: 'New threats necessitate creating a new composition to confront them. Our enemies suffered greatly from the unity of the Army and the IRGC during the Sacred Defense, and today they also want to undermine this relationship.' The Commander-in-Chief of the Army also stated: 'The official position of the Army is the same as what I said on the day of the graduation of Army students in the presence of the Commander-in-Chief; anyone who writes anything on behalf of the Army and the military that causes division; whether that writer knows it or not, this is the enemy's speech and is not approved by us.' According to Jameh Farda, Habibollah Sayyari, the new Coordinator Deputy of the Army, also referred to 'the Commander-in-Chief's directives regarding the renewal of the Army,' stating: 'This renewal means that we must be equipped with up-to-date knowledge and science to be ready to face the threats occurring around us,' and in addition, 'we must equip our human resources according to future threats with up-to-date knowledge and science, and this issue must be on our agenda.' The newspaper Jahan Sanat reported on 'the continued oppression of stateless children living in Iran,' stating: 'Despite all the promises made by the Ministry of Interior and relevant officials regarding the organization of stateless individuals, there are still many stateless children and dropouts who are deprived of the most basic human rights and are mainly faced with either child labor or problems related to this issue in the future.' They 'have no place in the Welfare Organization or the Committee for the Relief of Imam Khomeini and mostly struggle with poverty.' This newspaper pointed out that 'according to Iranian civil law, a child born to an Iranian father, whether inside or outside Iran, is Iranian, even if the mother is a citizen of another country, but the opposite does not hold true.' Recently, there were discussions about providing identification for these children, which was dismissed due to security issues.