Despite Environmental Warnings, Tourists Head to Ashuradeh

Most newspapers on Monday, March 8, have highlighted the meeting of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic with officials and stakeholders in natural resources and environmental protection in their front pages or headlines. Newspapers such as Etelaat, Kayhan, Jam-e Jam, Jomhouri-e Islami, Khorasan, and Kayhan, which are directly or indirectly under the supervision of the Supreme Leader's representatives, along with Shahrvand, Quds, Kar and Kargir, Vatan-e Emruz, have dedicated both their photos and headlines to this meeting. Newspapers such as Ebtekar, Afkar, Eghtesad Pouya, Tejarat, Tahavom, Jahan-e Eghtesad, Javan, Donyaye Eghtesad, Hadaf Eghtesad, Farhikhtegan, Jahan-e San'at, and Mardomsalari have published a photo of Ali Khamenei on their front pages, while Etemad, Iran, Hemayat, Siyasat-e Rooz, and Sobhe Eghtesad have also dedicated their headlines to parts of the Supreme Leader's statements. The extensive attention of Tehran's newspapers on March 8 to Ali Khamenei's meeting with officials and stakeholders in natural resources and environmental protection comes after Iran and Qanoon newspapers previously reported on Saturday about denying the "rumor of the Supreme Leader's poor health," stating that "Mohammad Sadegh Kharrazi announced in a message that the claim of the Supreme Leader's poor health is pure media manipulation and false." The Iran newspaper, close to the government, reported on its front page on Monday that the Supreme Leader stated in the meeting with officials and stakeholders in natural resources and environmental protection that "solving environmental issues such as air pollution, dust phenomena, and encroachment on forests, pastures, and green spaces requires planning, prudence, continuous and serious follow-up, and decisiveness from relevant agencies." This newspaper described Ali Khamenei's remarks as a "command to confront environmental destroyers." The Javan newspaper, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also quoted the Supreme Leader saying: "Confront any encroachment on forests, even under the pretext of constructing a seminary." The Ta'adol newspaper reported on Monday about the buying and selling of Iranian organs abroad, stating that its investigations "show that some border residents from western Iran," especially from "Kurdistan, Ilam, and Kermanshah provinces, go to Iraq to sell kidneys." The Arman newspaper published a report about the warnings of Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, and Akbar Turkan, advisor to Hassan Rouhani, regarding the effects of "dirty money" on elections, implicitly introducing conservatives as examples of these warnings. However, the Kayhan newspaper, calling the Minister of Interior's statements "unsubstantiated," emphasized the presence of "traces of dirty money in the reformist camp." The Javan newspaper also criticized government officials, especially the Minister of Interior, for publicizing the issue of "dirty money," advising them not to engage in "political adventures with dirty money." The Shahrvand newspaper reported that despite environmental activists' opposition to the government's plan to convert the protected area of Ashuradeh into a tourist area, tourists are finally set to visit this island, which is the only Iranian island in the Caspian Sea, during the Nowruz holidays. The Ta'adol newspaper reported on the buying and selling of Iranian organs abroad, stating that its investigations "show that some border residents from western Iran," especially from "Kurdistan, Ilam, and Kermanshah provinces, go to Iraq to sell kidneys." Hashim Qasemi, the CEO of the Kidney Patients Support Association, commented on the "rumor of Iranian organ donation abroad," stating that "this rumor unfortunately is true. We have a report on this matter and have submitted it to the Ministry of Health and responsible authorities." The Ta'adol newspaper also published parts of an interview with an individual who prepared the report on "the sale of kidneys of Iranian citizens abroad" for the Kidney Patients Support Association. This researcher, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Ta'adol newspaper: "From most border provinces of Iran, such as Kurdistan, Ilam, and Kermanshah, individuals go to Iraqi Kurdistan for organ donation. There, family consent is required during the operation, and it is not the case that the operation is performed without following regulations, and it appears that consent forms are obtained from individuals as well." The researcher from the Kidney Patients Support Association stated that he has personally seen and spoken to three of these individuals and noted that due to the unstable conditions in Iraq and the presence of ISIS in that country, oversight of entries and exits for organ transplant purposes has decreased. The Ta'adol newspaper quoted this researcher regarding the price of kidneys sold by Iranian citizens in Iraq, stating: "They pay about 30 to 40 million tomans for each kidney to the donors." The researcher from the Kidney Patients Support Association also mentioned that he has informed the governorate and law enforcement agencies about the issue of kidney sales by Iranian citizens in Iraq, arguing that these individuals are jeopardizing the country's reputation and that it would be better to stop them. The Ta'adol newspaper simultaneously reported that Ahmad Tara, the director of the Hospital Management Office of the Ministry of Health, also commented on the groups that send Iranians abroad for kidney donation, stating: "These reports can be sent to the Ministry of Health and the treatment departments of medical universities because we will definitely follow up on the issue, but according to the law, we cannot supervise this matter abroad; rather, we must rely on individual ownership laws. We cannot tell individuals what to do abroad, but there is a law in Iran that addresses this matter. In any case, when we can help our own people, it is not appropriate for kidney donations to occur outside of Iran." Ahmad Tara also discussed the status of kidney transplants for foreign nationals in Iran, stating: "In our country, unofficial statistics show that there are 2 to 3 million Afghan residents, and according to official statistics, we have 900,000 Afghans," and therefore, "the Supreme Council of Transplantation has approved that an Afghan can donate a kidney to another Afghan, and currently, the Ministry of Health grants them permission on a case-by-case basis." According to this health official, for foreign nationals, who are fewer in number, committees have been established that grant permission under strict conditions in the name of patients, but instances of "kidney transplants from Iranians to foreign nationals" that have occurred in recent years have led to the downgrading of two hospitals' accreditation and the closure of their departments. The Ta'adol newspaper also reported that the director of the Hospital Management Office of the Ministry of Health announced that the number of patients with "advanced kidney disease in Iran is currently 50,000" and stated: "Annually, 10 to 12 percent are added to patients with advanced kidney failure in Iran," predicting that this number will reach "90,000 by the year 1400." Ahmad Tara emphasized that "the annual cost for 28,000 dialysis patients is 1,500 billion tomans," noting that "the cost for a dialysis patient per year exceeds 50 million tomans," and the medication cost for each kidney patient is 500,000 tomans. The Ta'adol newspaper quoted the director of the Hospital Management Office of the Ministry of Health, stating: "In Iran, out of 5,200 dialysis machines, about 1,700 are seriously worn out, and the same number are relatively worn out, and given this need, in the next five years, we will need 5,000 new machines, which cannot be solved with the help of benefactors; rather, a larger program must be designed because the backlog has led to a buildup of needs." The Arman newspaper published a report on the warnings of Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, and Akbar Turkan, advisor to the President, regarding the effects of "dirty money" on elections, stating that while the Minister of Interior has announced his willingness to explain the process of dirty money in a "closed session" to representatives, Behrouz Namati, a member of the parliamentary board, has called for a "public session" and stated: "It would be good for him to explain this in a public session of the parliament so that the people are also informed about this issue since the executors of the elections are the people themselves." The Arman newspaper published a report on the repeated warnings of the Minister of Interior about dirty money and the movements of parliamentarians, stating: "Dirty money was not commonly used in the political and economic literature of Iran, and it seems that before the eleventh government, few individuals dared to use these two words. However, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli is well acquainted with these terms and has learned in the Court of Audit what consequences these funds have in the management of the country." This newspaper noted that "on December 2, the Minister of Interior emphasized that in the economic discussion, the flow of dirty money causes significant damage to the country's economy, and its dangers may be more pronounced and destructive than in other areas," stating that "the financial turnover of drug trafficking allows traffickers to exert power in politics as well, and it should be noted that undoubtedly part of the dirty money from drug trafficking enters politics, elections, and political power transitions in the country." The Arman newspaper reported that the Minister of Interior's statements elicited numerous reactions from members of parliament, and as criticisms from representatives toward the Minister of Interior escalated regarding the issue of dirty money in elections, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, stated in his pre-speech remarks last week: "If there is information about such money transfers in the recent elections that have brought individuals to power, it should be disclosed. He criticized the Minister of Interior's ambiguous statements on this matter, stating that vague remarks in this area do not benefit the country but create unfounded doubts; however, if anyone has information about such actions, it should be submitted to the judiciary for investigation." This newspaper also mentioned the Minister of Interior's response to the Speaker of Parliament, stating that Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli expressed his willingness to explain the process of dirty money in the economy to members of parliament in a one-hour closed session, while again "warning that if necessary precautions are not taken, dirty money may enter the realm of politics and power, and care must be taken to close the door to this money's entry into power." According to the Arman newspaper, on Sunday, Behrouz Namati, the spokesman of the parliamentary board, turned another page of this file and called for the Minister of Interior's explanations regarding dirty money in elections to be presented in a public session of the parliament, stating that "we demand explanations from the Minister of Interior, and I think it would be good for him to explain this in a public session of the parliament so that the people are also informed about this issue since the executors of the elections are the people themselves." Behrouz Namati also stated that "the Minister of Interior should substantiate who has committed violations; if a certain representative or member of a council has committed violations, they should be introduced to the people, and it would be good for this to be done" so that "the judiciary can also carry out the necessary investigations." The Arman newspaper reported that Akbar Turkan identified a spectrum of conservatives close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government as those who use "dirty money" to influence elections, and quoted Hassan Rouhani's advisor as saying: "No matter what name they call themselves or what coalition they form for the elections, they cannot absolve themselves from the dirty money they have obtained." This newspaper quoted Akbar Turkan, the senior advisor to the President, stating: "They want to participate in the political arenas of 94 with this dirty money, and it is not right for us to remain silent and say nothing and not unmask anyone; however, by forming new coalitions, new names, and new slogans, they want to say that we are not the same people from the past so that they can gain some favor from the people, but we must not forget the economic corruption and the entry of dirty money into the management and economy of the country." The Kayhan newspaper, in its Monday issue, while describing the Minister of Interior's statements as "unsubstantiated," accused reformists of using "dirty money," but the Javan newspaper criticized the media coverage of this issue. Kayhan wrote: "The enthusiastic reception of the extremist claims of reformism and moderation regarding the unsubstantiated statements of Rahmani Fazli was interesting in itself, especially since this faction has been pressuring the President for months to dismiss Rahmani Fazli from the Ministry. These circles previously claimed that Rahmani Fazli was Ali Larijani's quota in the government, but Larijani's objection to Rahmani Fazli proved otherwise." This newspaper also described Akbar Turkan's statements regarding the necessity of exposing dirty money as a "preemptive escape," stating: "This kind of preemptive escape comes at a time when if the reformist and moderate claimants deal honestly with the public, they should address the ambiguities surrounding the Petropars oil company, the tainted Karsant contract, the huge bribes of the Statoil oil company, money laundering at Azad University, and widespread collusion with corrupt figures such as Shahram Jazayeri and the major debtors whose overdue debts have reached 6,500 billion tomans from the reformist era to today and a 650 million euro rent under the pretext of importing Kanjal.