First Session on Kiarostami's Medical Case Held

The newspaper Etemad reports on its front page about "the threats from Ahmadinejad's supporters against the government," stating that Hamid Baghaei, the detained former deputy of Ahmadinejad's government, has threatened to sue Es'haq Jahangiri, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani. According to this newspaper, Baghaei, who once served as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's executive deputy, after being released from prison on bail, accused Jahangiri in a letter of receiving bonuses from Tehran Cement Company and wrote to him: "Please announce the exact time for the restitution of the mentioned bonuses to the public treasury in order to fulfill the wishes of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic." The newspaper reminds that Baghaei's reference in this letter is to a report published in Kayhan newspaper in early July, stating that "between 2010 and 2014, a total of 865 million tomans in bonuses were distributed among the board members of Tehran Cement Company, chaired by Es'haq Jahangiri," but this news was denied by the public relations office of Tehran Cement Company at that time. Etemad also reported that the Foundation of the Oppressed announced that "the date of introducing Jahangiri as the representative of this foundation in Tehran Cement Company dates back to 2010, and his last presence was in May 2013, just a few months before his appointment as the first vice president." Furthermore, "Es'haq Jahangiri received no amount for 2014 and received much less than the amounts published in newspapers during his years at the cement company, according to the foundation's instructions." The newspaper simultaneously reported that on Saturday, Ali-Asghar Hosseini, representing Hamid Baghaei, accused Gholamali Jafarzadeh, a representative of the ninth and tenth parliaments, of "defamation and spreading falsehoods" and demanded that he prove his claim that Baghaei had transferred 20 trillion tomans out of the country, or else he would sue him for defamation and spreading falsehoods. Meanwhile, Hamidreza Taraghi, a member of the Islamic Coalition Party, in an interview with the newspaper Vaghaye Ettefaghieh, accused Hassan Rouhani's government of "bluffing" and rejected the statements of officials from the eleventh government regarding the existence of corruption in the previous government (Ahmadinejad's government), stating: "All the claims about violations in the previous government are not true. None of these salary figures existed in the previous government, and all these statements are projections. There is no evidence of violations in the previous government, and the government (Rouhani) is bluffing." This member of the Islamic Coalition Party also stated: "If anyone has the salary slips of the managers at that time (the previous government), they should publish them so that if there are violations, they can be dealt with, but the issue is that no one has any documents, and with these fabrications, we cannot reach anywhere." The newspaper Hamdeli, however, featured an image of Parviz Kazemi, the Minister of Welfare and Social Security in the ninth government, and quoted him saying: "I wish I had spoken about Ahmadinejad for the people back in 2009." According to this newspaper, Parviz Kazemi also stated: "Before the debates (of the 2009 elections), I sent a message to Mir-Hossein Mousavi that Ahmadinejad is a liar and shameless. Both of these events happened: both lying and shamelessness." The newspaper Kayhan also accused Hassan Rouhani's government of "statement therapy" and wrote: "Nearly two months after the publication of astronomical salary slips and unusual payments to some managers, officials have so far limited themselves to issuing reports and statements instead of dismissing these managers." This newspaper also denied the receipt of astronomical salaries by Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the Supreme Leader and the manager of Kayhan, calling it "fake" and stating that those who published this salary slip "should have known that someone who receives a salary of 187 million tomans must be very naive to expose the astronomical salaries of government managers and insist on this exposure, and despite threats and temptations, not let go of the freeloaders." The newspaper Iran also quoted Majid Ansari, the parliamentary deputy of Hassan Rouhani, regarding unusual salaries, stating: "Some people previously (in the previous government) said that dealing with the managers of the government is our red line, while the red line of the eleventh government is the fair implementation of the law." Majid Ansari emphasized that "some have used the issue of salary slips as a pretext to cover up the massive economic corruption of previous years, for which the cases are still ongoing," expressing hope that the judiciary would "inform the people of the results of the financial corruption cases in the previous government." The deputy of Hassan Rouhani also stated that "the media coverage of salary slips was due to its emergence in the government," and reminded that "dozens of websites and newspapers that feed off public funds are trying to undermine the government," adding, "We have accurate information about these think tanks. They have quickly started the election campaign and are looking for misconduct and destruction. They want to provoke the president while the government does not engage in these sidelines at all." The newspaper Shargh, however, on its front page titled "Warnings from Representatives" quoted representatives such as Mahmoud Sadeghi, Elias Hazrati, and Alireza Rahimi emphasizing that "the Astan Quds, the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command, and the economic enterprises of the armed forces should pay taxes." Elias Hazrati, a member of the economic commission of the tenth parliament, also stated that "institutions like Astan Quds, the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command, the Martyrs Foundation, the Foundation of the Oppressed, and even the Army, IRGC, and Law Enforcement, and other similar institutions that engage in economic activities must all pay taxes," telling Shargh: "Military institutions should not pay taxes in their military operations, nor should they, but when they engage in economic activities, they must pay taxes for those activities. In return, all these institutions receive budgetary assistance annually, and both these budgetary aids and their economic activities and taxes paid must be transparent." Shargh also quoted Elias Hazrati as saying: "If military institutions and institutions like the Martyrs Foundation and the Foundation of the Oppressed need assistance, this should be provided through budget lines, not that under the pretext of assisting these institutions, they do not pay taxes, and transparency and the ability to direct the economy and also the ability to compete in the economy are lost." Tributes to Abbas Kiarostami and reports about addressing the medical case of this late cinema director are among the main titles of some Iranian newspapers on Sunday. The newspaper Shargh dedicated its front page to a report titled "Kiarostami in the Soil of His Homeland," detailing the transfer of this renowned cinema director's body from France to Iran and paying tribute to him on the red carpet at Tehran Airport. Iranian actor Hamid Farokhnezhad told Shargh: "With the cooperation of the pavilion officials who provided us with the facilities, we were able to lay the last red carpet for this dear departed and this great figure of Iranian cinema," but "I believe that when Abbas Kiarostami was alive, we should have laid this red carpet for him, and I am very upset and regretful that this happened late." Shargh wrote that the red carpet laid for Abbas Kiarostami's return "was a surprise for many; many recalled that not long ago, when he received two awards at the Cannes Festival, Kiarostami had reminded us all that 19 years ago he was taken out of the back door of the airport with fear and trembling." Simultaneously, Keyvan Khatirian, in a note for Shargh, shared memories from the days of Abbas Kiarostami's surgery and hospitalization at Jam Hospital and the travel of his treating physician abroad during the Nowruz holidays, writing: "I still do not have the expertise to comment on 'medical error,' but I personally still believe that if Kiarostami had been anywhere else but Iran, he would have received better medical services and would not have left us so soon." The writer emphasized that "now Kiarostami is gone, but I still think the Minister of Health and the health system are responsible and must be held accountable for their performance and the surgery and possible medical errors." The newspaper Sepid also dedicated its front page to Abbas Kiarostami, reporting on "the first session addressing Kiarostami's medical case at the Medical System Organization," quoting Mohsen Khalili, the deputy of the disciplinary committee of the Medical System Organization, stating: "A special expert commission has been formed from all specialties involved in Kiarostami's case at Arad and Jam hospitals, and specific individuals have been identified, and the first session will be held at the earliest opportunity with the presence of the head of the organization." This newspaper noted that Ahmad Mir, Kiarostami's main physician at Jam Hospital, refused to discuss "these controversies," but Mohsen Tadininfar, the head of Jam Hospital, told Sepid: "All of this is a lie. Mr. Kiarostami's son is aware of all matters. Our hospital did everything it could for Mr. Kiarostami's recovery, and his condition was good upon discharge from the hospital." The CEO of Jam Hospital also stated: "Ali Mohammad Mir, Kiarostami's surgeon, has not been practicing for years. Although he was a famous surgeon in Tehran, he is now 90 years old, and there was never an agreement for surgery by him." The newspaper Sepid also referred to the differing statements from the medical team and Kiarostami's family regarding the source of the intestinal disease and the reasons for the four consecutive surgeries, quoting a member of the nursing staff at Arad Hospital in Tehran as saying: "I cannot say anything about their condition when they arrived from Jam Hospital to Arad, but there must have been a problem that they came to Arad Hospital." The newspaper Iran published a four-page supplement on Sunday in honor of the funeral and burial ceremony of this cinema director. This supplement, featuring a full-page photo of Abbas Kiarostami and the headline "Kiarostami Left the World Alone," highlights the tributes from many cultural and artistic figures to Abbas Kiarostami, his artistic life, and his cinematic achievements. The newspaper Etelaat dedicated its front page to "containing a major fire at Mahshahr Petrochemical Complex." According to this newspaper, after three days of fire at Mahshahr Petrochemical Complex and several unsuccessful attempts to extinguish it, finally at 2 a.m. on Saturday, in another operation and with the efforts of rescuers, "the fire was completely contained and extinguished with hard work alongside the fire and in very difficult conditions and high temperatures of Khuzestan." This newspaper also quoted Mohammad Rezaei, the manager of fire insurance at Iran Insurance, estimating the damage to Bouali Sina Petrochemical Company in Mahshahr at about 60 million euros, stating that compensation would be paid after completing the investigations. Newspapers close to the principlists, including the newspapers Javan, Resalat, and Khorasan, dedicated their main headlines to the reactions of Islamic Republic officials to the UN Secretary-General's report, describing Ali Akbar Salehi's statements as "the sound of a new conspiracy." The newspaper Javan, close to the IRGC, quoted Ali Akbar Salehi as saying: "A conspiracy is being created; otherwise, there is no reason for Mr. Ban Ki-moon and Ms. Merkel to make such a fuss and uproar." The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization stated, "Mr. Ban Ki-moon should be seriously protested for his ambiguous remarks, and Ms. Merkel should also be protested; of course, I express my personal opinion as a compatriot, and this matter has nothing to do with the Atomic Energy Organization, but I hope this conspiracy is stopped soon." The UN Secretary-General, in his latest report, had called on Iran to "refrain from testing its ballistic missiles, as such tests are inconsistent with the constructive spirit of the nuclear agreement." The newspaper Iran also reported on "the closure of Lavasan Park for the wedding of Ghalibaf's daughter," stating: "Two days ago, the architecture news site published a report titled 'Closure of Lavasan Forest Park for the Wedding of Ghalibaf's Daughter,' which received a lot of attention on social media and virtual media," even mentioning that "some of the main entrances to Lavasan Park were closed due to the wedding of Ghalibaf, the mayor of Tehran." The newspaper Farhikhtegan also mentioned the torture of a five-month-old boy by his father, stating: "The five-month-old boy who was severely tortured by his father in Rasht was handed over to his mother after being discharged from the hospital." According to this newspaper, "the images published of this child showing bruises on his body sparked a lot of reactions on social media and led to a renewed feeling of the need for a comprehensive legal bill to protect children's rights." In this context, "the concerned parties are seeking to eliminate the presidency" from the uproar over salary slips to cooperation in combating money laundering.