Front Page of Newspapers Dominated by the Disqualification of Hassan Khomeini

The newspaper Shargh has reported that with the approval of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the government is obligated to "strengthen the Basij." According to this newspaper, this plan, which was approved as an urgent matter in the session on December 1 of this year under the title "Amendment of Chapter Four of the IRGC Statute," was brought to the parliament on Tuesday, February 6, with "changes in title and content" and was approved under the title "Strengthening the Basij." Morteza Ghadimi, in a report for Shargh, wrote: "Although some of the items in this plan regarding the new rights and powers of the Basij were returned to the National Security Commission for amendments based on the representatives' opinions, what stands out in the overall plan to strengthen the Basij is the movement towards creating an organization with a broader scope of powers and influence in various sectors and positions." This newspaper noted that "the second article of this five-article plan relates to the establishment of Basij bases in all sectors, including residential complexes and sports clubs," which faced opposition from Ali Motahari, who stated: "The presence of the Basij in residential complexes creates a security and military atmosphere and does not actually help maintain security. If the aim of this plan is to maintain the security of residential complexes, we should seek help from the police, as the presence of the Basij leads to a security environment." According to this newspaper, Ahmad Tavakoli also remarked in the parliament that "if such a law is passed, part of the executive branch's duties will fall under the armed forces' supervision" and "this event is not compatible with Article 60 of the Constitution." The widespread reaction to the disqualification of Hassan Khomeini The Guardian Council's opinion regarding the qualifications of candidates for the fifth round of the Assembly of Experts elections has drawn the attention of most newspapers on February 26, with varying reflections. The newspaper Etemad headlined on its front page: "Seyyed Hassan Khomeini was not qualified." Mahshid Sotoudeh, in a report for Etemad, noted that on February 26, after the Guardian Council did not approve the qualification of the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini as a candidate for the Assembly of Experts elections, Hassan Khomeini attended his classes on jurisprudence and principles in Qom. The newspaper wrote that on Wednesday morning, "at a time when social media and the public were buzzing with the news of his disqualification, he calmly continued his daily lessons, answered questions, so that Tuesday after the announcement of 'disqualification' would be like any other Tuesday in his life but with a new encouragement." Etemad reported that Hassan Khomeini stated that "he has come to the field to test the community. He tested and received a response." The newspaper Arman dedicated its front page to a large photo of Hassan Khomeini with the headline "For Now, This Is It," reflecting the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini's reaction to his disqualification for the Assembly of Experts elections. The newspaper Aftab Yazd, in a note emphasizing that "Seyyed Hassan Khomeini remains a reserve," wrote: "The hardline atmosphere regarding the disqualification of the young Khomeini was not without wisdom, and on Tuesday, the definitive news of his failure to pass the Guardian Council's filter for the Assembly of Experts was announced." This newspaper noted the possibility of Hassan Khomeini protesting the Guardian Council's decision, stating: "This issue is not outside two possibilities: either this complaint will be rejected or confirmed. If rejected, given what is known about him, the young Khomeini will certainly remain silent; however, if confirmed, he will enter the elections and the Assembly of Experts, as 'the initial disqualification will significantly increase his popularity and could indeed lead to him being the top candidate from Tehran to the Assembly of Experts.'" The newspaper Kayhan, which is published under the supervision of the Supreme Leader's representative, praised the Guardian Council's disqualification of candidates for the Assembly of Experts, including Hassan Khomeini, stating: "The Guardian Council upheld the rights of the people." This newspaper pointed out that "Kazem Sedighi, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, Morteza Aghatehrani, Majid Ansari, Mehdi Taeb, Rasoul Montajebnia, Mousavi Bojnourdi, and Mohsen Ghorviyan are among the figures whose qualifications were not confirmed" and wrote: "A look at the results clearly shows that the Guardian Council was not influenced by these internal and external pressures and acted solely based on the law in assessing qualifications." Kayhan simultaneously reported, quoting Mohammad Rajabi, a member of the Society of Teachers in Qom, that "the list of candidates deemed preferable by the Society of Teachers is being completed and is approximately 80% complete," but the list for Tehran has not yet been finalized. The newspaper Shargh, noting the approval of 166 candidates for 88 seats in the Assembly of Experts, reported the "exclusion of women" from the Assembly of Experts elections, stating that in this round, 16 women registered, of which "eight were invited to the jurisprudence exam. However, six participated in the exam day, none of whom were approved." This newspaper, in a report introducing the approved and disqualified candidates, noted that in each of the provinces of Bushehr, Semnan, North Khorasan, and Hormozgan, only one candidate was approved, while the Guardian Council also approved one candidate in each of these provinces. The newspaper Qanoon highlighted the statements of the government spokesperson regarding the government's inability to lift the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, quoting Mohammad Bagher Nobakht as saying: "We were unable to lift the house arrest." According to this newspaper, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht stated on Wednesday during a press conference regarding the failure to follow up on the government's promise to lift the house arrest: "If by following up, it means that its effects lead to lifting the house arrest, we agree that nothing has happened, but we have made efforts to the best of our ability, and in some cases, we have even tried beyond our capacity, but ultimately we are not the final decision-makers in this matter.