Health Deputy Minister: Salt Claims More Victims than Heroin

The newspaper Etemad described the words of Hassan Rouhani during his trip to South Khorasan province on Wednesday as a "warning to a specific group" and quoted the President of the 11th government as saying: "The government will not allow a group to consider themselves all-powerful." The newspaper also referred to the President's remarks about the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, stating that Rouhani mentioned the need for this practice but that the government would not allow its execution in the manner some speak of. The newspaper Ebtekar characterized Rouhani's comments during his trip to South Khorasan as a "defense of the 16-month record of the 11th government," while the newspaper Shahre Vatan quoted Rouhani as saying: "Some should not think they are all-powerful." The newspapers Shargh, Jahan San'at, Te'dad, and Donya-ye Eqtesad also reported on the announcement of a "4% growth rate" by Hassan Rouhani and the Central Bank in their main headlines. The newspaper Javan noted in its front-page headline that Rouhani stated, "We started economic recovery with a 4% growth rate," adding that supporters claim "the 4% growth is natural due to the decrease in inflation," while opponents emphasize that "the 4% growth does not align with the realities of society." The newspaper also reported that "some critics spoke of the unrealism of this number, while others linked the 4% growth rate to the decrease in inflation and deemed it natural compared to last year." The newspaper Shargh described Mohammad Javad Zarif's letter as "a special opportunity for public diplomacy," stating that "Zarif's open letter to some of his counterparts in various countries is part of using public diplomacy" and that "the text of this letter confirms Iran's efforts to reach an agreement." The newspaper Arman reported that the police chief on Wednesday attributed the cancellation of some concerts to "financial" reasons, stating that "some hold concerts for economic income" and "cause traffic and a series of security issues, and police units also requested certain amounts." The newspaper Hamshahri reported that Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam commented on the monetary exemption for absentees, saying: "Although amnesty is granted once a year to absentees, the armed forces predicted that now that amnesty is to be granted, it should not be entirely free." The newspaper Vatan-e Emruz criticized Molavi Abdolhamid Ismailzahi, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, for receiving the "Human Rights Activist of the Year 2014" award and the Human Rights Defenders Center in Iran for awarding this prize. The newspaper Hemayat, affiliated with the prison organization, quoted Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, stating: "Secret executions and the violation of women's rights are repeated claims of lying accusers." The newspaper Shahre Vatan reported on its front page that Shahram Rafiei Far, the director of the Education and Research Office of the Ministry of Health, stated: "Salt claims more victims than heroin." This newspaper noted that "ten million people in Iran suffer from high blood pressure due to excessive salt consumption, and 86,500 people lose their lives annually for this reason," reporting that "the Ministry of Health has mobilized to reduce salt consumption and held a meeting with this title." The newspaper Shargh, in a report titled "The Painful Days of Acid Attack Victims," discussed the difficult lives of some acid attack victims, stating: "Victims of acid attacks suffer from severe conditions for years after the incident. Somayeh and her daughter Rahna, who were blinded by acid thrown by the family father, are currently undergoing treatment in Tehran. This mother and daughter still face hardships two years after the incident," while other injured individuals, including "Mohsen Mortazavi, one of the acid attack victims who was targeted by his colleague," are also "going through tough times."