Increase in Fraud in the Food Market

Iranian newspapers, including Aftab Yazd, Khorasan, Ebtekar, Samat, and Donya-e-Eqtesad, have dedicated their front pages to the presence of John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, at the residence of the Iranian ambassador in New York for a meeting with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister. The Iran newspaper stated: "After nearly 36 years since the Islamic Revolution and the severance of political relations between the two countries, for the first time, a high-ranking American official officially stepped into a location under Iranian sovereignty and held negotiations." Aftab Yazd also highlighted Kerry's presence at the Iranian ambassador's residence at the UN with the headline "John Kerry on Iranian Soil" and reported: "Mohammad Javad Zarif hosted John Kerry in New York on Monday afternoon. The meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries took place at the residence of the Iranian ambassador in the U.S." At least two international relations experts in Iran told Aftab Yazd that the choice of the "residence of the Iranian ambassador at the UN" for the meeting of the U.S. and Iranian foreign ministers is "meaningful" and, in addition to increasing the likelihood of signing a comprehensive nuclear agreement, this meeting is a sign of the potential expansion of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. to "issues beyond nuclear matters" and could even "lay the groundwork for the revival of relations between the two countries." The Etemad newspaper, in its Wednesday front page, referred to the approval of the "continuation of the qualifications of current representatives in the upcoming elections" and wrote: "Representatives voted on their own qualifications." The Hamshahri newspaper also published a report on the Tuesday resolution, describing this action by the representatives as "electoral discrimination by the parliament." The Arman newspaper reported on the potential candidacy of Hassan Khomeini in the upcoming Assembly of Experts elections. Mohsen Ghoreyani, a teacher at the Qom Seminary and a former student and current critic of Mohammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, told Arman that during his meeting with the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, discussions were held about the sensitivities of this year's parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections, and "when I asked him about his entry into the Assembly of Experts elections, he said he was evaluating the atmosphere of society." The Shahrevand newspaper, while publishing a photo of eggs that had a "production date" of October 18, 1394, which is nearly five months away, reported on "date forgery" and new "frauds" by some food producers. The statements of Hassan Rouhani at the 26th National Festival of "Gratitude to the Labor and Production Community" have also attracted the attention of several newspapers, including Shargh, which quoted the President of the 11th government as saying: "Speculators of sanctions should think of another job from now on" because "with the support of the Supreme Leader and the Iranian people, we will continue the path of constructive interaction with the world by God's grace." Shargh also reported, on the eve of International Workers' Day, that "livelihood and job security are the main concerns of workers," while several newspapers close to the principlists, including Kayhan, Vatan-e-Emruz, and Javan, dedicated their front pages to the protests in "Baltimore" in the U.S. The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, described the protests in Baltimore as "the flames of anger of African Americans against racism." The Ebtekar newspaper is one of the few that published news of the "deaths of 4,400 people in the Nepal earthquake" on its Wednesday front page. The Etemad newspaper, while publishing photos of Youssef Abadari, Sara Shariati, and Hamid Reza Jalai Pour on its Wednesday front page, published a report on the speeches of these three sociologists at the "Eighty Years of Social Sciences in Iran" conference. Etemad also published parts of Youssef Abadari's speech titled "Sociology and Its Enemies," Hamid Reza Jalai Pour's speech titled "The Passage of Social Sciences from Methodological Bias," and Sara Shariati's speech. Sina Chaghinia in Etemad wrote about Youssef Abadari's speech: "On Tuesday afternoon, Youssef Abadari, a sociology professor at Tehran University, while many professors and students gathered to hear him in the Ibn Khaldun Hall of the Faculty of Social Sciences, explained the mechanisms behind the increasing impoverishment of the people and society in Iran, which still exists. The weakening of sociology and the imposition of the sciences and techniques of the free market on everyone is a mechanism that continues to this day; a mechanism linked to the government's retreat from fulfilling its economic and social duties to the people." The assessment of newspapers regarding the Kerry-Zarif meeting: The Iran newspaper emphasized that "Kerry went to Zarif's residence," stating: "High-ranking officials from Iran and the U.S. met once again. An event that has occurred multiple times during various rounds of nuclear negotiations, but this time, Iran's hosting of a senior American official brought a different atmosphere to it." This newspaper wrote: "John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, along with his deputy Wendy Sherman, took advantage of the presence of our country's officials at the NPT review conference currently underway in New York and headed to the Iranian ambassador's residence for bilateral consultations on nuclear negotiations to hold another round of discussions and negotiations with Zarif and Iranian diplomats." The Iran newspaper noted that "this action alone was enough for nuclear negotiations to continue their record-breaking pace and register a new record in their calendar, as for the first time, a high-ranking American official officially stepped into a location under Iranian sovereignty and held negotiations after nearly 36 years since the Islamic Revolution and the severance of political relations between the two countries." This newspaper pointed out that "the lengthy meeting between Zarif and Kerry in New York, which lasted more than 100 minutes, was the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S. in New York in the last two years," recalling that the first meeting between John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif as foreign ministers of the U.S. and Iran also took place in New York in October 2013 on the sidelines of the 58th UN General Assembly. The Aftab Yazd newspaper also highlighted the presence of the U.S. Secretary of State at the Iranian ambassador's residence at the UN with the headline "John Kerry on Iranian Soil" and reported: "Mohammad Javad Zarif hosted John Kerry in New York on Monday afternoon. The meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries took place at the residence of the Iranian ambassador in the U.S." This newspaper noted that "after 36 years, this is the first time a high-ranking American official has officially and publicly stepped into a property of Iran, as according to international law, the offices of international representations and embassies of countries in other countries are considered the territory of that country." Aftab Yazd emphasized that "taboos are being broken one by one. After the taboo of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. at the level of foreign ministers was broken, the taboo of a high-ranking official entering Iranian soil after 36 years was also broken." According to this newspaper, "John Kerry and his deputy Wendy Sherman, for the first time, according to Marie Harf, the spokesperson for the U.S. Secretary of State, stepped on Iranian carpets and were welcomed with Iranian pistachios, having been able to break the taboo of direct, unmediated, official, and public negotiations between two high-ranking Iranian and American officials for nearly two years through nuclear negotiations." Mohsen Jalilvand, an international relations expert, assessed the meeting between John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday as "symbolic and meaningful" and told Aftab Yazd: "The fact that it is said that the diplomatic building of Iran is considered part of the territory of this country is a symbolic issue, but if we return to an article that Zarif wrote a few days ago in the New York Times, in which he mentioned that Iran can discuss regional issues with John Kerry in addition to the nuclear issue, it indicates that conditions are shaping in such a way that Iran and the U.S. can also discuss issues beyond nuclear matters, and this itself is a meaningful sign." This international relations expert stated: "Although we cannot consider the Iranian diplomatic house as the territory of Iran, this presence carries a message that the two countries have overcome the borders and walls that previously existed, and it should be said that the presence in such a place has been coordinated by both sides and carries its own specific message" and "I believe this step and the discussions that the two sides had about regional issues are a prelude to discussions on other matters as well." Aftab Yazd quoted Mohammad Ali Basiri, an international relations expert, who, while recalling the legal differences and similarities between the "residence of the ambassador at the UN" and "the embassy" in assessing "John Kerry's visit to Zarif in the Iranian diplomatic building after three decades," stated: "There are undoubtedly signs of the convergence of the views of the two countries, especially regarding the nuclear issue. This diplomatic back-and-forth, especially in this location, can herald a reduction in differences and a move closer to a nuclear agreement, indicating that this agreement is in the final stages of drafting." Mohammad Ali Basiri also stated that "John Kerry's presence in such a building demonstrates the will of the U.S. government that, despite what happened in Congress and what the Republican opponents are saying, intends to reach an agreement and is very serious about it." Ali Bigdeli, an international relations expert, also told Aftab Yazd that "the meeting between John Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif in the Iranian diplomatic building is very important; this act officially announces that the U.S. is trying to resolve its issues with Iran, and there is a 90% probability that the final nuclear agreement will be signed." According to Ali Bigdeli, "the meeting at the Iranian representation indicates that internal conflicts that had a hostile color have turned into friendship, and this can lay the groundwork for the revival of relations between the two countries." Aftab Yazd quoted Ali Bigdeli as saying: "The discussions between John Kerry and Zarif regarding the issues in Yemen during the local time meeting at the Iranian diplomatic building demonstrate a glimmer of hope that the two sides can also discuss other issues together. Let us not forget that from the perspective of international law, this meeting took place in a location that is considered part of Iranian territory, and it is interesting to note that in this meeting, John Kerry arrived at the Iranian office earlier than Zarif. Although this act was also a political maneuver by Zarif to show that we are not too flustered by John Kerry's arrival at this office, I believe there is a possibility that after the contract is signed, the path of negotiations may lead to the revival of relations between the two countries, as this has also been confirmed by our country's sources that if an agreement is signed, it could also entail the revival of relations." The bitter irony of selling products that will be produced in the future: The Shahrevand newspaper, while publishing a photo of eggs that had a "production date" of October 18, 1394, which is nearly five months away, reported on "date forgery" and new "frauds" by some food producers. This newspaper reviewed the issue of fake dates on food products, including cheese and some dairy products, canned goods, and even meat, stating: "The date written on the packaging indicates that the product will be produced a week later; this is not a joke or a hidden camera subject. It is a completely real occurrence that is prevalent in Iranian supermarkets. You can no longer rely on buying the freshest food products, as your trust in the health of the item you purchase has also been undermined." The Shahrevand newspaper described this action by producers as "the bitter irony of the food market" and the sale of a product that "will be produced in the future." This newspaper pointed out that "it has not been long since the implementation of the traceable egg project. A project that began with much noise and advertising from the Veterinary Organization and the Ministry of Agriculture, introducing the prevalence of packaged and traceable products as a significant transformation in the food market," stating that "according to this project, eggs were supposed to have a production and expiration date, and the name and brand details were to be printed on each egg to allow consumers to track the quality of the product." This project even gave birth to a new organization in the poultry industry, the "Traceable Egg Association." Maryam Shekarani in the Shahrevand report wrote that "now, shortly after the implementation and nationwide adoption of this project, consumers have published images of traceable eggs that have a production date related to four months in the future" and "this occurs while the maximum shelf life of eggs in refrigeration is one month." This newspaper emphasized that producers are unwilling to accept responsibility for printing "fake dates," writing that Farzad Talaksh, the head of the Traceable Egg Association, initially said: "Perhaps the quality of the image was not good enough, and the date was misread," but later attributed the issue to a printing error by the producing company: "Eggs do not have the capability to be stored for more than a month in the best conditions, and the yolk and egg white of old eggs mix, or the old yolk moves to the edge of the shell." The Shahrevand newspaper reported that Farzad Talaksh, the head of the Traceable Egg Association, ultimately stated that the reason for the fake date on the eggs should be answered by the producing companies, as "selling products with future production dates is a serious issue that needs to be addressed."