Increase in Hospitalizations Due to Air Pollution; Proposal for a One-Month Educational Holiday

The registration of Hassan Rouhani, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi for the Assembly of Experts elections has caught the attention of most Iranian newspapers on Tuesday. The Arman newspaper, featuring a photo of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Hassan Rouhani on its front page, referred to their registration alongside Hassan Khomeini's candidacy as 'completing the triangle of moderation in the Assembly elections' and wrote: 'Now the three sides of moderation that took the first step on June 14, 2013, are preparing to take the second step, which will be taken on March 7.' The Qanoon newspaper published a photo of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, and Ahmad Jannati on its front page, stating: 'Representatives of two interpretations of the Islamic Republic are ready to compete.' This newspaper referred to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's registration in the Assembly elections as 'the great jihad' and noted: 'These two figures are now representatives of two powerful factions within Iran's political system. Mesbah Yazdi represents the traditional and conservative interpretation, while Hashemi Rafsanjani is the flagbearer of freer and more modern interpretations of the Islamic Republic. Both have equipped their interpretations of the Islamic nature and republicanism of the system with dozens of religious and jurisprudential documents and hundreds of political memories.' The Jahan San'at newspaper also published photos of Hashemi Rafsanjani and Hassan Rouhani, stating: 'The elders have entered the arena.' However, the Kayhan newspaper, in its editorial titled 'Please Do Not Waste,' implicitly warned Hashemi Rafsanjani in reference to the historical incident of 'Talha and Zubair' during the registration for the Assembly elections, writing: 'This is the last station for those who want to stir up sedition again and become the vanguard of the enemy.' The Sharq newspaper reported on its front page about 'Tehran's confidence in the implementation of the JCPOA,' stating 'Kerry's signature is a guarantee.' This newspaper noted that 'as we approach the implementation of the JCPOA, unforeseen events are increasingly revealing themselves along the way. The latest event is the new visa law in the United States, which has raised concerns about the implementation of the agreement. However, Abbas Araghchi, head of the JCPOA follow-up committee, believes that based on the letter from the U.S. Secretary of State to Zarif, we are assured that the implementation of the visa waiver law will not affect the implementation of the JCPOA; if it does, mechanisms have been predicted in this regard.' Meanwhile, the Kayhan newspaper, on its front page, referred to the Deputy Director General of Political Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, who described 'John Kerry's letter to his Iranian counterpart as a victory for the diplomacy of the eleventh government,' calling this action and the publication of the U.S. Secretary of State's letter in Iranian media 'shameful' and 'the latest service of the domestic pawns of the enemy.' The Ebrar newspaper reported on its front page that Moayed Hosseini Sadr, a representative from Khoy in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated: 'Some have plundered public funds and are now buying votes and credibility with dirty money, which is harmful to the country.' The Ebtekar newspaper also reported that Saeed Mortazavi, the CEO of the Social Security Organization, confirmed the 'payment of one billion tomans' to some representatives, but Hamid Tabatabai Naeini told this newspaper that the money paid by Saeed Mortazavi to the representatives is not related to the issue of 'dirty money.' Nearly five years after the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, the Javan newspaper, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the Deputy Chief of the Judiciary, stated on Tuesday at the 'University as a Barrier Against Sedition' conference at Tehran University: 'The leaders of sedition will not be pardoned as long as they do not repent and their repentance is not confirmed, and as long as they remain on their wrong stance.' The Citizen newspaper reported an 'increase in hospitalizations of respiratory patients' and simultaneously suggested to the government to 'consider the possibility of a one-month educational holiday in the fall and winter.' The Vatan-e-Emruz newspaper dedicated its front page and headline to the air pollution in Tehran, with the headline 'Where are you, my dear?' alongside a photo of the severe air pollution in Tehran, stating: 'Schools in Tehran have been closed for the third consecutive day.' The Citizen newspaper also published statements from the Health Ministry spokesperson regarding a '44-year-old woman' who suffered an accident near Sajjad Hospital in Fatemi Square, Tehran, and died. According to this newspaper, the Health Ministry spokesperson said: 'Our investigations showed that from the time the emergency services were contacted for the transfer of this injured person until the time the injured arrived at the hospital, it took seven minutes, meaning the call was made at 14:40 and the time of arrival at the hospital was reported at 14:47. During this time, the head nurse of the resuscitation department and several hospital staff went to the accident site, but the severity of the bleeding was such that it could not be controlled. The resuscitation operation for this injured person also lasted until 18:45, and ultimately, due to the severity of the injury, she died.' Abraj Harirchi also stated regarding whether 'an ambulance must be present at the accident site by law and transfer the injured person': 'We have a penalty for refusing to assist the injured, but in this case, it is not applicable, as timely assistance was provided; however, in general, by law, the ambulance must transfer the injured, but ethically, if an incident occurs near a hospital, that hospital should take action.' The Bahar newspaper reported on the phenomenon of 'temporary marriage' and quoted Shirin Ahmadnia, head of the Social Welfare Organization's Office for the Prevention of Social Harms, stating: 'Marriage within the framework of temporary arrangements is a new social phenomenon in the country that has recently emerged in light of studies and research, and marriage patterns in Iranian society are changing, including temporary marriage, where wealthy men rent an independent house in certain areas of Tehran for their second wives.' This official from the Welfare Organization also stated: 'If we focus on the family, we will witness an increase in divorce, cohabitation or white marriage, single marriages, and restructured marriages.' The role of 'dirty money' in elections was highlighted by the Ebrar newspaper, which reported on its front page that Moayed Hosseini Sadr stated: 'Some have plundered public funds and are now buying votes and credibility with dirty money, which is harmful to the country.' This representative from the ninth parliament emphasized that 'it is necessary for oversight institutions to pay attention because plunderers who are in Evin prison are buying votes.' The Ebtekar newspaper also raised the question of whether 'dirty money exists in elections,' reporting that Saeed Mortazavi, the former head of the Social Security Organization, confirmed the 'payment of one billion tomans' to some members of parliament while providing an explanation about his new indictment. According to this newspaper, the former CEO of the Social Security Organization confirmed the issuance of an indictment against him, stating: 'The indictment relates to part of the non-conditional budget amounting to about one billion tomans; most of it relates to money that was paid to members of parliament for expenses in deprived areas for orphans, the underprivileged, and treatment costs for patients with difficult illnesses, and they also spent these amounts in their electoral districts, and receipts for these expenditures are available in the file.' Saeed Mortazavi described his payments to representatives as 'legal' and stated that 'the most significant amount in the case is the payment to the representatives, which is about three times the amount claimed in the indictment, meaning three billion tomans, for which I provided a property guarantee.' Simultaneously, the Ebtekar newspaper reported that Omran Naeimi, the legal director of the Social Security Organization, on Tuesday 'denied the new claim by Saeed Mortazavi regarding the issuance of a non-prosecution order against him,' stating: 'Saeed Mortazavi claimed in an interview with one of the media that a non-prosecution order was issued regarding the memorandum of understanding between Sorinet Qeshm Company and Mr. Babak Zanjani, which has been confirmed and finalized by the prosecutor; however, this is not true.' Furthermore, 'despite Saeed Mortazavi's claims, an indictment and indictment have been issued against him, and the matter is currently under review in Branch 1057 of the Criminal Court 2 of the Government Employees Judicial Complex.' The Ebtekar newspaper noted that 'in recent months, the first person to speak about dirty money in elections was the Minister of Interior of Rouhani's government,' stating that Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli repeatedly warned that 'individuals affiliated with centers of corruption, power, and drug trafficking exist and take on the election expenses of individuals intending to enter the Islamic Consultative Assembly to achieve their demands.' This newspaper also referred to a letter from Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the first deputy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stating that he admitted to providing financial and electoral assistance to some representatives; a matter that, despite repeated insistence to read the names of the recipients of the assistance, was not pursued. The Ebtekar newspaper emphasized that now with 'the approaching elections, there is a strong concern about whether such money may be spent and utilized in this year's elections,' quoting Mohammad Saleh Jokar, a representative from Yazd, stating that the issue of payments by Saeed Mortazavi 'cannot be linked to the fact that dirty money relates to drug trafficking' and that 'dirty money is somewhat linked to certain power and corruption currents, as some seek to achieve their demands and requests by turning to centers of wealth, power, and corruption to obtain votes and enter the Islamic Consultative Assembly.' This representative reminded that 'these centers do not comply with laws or pay taxes, duties, etc., but alongside these issues, they resort to financial and economic assistance to certain individuals to bring their desired person into the Islamic Consultative Assembly.' Hamid Reza Tabatabai Naeini, another representative, told the Ebtekar newspaper: 'We should not pay attention to the words of some individuals like Mohammad Reza Rahimi, who said he had issued checks to some representatives, because dirty money in elections has no validity or history, and I deny this matter.' The condition of the Deputy Chief of the Judiciary for the 2009 protest candidates: The leaders of sedition will not be pardoned unless they repent. The Javan newspaper, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the Deputy Chief of the Judiciary stated that the 2009 protest candidates will only be pardoned with 'repentance.' Nearly five years after the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, the Javan newspaper reported that Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the Deputy Chief of the Judiciary, stated on Tuesday at the 'University as a Barrier Against Sedition' conference at Tehran University: 'The leaders of sedition will not be pardoned as long as they do not repent and their repentance is not confirmed, and as long as they remain on their wrong stance.' The spokesperson of the Judiciary described the 2009 protests as 'a very serious crime' and stated: 'The sedition of 2009 was a very serious crime, and all those who consciously participated in this sedition and caused damage to property and public funds are certainly criminals. If the Islamic mercy and considerations that are not of interest to the Supreme National Security Council had not been taken into account, the leaders of this and those who consciously entered the flow would have received the harshest punishment.' The Javan newspaper reported that Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei 'in response to a question from one of the students about the influence of this operation, said that if someone from the sedition or otherwise comes and presents false statements, they can be prosecuted and pursued, and if you know, report it to the prosecutor's office for follow-up, and if someone is banned, the university should not allow it, and if it does, you should inform the Judiciary so that the judicial authority can follow up on the issue, and even if necessary, the intelligence and law enforcement system should pursue the matter. If someone is banned and is from the sedition, the university itself should sit down and think about why such a person should be invited.' The Deputy Chief of the Judiciary also stated regarding 'dealing with economic offenders and big fish': 'In society, it is said that the Judiciary does not deal with big fish, while we should ask ourselves who is currently being tried. Do you think there is anyone more powerful than Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani in terms of position? You think that in cases like theirs, the Judiciary is not under pressure? It puts a lot of pressure. At one time, his son and daughter were in prison, and one of his daughters was also in and out, why do we weaken our own power?' The Javan newspaper also quoted Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei as saying: 'Regarding Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani's son, despite the immense pressure on the Judiciary, the trial process was conducted legally, and he is currently in prison.' The spokesperson of the Judiciary emphasized that 'regarding Mr. Hashemi's son, he has had a case for years, and until he was tried, everything that existed in any institution was provided to them; for example, a copy of the Judiciary and the General Inspection Organization's documents was always in their hands, and we also accepted that...