Kayhan Accuses Rouhani of 'Concealing the Damages of the JCPOA'

Pro-government newspapers have launched a new wave of attacks against the Rouhani administration in their Wednesday editions, with Kayhan explicitly accusing President Hassan Rouhani of 'concealing the damages of the JCPOA' and stating to the President: 'If it weren't for the JCPOA, oil would be $120.' The newspaper refers to Rouhani's recent claim that 'without the JCPOA, we couldn't export a single barrel of oil,' arguing that 'the more we have compromised on nuclear positions, the lower the oil price has become,' and 'before the JCPOA, we were exporting at least one million barrels of oil daily.' In Kayhan's editorial, Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the Supreme Leader, notes that 'on Tuesday, the President defended the JCPOA at a meeting of senior managers of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, stating: if it weren't for the JCPOA, we couldn't export a single barrel of oil.' He suggests that Rouhani's insistence on 'hiding the damages of the JCPOA and exaggerating its praises' may stem from a desire not to acknowledge that the path they have taken was wrong. Kayhan, which reported on its front page that Iran's oil exports before the JCPOA were 'one million barrels per day,' presents another figure in its editorial, stating 'before the JCPOA, oil was exported, not one barrel but 1.7 million barrels.' Other conservative newspapers like Vatan-e-Emruz, Quds, Resalat, and Siyasat-e-Rooz have also featured headlines or photos of Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, and his remarks regarding missile activities and the JCPOA, using this as a pretext to criticize the government and Rouhani personally. Siyasat-e-Rooz emphasizes the IRGC's readiness to respond to Saudi 'audacity,' stating 'we are waiting for orders,' and questions 'what results has the JCPOA produced that we should accept other JCPOAs?' Vatan-e-Emruz highlights Jafari's emphasis on producing 'more precise and destructive missiles,' stating 'the series of JCPOAs is a path against the revolution.' The newspaper Javan quotes the IRGC commander stating, 'talk of serial JCPOAs is an insult to the people,' and 'the JCPOA is neither a source of pride nor applicable elsewhere.' The newspaper also notes that 'on Tuesday, the U.S. Secretary of State provided a new definition of the spirit of the JCPOA, stating: if they want to benefit from the JCPOA, they must change their behavior,' indicating that the U.S. is now demanding a change in Iran's behavior, which is not mentioned in the text of the JCPOA but is implied in its spirit. Javan emphasizes that 'simultaneously, the IRGC commander warned those who excessively praise the JCPOA.' The editorial states: 'From Jafari's statements, it appears that this JCPOA has had some achievements for Iran, but not to the extent that it could be a document of pride or applicable to other issues.' Resalat, another conservative newspaper, quotes Mohammad Javad Larijani, the Deputy of the Judiciary, stating: 'The U.S. seeks to destroy our missile capabilities, change our foreign policy, and ultimately change our regime.' Mohammad Kazem Anbarlooie, in an editorial for Resalat, accuses Rouhani's government of negligence regarding 'cultural invasion,' stating: 'The government does not use its vast resources to prevent this relentless invasion. Websites and satellite channels produce cultural infections like pornographic and obscene films. The government is even unwilling to filter these infections. The depth of the disaster is broader than imagined.' The newspaper Javan, close to the IRGC, published a caricature of Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, hanging over the number '4,' referring to it as the 'fourth economic package of the government,' and quoting the spokesman stating: 'We have seven thousand idle production units; we must not let our efforts go to waste.' Concurrently, the newspaper Ebtekar reports on the intensification of conservative attacks against the eleventh government, describing this new wave of attacks as 'an attack on Rouhani with the code of the four-year government.' According to this newspaper, 'with the beginning of 1395, Ahmadinejad's faction has openly launched extensive activities by creating channels on social networks and establishing their headquarters across the country for their propaganda activities under the title of Spring 96,' and 'alongside these activities, criticism of the government of hope and prudence has been revitalized by the government's opponents.' Mohammad Kianoush Rad, a former parliament member and reformist figure, told Ebtekar that conservative attacks on the government will increase in the coming months to demoralize the people. Newspapers like Shargh, Etemad, Farhikhtegan, and Arman have focused on the political lineup in 'the second round of parliamentary elections' and 'the election of the tenth parliament speaker' in their Wednesday editions. Shargh reports on its front page the 'finalization of the list of hope reformists' for the second round of parliamentary elections, stating that the reformist council's working group held a session on Monday, and based on the summary, the hope list has been finalized in the areas that have reached the second round of parliamentary elections. Ali Soufi, a member of the reformist council, told this newspaper: 'In this stage, the list is almost clear, and those who were on the hope list in the first round will also be on this list in the second round,' but 'the council has remained silent in some areas, and in some areas, in addition to reformist candidates, it has supported independent candidates and in some areas, some moderate conservative candidates, which are very few, and among the 52 candidates that the council has introduced for the second round, the number of moderate conservatives is less than the fingers of one hand, meaning four.' The second round of parliamentary elections will be held on 10th of Ordibehesht in 56 constituencies to elect 69 representatives from 138 candidates who have reached the second round. Ali Soufi explained the reason for the council's silence in some of these areas to Shargh, stating: 'In some areas, both candidates who reached the second round may be reformists, and we cannot take a position, in which case we will remain silent. Also, in some areas, the candidates who reached the second round may all be from radical conservatives who the council cannot support.' Mansour Haqiqatpour, a representative from Ardabil and the deputy chairman of the National Security Commission of the ninth parliament, who has a history of years as a deputy to General Qasem Soleimani, criticized vote-buying and the influence of 'money and deception' in parliamentary elections, condemning 'the destroyers of the electoral atmosphere.' He stated: 'They have destroyed us and introduced us as traitors. The reason was that they said you are traitors because you approved and supported the JCPOA. They introduced us as sellouts, and we will not forgive them. When we were brigadiers, they were not even soldiers. Now, with the meetings of one institution and the money of that institution, we have become traitors and sellouts, while those who cannot distinguish between their right and left have become defenders of the revolution and the system? Because we did not accept their demands, we have been vilified.' In this interview, Mansour Haqiqatpour stated that in this election cycle, we have seriously witnessed the interference of some institutions, and 'one institution that has specific duties has officially started organizing people and says who should win and who should not. In terms of resources, this institution has a base in every city, village, and neighborhood and influences people's thoughts.' The newspaper Etemad dedicated its front page to Mohammad Reza Aref, reporting that the first elected representative from Tehran at a ceremony honoring the activists of the Hope Coalition stated: 'We must win the second round' and 'at least gain forty more seats.' 'The Isfahan case is on the government's desk' is the front-page headline of Etemad, which reports on the government's spokesperson's reaction to the annulment of the votes of Mina Khalighi, the elected representative from Isfahan. According to this newspaper, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government's spokesperson, confirmed the disagreement between the Ministry of Interior and the Guardian Council regarding the fate of Mina Khalighi's votes and suggested that the issue be referred to the parliament. Rouhollah Hosseinian, a representative close to the Steadfast Front, also told the newspaper Farhikhtegan about 'some conservatives' intention to punish Ali Larijani,' discussing how the speaker of the tenth parliament will be determined. He stated that among conservatives 'there are currently two opinions; the first is that the parliament cannot be handed over to reformists, and under any circumstances, support for Mr. Larijani must be provided so that he can be elected as speaker,' but 'the second opinion is that first, Mr. Larijani should not be supported due to his performance towards conservatives; secondly, let the parliament be in the hands of reformists and the presidency be given to Mr. Aref so that the government has no excuse to say they did not let us work, and besides, it would not be bad for Mr. Larijani to be punished for his past behavior towards conservatives, this is also an opinion.' Afshin Alla, a reformist poet and political activist, emphasized in a note in the newspaper Arman that the presidency of the tenth parliament is 'the legitimate right' of Mohammad Reza Aref, stressing that 'Aref has become a symbol of reformists who have managed to remain in the arena,' and in addition, 'after the hard tests they have passed, they should have the opportunity to showcase their capabilities.' The columnist of Arman wrote: 'After years, reforms have found the opportunity to achieve a significant victory in a tough competition. Therefore, they have the right to demand one of the main positions of the system, namely the presidency of the legislative branch.'