Kayhan and Javan Warn About the Role of Reformists in Parliamentary Elections

The newspaper Etemad reported on "Saeed Jalili's rise for Ali Larijani's presidency" and wrote that the hardline faction of the principlist camp has begun "creating rivals for Larijani in the tenth parliamentary elections." The newspapers Kayhan and Javan, while publishing statements from the spokesperson of the Guardian Council regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections, warned the government about the "influence of reformists" and their plans for the next parliamentary elections. The newspaper Ebtekar, on its front page, emphasized that "the plan for supporters of virtue and forbidding vice has been rejected," referring to it as a "controversial bill of the parliament," and wrote that this bill was not approved by the Guardian Council, which cited "14 objections, most of which refer to its contradiction with various articles of the Constitution." The newspaper Shargh reported on its front page the "denial of nuclear rumors" and wrote: "On Saturday night, the Associated Press quoted two diplomats reporting that Iran and the US have temporarily agreed to transfer a significant portion of Iran's enriched uranium, which can be used in the construction of nuclear weapons, to Russia." This newspaper emphasized that "this news was denied in the early hours by Abbas Araghchi, a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team," but "it affected the currency market, causing the dollar price, which had settled in the three thousand five hundred toman range, to drop below this price range," bringing the dollar price in Tehran's market to three thousand four hundred eighty tomans. The newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad reported that the "initial effect of cash subsidies" in reducing class disparity has been neutralized, and with the "emergence of the secondary effect of targeted subsidies," class disparity in Iran is increasing. The newspaper Iran reported on the "government's determination to combat illegal eavesdropping" and wrote: "Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, submitted a bill to the Islamic Consultative Assembly titled 'Addition of Chapter Thirty-One to the Fifth Book of the Islamic Penal Code,' seeking to provide a legal framework to deal with abusers of tools and technical equipment used for the covert collection of audio and video in the country." The newspaper Qanoon, in its Sunday issue, published a note about "the insults that have sweetened the mouths of Iranian politicians," featuring photos of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ahmad Khatami, Ahmad Alamolhoda, and Hamid Rouhani alongside some instances of their "abuse and insults." The newspaper Shahrevand reported on the "dismissal of several banking managers from monetary activities" and wrote: "On Saturday evening, Hamid Tehranfar, the supervisory deputy of the Central Bank, announced the dismissal of several banking managers from monetary activities," but "with minimal explanation," stated that "in an agreement between the Central Bank and the country's banks, all banks have committed to publicizing the names of any violating banks." The newspaper Shargh dedicated its front page to "Farimah Farjami," an actress returning to cinema, reporting that "Farimah Farjami, a talented actress of Iranian cinema and television, has returned to the camera after 11 years away from cinema" and "these days, she is acting in 'Tavallod' directed by Bahman Kamyar." The newspaper Kasb-o-Kar reported with the headline "Million-Toman Massages with a Chocolate Flavor" about "massage parlors with exorbitant prices," stating: "These days, various types of massages have reached the capital. Various massage parlors with attractive advertisements invite you to relieve fatigue at high prices." Sara Ghazanfari, in a report for the newspaper Kasb-o-Kar, wrote: "If you calculate the total cost of the proposed massages, it amounts to around 12 to 13 million tomans, but in countries like Malaysia or Thailand, where this concept originates, the cost of massages is half the prices in the country." Kasb-o-Kar mentioned various popular massages in newly established salons in Tehran, including "chocolate-flavored massage," which costs 200 to 220 thousand tomans for 60 minutes, stating: "This type of massage is one of the luxurious and special services of the capital's massage salons that uses special chocolates. The masseur applies liquid chocolate in circular motions on the muscles to not only clarify and nourish the skin with the caffeine in chocolate but also to break down excess cellulites and accelerate the fat-burning process." The newspaper Shahrevand dedicated its front page to the topic "The Alarm of Addiction Among Women" and reported, quoting a member of parliament: "We cannot deny the decrease in the age of addiction among girls." Salar Moradi, a member of the Social Commission of the Ninth Parliament, told this newspaper: "One of the most important reasons for the tendency towards drug use is economic problems and unemployment. Research shows that our girls and women, who are trapped in economic problems, especially unemployment, have become more isolated than men and boys, and this isolation leads them to hangouts and groups that are themselves caught in many social abnormalities, including drug use." "Creating Rivals" by the Stability Front for the Speaker of Parliament; "Jalili's Rise for Larijani's Seat" The newspaper Etemad reported on Saeed Jalili's rise for Ali Larijani's presidency in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, writing that the hardline faction of the principlist camp has begun "creating rivals for Larijani in the tenth parliamentary elections." This newspaper noted the publication of news regarding Jalili's potential candidacy from Qom for competition with Larijani on news sites and social media, stating that the Entekhab website also reported on Saturday that "the Stability Front intends to convince Saeed Jalili to run for the parliamentary elections from Qom," as they consider "Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, one of their main obstacles in the parliament and believe that removing him from the parliament would be a significant victory for them." According to the newspaper Etemad, the Stability Front has concluded that "it is necessary to create a significant rival for Ali Larijani in Qom to prevent his victory in the elections and his continued presence in the presidency of the Islamic Consultative Assembly," and for this reason, "senior members of the Stability Front have reached the conclusion in multiple electoral meetings that they should prepare Saeed Jalili for candidacy in Qom, although he has so far responded negatively to this request, but influential members of this front are trying to ensure his entry into the parliamentary elections from Qom through the mediation of Ayatollah Mesbah." Mojtaba Hosseini, a reporter for the newspaper Etemad, noted that "Saeed Jalili, the former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was a candidate in the 2013 presidential elections with the support of Ayatollah Mesbah and the Stability Front," writing: "Although the news of Jalili's candidacy from Qom for competition with Larijani is marked as 'probable,' it is significant due to the current dynamics among the principlists, as the positions of political groups such as Stability, Martyrs, Pathfinders, and Ahmadinejad's supporters among the public and even their own supporters are weaker than ever, and they want to compete with their critics and opponents in the form of a political coalition." The newspaper Etemad emphasized that Ali Larijani "has always been an obstacle to the political programs of these groups over the years, and for this reason, passing over Larijani is another dimension of the new strategy of this political current," writing that the hardline faction of the principlist camp "once demonstrated their deep disagreement with him by disrupting Larijani's speech in Qom, testing the extent of the power and popularity of the principlist Speaker among public opinion, political elites, and system officials, a test that, although outwardly appeared as a disruption in the Speaker's speech, but inwardly indicated an ongoing game." The reporter of the newspaper Etemad, comparing the positions of Ali Larijani and Saeed Jalili in Qom, wrote: "Ali Larijani received 270,382 votes in the ninth parliamentary elections and ranked first. In contrast, Saeed Jalili received 121,000 votes from Qom in the presidential elections, indicating a difference of 150,000 votes, which shows that Ali Larijani is more popular in Qom than Saeed Jalili. Additionally, considering the meetings and support of religious authorities for Ali Larijani, he has a better position compared to Saeed Jalili." This newspaper emphasized that "Saeed Jalili's executive experience cannot be compared to Ali Larijani's, as his several years of presence in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ultimately as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and now his presence in the Expediency Discernment Council are the most serious positions he has held, and these experiences cannot be compared in quantity to the organizations where Ali Larijani has been present and managed. However, his simplicity and lack of negative perception are also considered strengths of Saeed Jalili." Etemad also wrote: "Given Ali Larijani's current position in the parliament, the relatively positive approach of reformists towards him, and his popularity in Qom, it seems that there may be efforts by the Stability Front and Ahmadinejad's supporters to have Jalili compete with Larijani, but undoubtedly, Saeed Jalili has shown that despite the respect he has for these political groups and Ayatollah Mesbah, he does not have absolute obedience to them, and despite knowing that the Stability Front and Ahmadinejad's supporters need him for their political survival, he undoubtedly also knows that there is no reason for him to be assigned the mission of waging a war against Ali Larijani." Warning from Kayhan and Javan About the Role of Reformists in Government and Future Parliamentary Elections The newspapers Kayhan and Javan, while publishing statements from the spokesperson of the Guardian Council regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections, warned the government about the "influence of reformists" and their plans for the next parliamentary elections. The newspaper Kayhan, in the headline of its January 3 issue, quoted the spokesperson of the Guardian Council stating: "The elements of the 2009 sedition are not allowed to participate in the elections." According to this newspaper, Najatollah Ebrahimian, the spokesperson of the Guardian Council, said in a press conference: "Those who exceeded legal boundaries during the sedition and endangered the security of the country will face obstacles to their participation in the elections," and "responsible institutions should establish some affirmative conditions regarding the candidates' qualifications and rely on the principle of presumption of innocence from a legal and jurisprudential perspective." Kayhan also quoted the spokesperson of the Guardian Council stating: "Individuals who were active in the electoral campaigns of the 2009 candidates and have served their sentences will not be allowed to participate in the upcoming elections due to their criminal records." Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Kayhan, also warned Hassan Rouhani about the influence of reformists in an editorial titled "The Path of the Caravan is Open from This Side," stating: "Reformists, with the websites and newspapers they control, are also using the strategy of 'spiral of silence' to create distance and divergence between him and the realities accepted and believed by the vast masses of the people, and through this, they misrepresent their minority views as the opinions and perspectives of the overwhelming majority of the people." The newspaper Javan also published a report on the statements of the spokesperson of the Guardian Council, quoting Najatollah Ebrahimian stating: "Those who endangered the security of the country will be prevented from participating in the elections." This newspaper, in a note titled "Take This Warning Seriously," wrote: "With the formation of the eleventh government, many loyalists and well-wishers of the Islamic Revolution have repeatedly warned the eleventh government about the movements of the so-called reformist current with rational and empirical arguments," and among other things, "in the early months, the Javan newspaper, in various articles, stated that the revisionists are preparing for the tenth parliament, viewing the godfathers of the reformists of the tenth government as their launching pad, and that the revisionists are thinking of reproducing a new sedition, asserting that the revisionist current has theorized a step-by-step plan for infiltration up to the overthrow of the regime." The Javan newspaper emphasized that after the 2009 protests, "with a subtle and underground movement, the reformists have repaired and purified their radical and anti-establishment image by adopting soft language and behavior in line with society and the discourse of the revolution," and they are paving the way for their ultimate goal, which is the "return to power." This newspaper, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, linked its warning to the statements made two days prior by Kazem Sediqi, quoting the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran stating: "Some seditionists have infiltrated the executive branches of the country and are already planning for the Assembly of Experts and the parliament, using resources that are not rightfully theirs to prepare the ground for themselves in parliament and to have a hand in the Assembly of Experts to destabilize the regime." Mohammad Esmaeili, in a note for the Javan newspaper, warned about what he described as "the underground movements of the liberalism-seeking current inside," stating: "The opposing current to the discourse of the Islamic Revolution is preparing for a new crisis through its increasing infiltration in the current government, and underestimating the activities of this group will bring significant damages to the revolution and the system." The increase in class disparity with the "emergence of the secondary effect of targeted subsidies" The newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad reported that the "initial effect of cash subsidies" in reducing class disparity has been neutralized, and with the "emergence of the secondary effect of targeted subsidies," class disparity in Iran is increasing. This newspaper, in its Sunday issue, wrote: "A report from the Central Bank indicates that the initial effect of targeting subsidies in reducing class disparity, which occurred in 2011, has been neutralized due to rising inflation rates in the following two years." Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing a report from the Central Bank, wrote: "In 2010, with the implementation of the targeted subsidy law...