Kayhan: The Newest Title for the Government from Critics is 'Newly Arrived'

The newspapers Shahrvand, Arman, Aftab Yazd, Ebrar, Ebtekar, Etemad, Afkar, Iran, Teadval, Shargh, Jam-e Jam, Jahan San'at, Farhikhtegan, Kar va Kargar, and Mardomsalari welcomed Hassan Rouhani's statements, often dedicating their front-page photos to the President of the 11th government and publishing parts of his remarks as the lead story or one of the main headlines on their front pages for their Tuesday issues. Shahrvand reported on the official Student Day ceremony, quoting Hassan Rouhani as saying to students: 'Our promise to you is unbreakable.' The newspaper Ettelaat also quoted Rouhani in its lead story: 'The government will not retreat from its policy regarding universities.' Some newspapers close to the principlists, including Kayhan, Javan, Vatan-e Emruz, Siyasat-e Rooz, and Resalat, criticized parts of Rouhani's remarks in the Student newspaper and also criticized the manner of the Student Day ceremony. Resalat quoted Ahmad Tavakoli, a principlist representative in the 9th parliament, in its lead story, stating: 'The cancellation of critics' speeches does not align with moderation and law.' Kayhan criticized the Islamic Republic President's remarks on Student Day in its lead story and editorial, emphasizing that 'the government of prudence has come out of the embarrassment of critics,' stating: 'Newly arrived ones, the latest title for the government from critics.' Despite reporting on speeches by several principlist figures at various universities, the Javan newspaper criticized the 'absence of student organizations' close to the principlists at the official Student Day ceremony, referring to them as 'absentees of the Student Day ceremony' while also mentioning that 'the organizers of the December 7 event insisted on labeling student organizations as principlist and reformist.' Iran newspaper reported on Rouhani's economic report during the budget bill presentation to parliament, quoting the 11th government president as saying: 'Inflation will be below 20 percent by the end of the year.' Etemad dedicated its front page to the students' reception of speeches by Mostafa Moein, the reformist Minister of Science, and Ali Motahari, along with several reformist figures at the Student Day ceremony at the Technical Faculty of Tehran University. Khorasan reported in its lead story about 'a heated December 7 at universities,' stating: 'This year's Student Day commemorations were held with more enthusiasm compared to previous years at universities and higher education centers across the country.' The newspaper Kaseb va Kar reported on the contamination of some apples in the Iranian market with 'paraffin' and 'non-standard fruit wax,' stating: 'In the latest reactions to the use of paraffin in citrus products, the Ministry of Agriculture has emphasized in a statement that Iranian apples do not need wax.' Rouhani addressed the students: 'Our promise to you is unbreakable.' Shahrvand reported on the official Student Day ceremony, stating that Hassan Rouhani, amidst cheers and repeated slogans from the students, said: 'December 7 is the beginning and turning point of the student movement,' adding that 'this movement transcends parties, factions, and lines.' He noted that 'there have been and still are some who perhaps did not believe in the student movement and would turn away in hatred if they saw it, but today is not a time when anyone can deny the student movement, even though some want to confine it to a specific space.' According to this newspaper, Rouhani also stated that 'Dr. Farhadi will continue the path and course of his esteemed predecessors in the 11th government. The same path that Milimani was supposed to take but was not allowed. Dr. Tofighi was supposed to continue but was not allowed, Dr. Faraji Dana came and took over. Continuing the path was not possible for Dr. Faraji Dana. The same path that Dr. Najafi continued. The same path was supposed to be continued by Dr. Ahmadi and Dr. Danesh-Ashtiani. Today, Dr. Farhadi will continue that path.' Shahrvand quoted Rouhani as saying: 'Our promise to you is unbreakable' and 'this government is committed to its promises to the people in all areas. Wherever national interests, national security, and the rights of our people are at stake, we are not afraid of criticism or destruction, nor do we fear shouting and noise.' This newspaper also quoted the Islamic Republic President as saying: 'Hundreds and thousands of companies are now waiting for future conditions to enter Iran and provide the country with investment and necessary capital; now we have a minority that is not very happy with this situation; they too, God willing, will pass over their transient interests. Our foreign policy, as successful as it is, is in favor of the people and the stability of the country. There are some newly arrived ones, whom we respect, who do not want to be so worried about the future, the values of the revolution, and the values of Islam.' Motahari and Moein at the December 7 ceremony; lifting house arrest, freeing political prisoners. Etemad dedicated its front page to the students' reception of speeches by Mostafa Moein, the reformist Minister of Science, and Ali Motahari, along with several reformist figures at the Student Day ceremony at the Technical Faculty of Tehran University. Rezvaneh Rezaei-Pour, a reporter for Etemad, wrote: 'Hope, vitality, dynamism. Those who passed through 16 Azar Street on Sunday witnessed the realization of this promise of the 11th government. A multitude of students eagerly rushed towards the Technical Faculty; students who, over the past few years, have seen more than what they expected from the universities.' The crowd was so large that 'the Islamic Association of the university, which was responsible for organizing this ceremony, had to promise to install a video projector in the hallways and the Shahid Rajab-Beygi hall to satisfy the crowd of a thousand students who were left behind due to lack of space. Half an hour before the ceremony began, the hall was so crowded that no needle could drop.' This newspaper noted that the singing of 'Ey Iran' and 'Iran, the Home of Hope' and the attendees' singing created an indescribable atmosphere of hope and vitality among the university students. It emphasized that 'the students of Tehran University experienced this year's Student Day very differently from previous years and even more differently than last year,' and 'both male and female students held pictures of Khatami, Shariati, and Mossadegh.' Etemad stressed that 'students still have their specific demands,' stating: 'Lifting house arrest' was among the demands that were most prominently displayed in the students' slogans on Sunday, and with the arrival of Ali Motahari, students chanted in unison, 'Political prisoners must be freed,' along with slogans such as 'Students will die, but will not accept humiliation,' 'The real Basiji was Hemmat and Bakri,' 'Faraji, Faraji, our oppressed scholar,' and others echoed in the Shahid Chamran hall. According to this newspaper, the 'present and eager crowd' initially sat down to listen to the words of Ali Motahari, the representative of Tehran in parliament, and 'with each of Motahari's words, the audience became more excited, repeatedly confirming their demands through their cheers.' What Motahari said was all that was written on the placards held by the attendees in the hall. However, he did not speak to gain a position but rather out of a sense of responsibility that he himself stated. This newspaper also reported on Mostafa Moein's speech at the same ceremony, stating: 'The Minister of the reformist government, who still enjoys high popularity among university students due to his successful tenure as Minister of Science, received a special welcome from the students.' According to Etemad, 'Mostafa Moein, who attended such a ceremony after several years away from the university and academia, spoke of the actions that took place during his ministry in the scientific institution of the country; a period during which, although some attribute the star-studded status of students to his tenure as Minister of Science, he still rejected it and expressed views that, according to himself, stating them is a crime in the eyes of some.' The reporter from Etemad also noted: 'This ceremony was not without its controversies. This time, the state television camera was directed out by the students' slogans, and the presence of some news agencies at this ceremony, which occurred without prior coordination, was prevented.' 'A heated December 7 at universities.' Khorasan reported in its lead story about 'a heated December 7 at universities,' stating: 'This year's Student Day commemorations were held with more enthusiasm compared to previous years at universities and higher education centers across the country.' According to this newspaper, 'the center of heated student gatherings yesterday was at the mother university, namely Tehran University,' and 'on a day when the security atmosphere and strict controls on entry and exit to Tehran University were less perceptible than before, the Basij Student Organization held a ceremony in the Ferdowsi Hall of the Faculty of Persian Literature with speeches by Gholamali Haddad Adel and Saeed Jalili, while the Islamic Students Association's ceremony was held in the Chamran Hall of the Technical Faculty, the same place where Shariati, Baghai, and Ghandchi were martyred 61 years ago by the Shah's agents, with speeches by Ali Motahari and Mostafa Moein.' Khorasan also wrote: 'In the Ferdowsi Hall, which hosted members of the Basij Student Organization, flags of Iran, Ya Hussein, Death to America, and the flag of Hezbollah Lebanon were visible, along with placards stating 'We will not give up our soil, even if we are buried,' 'Students should not be prey to politicians,' 'As long as there is struggle, we are here,' and 'We will confront the Zionists,' were also seen, while in the Chamran Hall, which hosted students supporting the Islamic Association, Iranian flags and flags matching the colors of the fabrics placed behind the stage were visible, and pictures of Rouhani, Khatami, Taleghani, Shariati, and others were held by students, who occasionally chanted slogans in support of these figures.' According to Khorasan, 'the Basij Student Organization's ceremony began about half an hour earlier and after the recitation of the Quran and the Islamic Republic anthem, a song by Hamed Zamani was played, followed by a clip of last year's Basij program on December 7, and then Hojjatoleslam Mirbagheri expressed expectations from students, stating: today's student should be able to influence international and global changes because the software of the world's chief has failed, and our university must produce software that can be operational in the global community.' This newspaper wrote: 'On the other hand, the Islamic Association's ceremony began after the recitation of the Quran and the Islamic Republic anthem with the playing of the song 'Yardabestani,' followed by a clip showing the changes and transformations in the Ministry of Science, and slogans such as 'Students will die, but will not accept humiliation' were among the slogans that attendees chanted in anticipation of Ali Motahari's words, who was the first speaker at this ceremony.' Khorasan reported that 'Ali Motahari, whose various parts of his speech were accompanied by cheers from the audience,' stated: 'One of the misconceptions about the revolution is that some consider the principle of Velayat-e Faqih to be restrictive of freedom of expression, while I must say that the problem lies with some of the Velayat-e Faqih holders, not the Velayat-e Faqih itself; because the Velayat-e Faqih does not hold such beliefs. However, in criticism, the position of Velayat-e Faqih must be preserved; because Velayat-e Faqih is the Velayat of the school, the Velayat of jurisprudence is not the Velayat of a person.' The reaction of principlists; December 7 was won by reformists. Kayhan, in its lead story on Tuesday, criticized Hassan Rouhani's remarks, stating: 'The government of prudence has come out of the embarrassment of critics,' and 'newly arrived ones, the latest title for the government from critics.' This newspaper emphasized that 'the Student Day ceremony was held while the speeches of some government critics, including Hossein Shariatmadari, Hamid Rasai, and Mahmoud Nabavian, were canceled at universities.' Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Kayhan, simultaneously criticized Rouhani in an editorial titled 'The Day of the Identified,' stating: 'Mr. Rouhani, at the ceremony on Sunday, once again attacked the critics of the government and besides terms such as; illiterate, go to hell, unaware of global issues, without identification, etc., this time he called the critics of his foreign policy 'newly arrived.' The editorial writer of Kayhan also noted Rouhani's emphasis on the continuation of the government's policies regarding universities and the continuation of the path of Reza Faraji Dana, the former Minister of Science, by Mohammad Farhadi, the current Minister of Science, stating that Rouhani's remarks 'ignore the position and mission of parliament in the constitution' and 'disrespect the vote of the nation that has elected the members of parliament,' while Mohammad Farhadi 'certainly differs fundamentally from other options, and in addition to his background, his explicit remarks that consider the sedition a red line show that he is not like the other options.' The representative of the Supreme Leader in Kayhan criticized Rouhani for not saying anything against America in his Student Day speech, stating: 'It was expected from Mr. Rouhani as the head of the executive branch that, given his knowledge of the enemy's roadmap, he would clarify the direction of the student movement at an event like yesterday's conference, emphasizing the identity and identity of this movement, which is to confront the plots and animosities of America and its allies, and to mobilize the immense capacity of the student movement in favor of the self-identified side in negotiations against the enemy.' Meanwhile, Javan newspaper reported on the speeches of several principlists, including Gholamali Haddad Adel, Saeed Jalili, Abbas Salimi Namin, and Mohammad Hossein Safar Harandi at universities. According to this newspaper, Gholamali Haddad Adel and Saeed Jalili spoke at the invitation of the Basij Student Organization on the occasion of December 7 at the Faculty of Literature.