Municipality's Opposition to Rouhani's Diplomacy

The newspaper Etemad in its front page on Thursday titled "French Reconciliation" wrote about Laurent Fabius's visit to Iran: "The controversial man of the Iran nuclear negotiations with 1+5 had a controversial entry into Iran as well. Iranians have not forgotten the case of contaminated blood entering Tehran from Paris, and besides that, Fabius's sharp positions during the 22 months of negotiations still linger in the minds of Iranians. The man who used the sharpest language regarding Iran's nuclear program in Vienna, Lausanne, Geneva, and other European cities in the past year had a calm and conciliatory tone in Tehran." The Iran newspaper, close to the government, dedicated its front page to the meeting between Hassan Rouhani and Laurent Fabius, reporting under the headline "Elysee Invitation Card for Rouhani" that "Laurent Fabius came to Tehran with an invitation card from the Elysee Palace for the President" to "be one of the first European figures to prepare the ground for the resumption of relations between Iran and the West. His early presence in Iran surprised international observers and was interpreted as the beginning of serious competition among Western countries for participation in Iran's lucrative economic market." The Shargh newspaper published an image of a campaign against the French Foreign Minister's visit to Tehran, reporting that on Wednesday, "simultaneously with Laurent Fabius's arrival in Iran, the city of Tehran witnessed banners demanding blood vengeance from the visitor; banners that were stamped with the logo of the Cultural and Artistic Organization of the Tehran Municipality." Masoud Kazemi in the Shargh newspaper reported: "The Tehran Municipality had previously installed banners titled 'American Honesty' in the capital during the Geneva agreement, expressing its dissatisfaction with the negotiation process, but this time the organization under the municipality's jurisdiction went beyond installing banners and intended to hold a ceremony during Fabius's presence in Tehran." The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, described the visit and statements of the French Foreign Minister in Tehran as "Fabius's mercantile repentance" and wrote: "In his one-day visit to Tehran, Laurent Fabius displayed a completely different face from the 21 months of nuclear negotiations. The 69-year-old Fabius, whom Iranians have not forgotten for his aggressive behavior in nuclear negotiations and his visits to Tel Aviv, spoke of 'respect for Iranian culture' and 'the civilization of the two great countries' during his meeting with Mohammad Javad Zarif and was the first European foreign minister to invite Iran to Paris after the conclusion of the Vienna negotiations on behalf of François Hollande, the President of France." The Javan newspaper assessed Fabius's visit to Tehran as a "180-degree turn" and noted: "Economic considerations were evident throughout the French Foreign Minister's visit to Iran." The Kayhan newspaper reported under the headline "Reviewing the JCPOA Perhaps Another Time" that "Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly went on vacation until August 9 while they were supposed to review the JCPOA and announce their opinions." At the same time, the Iran newspaper reported, quoting Keyvan Khosravi, about the beginning of the review of the "JCPOA" in the Supreme National Security Council. According to this newspaper, the spokesman for the Supreme National Security Council of Iran emphasized the need to "refrain from unconstructive statements and actions by various domestic groups," stating that "a thorough review of the JCPOA text is underway by the relevant authorities" and that necessary information will be provided in accordance with the progress of the JCPOA text review in the Supreme National Security Council. The Hamshahri newspaper reported that "one million people" have been removed from the list of cash subsidy recipients. The Etemad newspaper in its August 8 issue reported on the Minister of Education's contact with "the Ministry of Intelligence and Security of the IRGC" for the release of imprisoned teachers. This newspaper published a report about the lack of registration for Afghan children in schools, stating that two months after the Supreme Leader's order regarding the right to education for legal and illegal migrant children, "the study card for Afghan children in public schools is still red." The Shahrevand newspaper reported that on Wednesday at a seasonal conference of general practitioners, it was announced that Iran's healthcare system "needs 25,000 general practitioners in normal conditions and at best, 50,000 general practitioners." According to this newspaper, Alireza Zali, the head of the Medical System Organization, stated during this conference: "Our doctor in the emergency room is faced with a massive influx of patients and high expectations from their families. Working in the emergency room is difficult, and we send our doctors for mandatory service to deprived areas while we provide them neither security nor adequate pay." The Jahan Sanat newspaper reported on its front page about the government's monetary policies, stating that "the failure of these policies" is evident, noting: "According to one of the principles of economics, 'liquidity has a direct relationship with inflation,' but 'the eleventh government is an exception to this principle, as it has faced a significant increase in liquidity while controlling inflation and bringing this rate down from 40 percent to nearly 14 percent, with liquidity increasing sharply to 816 trillion tomans from 340 trillion tomans in the past year." The opposition of the municipality to Rouhani's diplomacy; installation of billboards against an official guest in Tehran. The Shargh newspaper, while publishing an image of a campaign against the visit of the French Foreign Minister to Tehran, reported that on Wednesday, "simultaneously with Laurent Fabius's arrival in Iran, the Tehran Municipality wanted to hold a ceremony titled 'Red Carpet' in one of Tehran's cultural centers to revisit the contaminated blood case along with a film screening titled 'A Few Drops of Blood'; a ceremony that was, of course, canceled." Shargh wrote that the Tehran Municipality's activities against Laurent Fabius's visit to Iran "occurred at a time when the French Foreign Minister entered Tehran at the official invitation of the Islamic Republic of Iran." This newspaper recalled that "a few days ago, after intensified movements against the French Foreign Minister's visit to Tehran, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the Minister of Justice, stated that Fabius is a guest of the Islamic Republic of Iran, not a party or an unofficial group," but under such circumstances, "the Tehran Municipality acted like an opposition group or dissent, taking an unusual action against national interests that only indicates a political maneuver motivated by domestic consumption." The Shargh newspaper also evaluated the actions of the Tehran Municipality over the past two years, stating: "The large organization of the Tehran Municipality, whose duties are clear to all, has stepped into politics and has taken on a worrying attitude" and even during "last year on February 11, which many call a day of national unity, an organization affiliated with the municipality published many placards titled 'Disgraceful Agreements are the Source of Our Humiliation' and distributed them to demonstrators" and "two years ago, the city of Tehran witnessed advertising billboards of American honesty during two important periods coinciding with nuclear negotiations." According to this newspaper, "since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the city of Tehran has seen various anti-American advertisements and billboards, but this story has changed somewhat from 1392 to today," as "until 1392, the Islamic Propaganda Organization, as the body responsible for such actions, believed it was fulfilling its duty, but since that year, the role of the Tehran Municipality in such actions has become more prominent." The Shargh newspaper emphasized that the Tehran Municipality "is a service organization, not a political or international organization" and therefore "not only does it lack the competence to express positions on nuclear negotiations or any other political issue, but the themes used in these billboards are contrary to the general atmosphere of society and the overall approach of the Islamic Republic." This newspaper pointed out that some actions of the Tehran Municipality opposing negotiations over the past two years have changed after the Vienna agreement, but "apparently, the Tehran Municipality's approach will continue as before" and even "if we take a brief look at the headlines and photos of media close to the stability current and the statements of its members regarding Fabius's visit to Tehran, we will see that the municipality's anti-Fabius banner in relation to his visit to Tehran also stems from the same thinking." The removal of "one million people" from the list of cash subsidy recipients. The Hamshahri newspaper reported that "one million people" have been removed from the list of cash subsidy recipients. This newspaper in its Thursday issue quoted Abolhasan Firouzabadi, the deputy minister of cooperation, labor, and social welfare, about the "removal of one million people" from the list of cash subsidy recipients and emphasized that "the Ministry of Cooperation, Labor, and Social Welfare has not yet announced the criteria by which non-needy individuals should be identified according to the law." According to the Hamshahri newspaper, Abolhasan Firouzabadi, the deputy minister of cooperation, labor, and social welfare, stated on Wednesday that more than one million people have been removed from receiving subsidies, saying: "The Ministry of Labor, in cooperation with the Targeted Subsidy Organization, is busy identifying non-eligible individuals and is trying to implement the law," and of course, "so far, the objections of 17,000 households among the total protesting households regarding subsidy removals have been reviewed, and the objections of this number of households have been accepted, and their subsidies have been resumed." The deputy minister emphasized that "the removal of subsidies for non-needy individuals will continue," stating: "Those individuals whose subsidies have been cut so far can announce their objections in the relevant system, and objections will be reviewed daily, and those objections that are accepted will have their subsidies paid again." Abolhasan Firouzabadi emphasized that "equal distribution of subsidies to all segments of society is not a correct practice, and we must believe that subsidies are not for everyone," stating: "This blessing is the share of those segments who are deprived of natural resources." The Hamshahri newspaper criticized the Rouhani government for its failure to remove a larger number of subsidy recipients, stating: "According to the budget law for this year, the government should cut cash subsidies for at least 6 million people, and with the gradual and drip-like method of removing subsidies for at least one million people since the beginning of this year, a heavy budget deficit will be imposed on the government as a result of cash subsidies paid to the wealthy." This newspaper also noted that the deputy minister announced the news of cutting cash subsidies for one million people but "did not specify in what time frame and with what criteria these individuals were deprived of cash subsidies." According to the cabinet's decision, the Ministry of Cooperation, Labor, and Social Welfare is responsible for determining and announcing the criteria by which cash subsidies for high-income citizens should be cut, and "three weeks ago, Ali Rabiei, the Minister of Cooperation, Labor, and Social Welfare, promised to announce the details and criteria for cutting cash subsidies for the wealthy in a television program." The Hamshahri newspaper simultaneously pointed out that "the government's action in cutting cash subsidies for some citizens has faced criticism from some citizens who say they are not among the high-income segments but have had their cash subsidies cut." The Minister of Education's contact with "the Ministry of Intelligence and Security of the IRGC" for the release of imprisoned teachers. The Etemad newspaper in its August 8 issue reported on the Minister of Education's contact with "the Ministry of Intelligence and Security of the IRGC" for the release of imprisoned teachers. Zahra Choupankareh in the Etemad newspaper reported that "the last day of July, when the teachers' union gathering in front of the parliament led to the arrest of some, the issue of detained teachers was raised again," stating: "Some representatives took a stance against this arrest and said that teachers should not be arrested for raising their union demands," and now "the Ministry of Education has also officially entered the field to show its support for teachers more publicly." According to this newspaper, Mostafa Naseri Zanjani, the Deputy for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of the Ministry of Education, stated on Wednesday that "if there has been any harsh or unpleasant treatment regarding educators, we express our regret and do not accept it," referring to the minister's role in the release of detained teachers. The Deputy for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of the Ministry of Education stated: "On the same day, July 31, the minister personally acted, and all those who had been arrested were released. However, three of our educational colleagues who had convictions during 88 and 89 were taken recently for the execution of sentences, and we said that the timing of executing this sentence was not appropriate; we conveyed this to the Ministry of Intelligence, the IRGC Security, etc., and we hope they will be pardoned by the judiciary. We requested a pardon for these colleagues, but whether the judiciary allows for a pardon or not, we cannot comment." The Etemad newspaper in its report noted that Ismail Abdi, the Secretary-General of the Iranian Teachers' Trade Association, Ali Akbar Baghaei, a senior member of the association, and Mahmoud Beheshti Langaroudi, a member of this association, are the educators referred to by Mostafa Naseri Zanjani, but besides the mentioned teachers in the press conference of the Deputy for Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Education, the Teachers' Organization also mentioned the imprisonment of Alireza Hashemi, the Secretary-General of this organization.