New Phase of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Activities

The newspaper Aftab Yazd reported on its front page on Saturday about the "beginning of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election tour" while mocking his critics by calling them "garbage." It stated, "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad commenced his activities in a new phase with a trip to Amol and a speech in the city." The newspaper humorously noted the start of Ahmadinejad's election activities 425 days before the presidential election scheduled for 96, stating, "Election tour of the ninth and tenth government president; tour duration: from April 19, 96, until the presidential election; refreshments: sandis + potatoes." It continued that the tour leaders are "a few managers from the ninth and tenth governments who have not been found to have economic corruption cases by the time of the tour," and that "the tour costs are free and transportation is available throughout the country." Alireza Karimi in Aftab Yazd's editorial titled "Understanding Ahmadinejad" wrote, "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's social understanding and awareness, if not above all principlists, is at least higher than a large part of this current," which is why he does not openly criticize the nuclear deal (JCPOA) and prefers to "observe the performance of Rouhani's government for now to later highlight its mistakes." The editorial emphasized that "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is considered a spent force, and from any angle we look at the situation, a bright outlook cannot be imagined for him," which is why "most principlists are not willing to invest again in him despite the defeat on Esfand 7." The newspaper Shargh also reported on Ahmadinejad's trip and speech in Amol, where the former president stated, "If in the path of the great river of the Iranian nation, away from the eyes of the municipality and agents, several trucks dump garbage, now if someone has a short-sighted view and says this place is all garbage and thinks something has happened; no, this great river will soon sweep all this garbage aside and show the truth of the Iranian nation to the world." The editorial titled "Ahmadinejad's Grotesque" in Shargh, written by Ahmad Gholami, pointed out that "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad knows better than anyone that he will not return to Iranian politics and that his return to the presidency is very unlikely," reminding that he "was an emerging phenomenon that had no precedent in Iran's historical periods, but as time passed, people recognized him more and realized that his jokes and mockeries of former leaders and senior managers were more a source of chaos and fear than a source of joy and life." Thus, "the people quickly realized that the man who laughs and makes others laugh has terrifying outcomes from his actions, and therefore turned their backs on his grotesque display to deflate his show tickets." The newspaper Hamdeli described Ahmadinejad's speech in Amol as "the start of Ahmadinejad from the city of Larijani," while Akbar Turkan, a senior advisor to Hassan Rouhani, stated in an interview with the newspaper Etemad that "Ahmadinejad's era is over," adding, "He himself is a spent force, but his thoughts remain," and "there are people who think like Ahmadinejad in various strata of society and have supporters among scholars and other groups." Akbar Turkan also welcomed Ahmadinejad's electoral activities and analyzed his recent behavior, stating, "What matters is that Ahmadinejad's thought is present in the elections, regardless of who represents this thought." The newspaper Kayhan headlined John Kerry's statements during his visit to Bahrain as "America Unveils JCPOA 2 to Contain Iran's Regional Power," reporting that "the U.S. Secretary of State, who visited Bahrain, described containing Iran's regional power as the next step for the U.S. after the nuclear agreement." The newspaper Hemayat, affiliated with the judiciary's prison organization, also titled Kerry's statements as "New Bad Behavior by America in Post-JCPOA Era," while the newspaper Javan quoted Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, stating, "For the umpteenth time, we say that Iran's missile power is non-negotiable and a red line for Islamic Iran." The newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz, close to the Steadfast Front, published a full-page photo of John Kerry and Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, in a report titled "Following a Missile JCPOA," stating, "The U.S. Secretary of State spoke of 'new arrangements' to limit Iran's missile program at the Gulf Cooperation Council." Mojtaba Asghari, the editorial writer of Vatan-e-Emruz, even reported in the editorial of Saturday's issue about the "bitter end of the JCPOA series," stating that the JCPOA "is currently not in good standing in Iran and the U.S. as the issue of the U.S.'s repeated violations, despite the clear acknowledgment of international bodies of Iran's compliance beyond the signed commitments, has turned into a bitter but predictable reality, and in the U.S., the competition over threatening Iran among electoral candidates has peaked to the extent that the New York Times described the atmosphere with the important phrase 'competition over tearing up the JCPOA.'" The newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz also wrote that "the JCPOA restored part of the Iranian people's fundamental rights on paper and also imposed a heavy cost on the government, increasing the threats of sanctions and even military attacks in a short time." This newspaper emphasized that "the Iranian JCPOA, especially with the government's interpretation of 'economic bribery and legal silence,' is not in good shape," stating, "It seems that the ongoing story of the JCPOA paradise with a bitter ending is nearing its conclusion." The newspaper Etelaat, however, quoted Hassan Rouhani on its front page stating, "Extremist thinking is the greatest danger to society." This newspaper reported that Rouhani, during the 'National Nuclear Technology Day' ceremony, emphasized that "the path of the government of prudence and hope is to defeat Iranophobia," stating that "we should not revive the defeated and vanished Iranophobia with our words and speeches today." This newspaper also noted in its editorial titled "Smoke" that "the smoke rising from the fiery rhetoric of today's officials and political currents not only darkens the spring atmosphere of this land but eventually settles in the eyes of the people as well." Alireza Khani raised the question, "What result does the harshness of some speakers and the distortion of the political discourse and the ethics and culture of the hopeful generations of the country yield, and for whom?" emphasizing that "the current fiery rhetoric of politicians is unfortunate. We do not have forever for wasting opportunities. Eventually, the wise men of the country must strive to end this pointless time-wasting and tug-of-war." The newspaper Iran dedicated its front page to Rasoul Noori, a municipal green space worker in Kohsar, who returned a billion-dollar bag he found to its owner. This 38-year-old worker told Iran newspaper, "When I found the bags of money, I thought to myself that the people's money belongs to the people, and I did not allow myself to think for a moment about taking this money. The most important asset and wealth of my life is having a healthy family, and I have always tried to teach my children honesty. I learned trustworthiness in the class where my teachers were my parents, and I am happy that I have been able to pass these tests successfully." The newspaper Javan published a drawing of Babak Zanjani on its front page, the oil tycoon who, according to this newspaper, "is indebted to the Ministry of Oil for 2.6 billion euros for oil purchases, a figure that has reached about 3 billion euros with the delay in payment." This newspaper quoted Rasoul Kouhpayeh, Zanjani's lawyer, stating, "Babak Zanjani has provided a list of his foreign assets along with an irrevocable power of attorney to the oil company, and we have requested more typists to expedite the documentation of the 318-page ruling against the accused." The newspaper Vaghaye Ettefaghieh reported that Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, stated, "Bad hijab is a sin worse than embezzlement." According to this newspaper, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad also said, "Today, according to the announcement of the manager of the Telegram messaging app, 22 million Iranians use it; a software whose management and execution is in the hands of the enemy," and "the most incompetent plots of the enemy during the elections were created through Telegram. During the elections, the criminal content of Telegram channels caused many corruptions and accused our system's leaders with various lies."