Newborns Born with Addiction

The newspaper Shargh reported on its front page on July 6 that following the release of figures regarding "unconventional payments" to senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ramadan Sharif, the IRGC's public relations officer, denied the payment of unusual salaries to the commanders, stating: "If it weren't for security constraints, I would definitely publish my pay slip so you could see the real figure." According to this newspaper, Sharif also mentioned that "the salaries of IRGC personnel are lower compared to other armed forces, including the police, army, and Ministry of Defense," and "this is the will of the IRGC commanders themselves." The newspaper Etemad also featured on its front page with the title "A Different Account of Pay Slips," stating: "Although the last 10 days have seen a space for whistleblowers to reveal what they have, it finally came time for two government officials to defend themselves; two individuals who had been rumored to be dismissed or resigning by whistleblowers in recent days, who believed the matter was a done deal." According to this newspaper, Ali Sedghi, the CEO of Refah Bank, who had previously preferred to remain silent about conflicting reports regarding his 240 million toman salary, reacted this time by denying the rumors of his dismissal or resignation, stating he was "in his office and going nowhere," while also denying the published pay slip, calling it a financial statement reflecting an 11-month financial flow. Etemad noted that "the next person was Safdar Hosseini; someone whose 57 million toman salary had been the subject of much speculation in the past 10 days," quoting him as saying: "He had made three written requests to government officials for equalizing the salaries of the Development Fund, whose salary and benefits resolution dates back to 2012. This request apparently had not been addressed until just this week when the Cabinet finally voted to repeal the previous government's regulations and approve a new regulation to systematize the operational and employment affairs of the National Development Fund." The newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz, close to the Front of Steadfastness, dedicated its front page to Ali Sedghi, the CEO of Refah Bank, describing his statements on Saturday, "the owner of the controversial pay slip a few days after the news of his dismissal," as "strange." This newspaper wrote that while "the state news agency ISNA and ILNA reported on Friday citing a source in the Ministry of Labor about Sedghi's dismissal," on Saturday the CEO of Refah Bank announced, "I am sitting in my office and going nowhere." This newspaper pointed out that Ali Sedghi rejected the image published regarding his "pay slip," stating that the image was related to his "bank statement" and that "all documents were reviewed at the bank's general assembly held in March 2016," but "since these documents had not yet been finalized, I had no right to withdraw my salary from the account, thus I have not received any salary during my tenure at Refah Bank," as "the general assembly had not finalized the financial statements and accounts related to the previous year to allow for payments." According to Vatan-e-Emruz, the CEO of Refah Bank also commented on his partnership with Hossein Fereydoun, brother of Hassan Rouhani, in establishing a currency exchange, stating: "This exchange was established a few years ago, at the end of 2011, and then closed due to lack of high capacity and capital, but today some individuals who want to confront the government have used it as an excuse," adding that "for my coming to Refah Bank, neither Mr. Fereydoun met with me nor did I seek his approval, and even during the year I have been at this bank, he has not made any requests of me; all of this is planned with the intent to confront the government and the President, and today those who oppose the government have resorted to lies." The newspaper Jahan-e-Sanat announced on its front page that "the livelihood line" is 2 million and 600 thousand tomans, stating: "Experts say that due to the non-implementation of the participatory wage model in Iran, the livelihood line has reached 2.6 million, while the cost per worker is 2.2 million tomans, but the minimum wage is 812 thousand tomans and the average salary is 1.3 million tomans." According to this newspaper, "the halt in wage increases during several periods of the war, private employers' efforts to prevent the growth of real wages, overt and covert government support as a major employer in preventing the real growth of wages, sacrificing workers' interests due to government programs such as determining a 9 percent wage increase despite 30 percent inflation due to the implementation of targeted subsidies and not compensating for it in subsequent years" are among the reasons that have led to the current low income of workers in Iran, one of the lowest figures among various countries worldwide. The newspaper Tejarat reported on its front page about the "suspension of counter-financial actions against Iran," stating: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in its final statement from the June 24 meeting in Busan, South Korea, "for the first time after about eight years of efforts by economic and banking managers and experts, removed Iran's name from the list of countries against which countermeasures would be taken." According to this newspaper, the FATF, which is an intergovernmental organization aimed at "combating money laundering," in addition to suspending countermeasures against Iran, has "given Iran 12 months to address weaknesses in combating the financing of terrorism and money laundering." Tejarat reminded that "currently, Iran and North Korea, due to their roles in illegal businesses and financing terrorism, are among the countries that pose the greatest risk to the international financial sector." The newspaper Javan, close to the IRGC, accused the Central Bank of Iran of accepting the implementation of anti-money laundering guidelines, "accepting extrajudicial commitments." This newspaper wrote: "The Central Bank quietly initiated extrajudicial commitments, in the course of this action, the Central Bank of Iran, to prevent the Financial Action Task Force from taking further action against Iran as a financier of terrorism, has apparently committed to implementing the anti-money laundering guidelines of this task force across the entire banking network of the country." This newspaper also noted that previously, Valiollah Seif, the head of the Central Bank of Iran, "had committed to implementing extrajudicial commitments in the banking network at a conference in London." The newspaper Arman dedicated its front page to Hassan Rouhani, with the headline "Rouhani is Alone," quoting Mohammad Reza Khatami, a reformist figure, stating: "I must sadly say that apart from Rouhani, I see no one in his team who has entered the arena to defend the government." The newspaper Resalat dedicated its front page to Ali Khomeini, grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, and his defense of executions and actions against protesters in the 1980s, quoting him as saying that Islam is not only a merciful Islam but also includes harshness against infidels. Kayhan reported on its front page quoting Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, stating: "Attacking Sheikh Isa Qassim removes the barrier in front of the passionate youth of Bahrain." According to this newspaper, the leader of the Islamic Republic also stated: "The main goal of establishing Takfiri groups in Iraq and Syria was to attack Iran." Valiollah Shajapuriyan, a reformist in previous parliamentary terms, wrote in the editorial of the newspaper Hamdeli: "Regardless of legal approaches in the recent Bahrain issue, it is necessary to examine how Iran's involvement in this matter aligns with the national interests of the country." The editorial writer of Hamdeli pointed out that "Saudi Arabia, after the Iran nuclear agreement with the P5+1 countries and the rise of young princes, has proven to be unhappy with the current regional conditions that have elevated Iran's status in the international system and is willing to take any action to disrupt the rules of the game to embroil Iran in existing tensions." The newspaper Hamdeli emphasized that "the Islamic Republic of Iran and the country's diplomatic apparatus must respond to this incident wisely and prudently, considering the national interests of the country. Certainly, emotional and impulsive claims, as proven in the case of Sheikh Nemer, cannot benefit the Shiites of Bahrain and the interests of the Islamic Republic." The newspaper Iran emphasized on its front page that "the British shock to Iranian and global markets" reported that in the Iranian currency market, "the British pound decreased by 203 tomans in the free market, and the euro fell by 55 tomans," while "the coin increased by 31 thousand tomans." This newspaper wrote: "The aftershocks of the fall of one of the stars of the blue flag of the European Union continue and affect all sectors of the global economy to the extent that some analysts consider the UK's exit from the European Union to be the largest and worst economic phenomenon since the 2008 economic crisis, which will have many negative effects on the global economy." The newspaper Etemad reported, quoting Soheila Jaloudarzadeh, a member of the tenth parliament, that the "special court for women" and "appointment of female judges" will be presented to the parliament. According to this newspaper, Soheila Jaloudarzadeh stated: "One of the issues that needs more attention in society today is the urgency of women's issues that must be resolved fundamentally, and we currently have a proposal under review to establish special courts for women," as "many issues regarding women are observed when they refer to courts, thus there should be a place for gender segregation, where courts dealing with specific women's claims can assist in this regard." This representative, a member of the Hope faction, also stated: "If we want to have a court related to women, we must examine these jurisprudential obstacles; of course, regarding women's judgment, the common opinion is that a woman cannot be a judge, but we do not have a clear text in this regard." Bahman Keshavarz, a lawyer and legal expert, in a note in the newspaper Etemad emphasized that the establishment of a "special court for women" and "allowing women to judge," although at first glance seem similar and convergent, are "essentially divergent and fundamentally two completely different issues." He pointed out that "the issue of establishing special courts for women is fundamentally incompatible with the Constitution, as according to Articles 19 and 20 of the Constitution, the people of Iran, regardless of their ethnicity or tribe, have equal rights and are equally supported by the law, and if in Article 21 of this law, the government is obliged to guarantee women's rights and in paragraph three of the same article to establish a competent court to preserve the integrity and survival of the family, this does not mean the establishment of a special court for women," adding that "establishing a special court for women is not only not an advantage but also considered an insult to them." Etemad quoted Bahman Keshavarz as saying: "Regarding women's judgment, it is true that some consider 'being male' a condition for holding a judgeship, but contrary opinions also exist and are not without strength." The newspaper Sepid reported in a piece titled "Milk with Honey" about "children born addicted to drugs," stating that the result of a study shows "the greatest source of children's addiction is the family, in such a way that only 44 percent of children have become addicted due to maternal milk and from infancy." According to this research conducted by the Imam Ali Society in 2014 on 116 drug-addicted children in various provinces of Iran, "35 percent of them have consumed drugs because they had addicted family members," and "44 percent" became addicted through maternal milk, while "10 percent also fell into addiction through their friends." Vida Rabani in the Sepid newspaper reported that this research also shows that 54 percent of these children were forced into addiction, and "modeling, curiosity, and peer encouragement are among other factors that lead these children toward addiction." The results of this research, which focused on children living in marginalized and deprived areas, showed a high prevalence of substance use in children under two years of age and another prevalence in the age range of 7 to 8 years, while "about 36 percent of these children had not attended school, 20 percent had dropped out, 13 were currently studying, and 31 percent of these children had not reached school age and were under 7 years old." According to the Sepid newspaper, among the reasons that have prevented these children from attending school are the lack of importance of education for families, lack of identity documents, financial problems, and early marriages. The head of the independent committee for combating drugs at the Expediency Discernment Council told the newspaper Farhikhtegan: "90 percent of executions have no deterrent effect because most of those executed are not the main traffickers; rather, they are individuals who, due to poor socio-economic conditions, engage in drug trafficking and are actually carriers, keepers, and small distributors." This official from the Expediency Discernment Council cited an example: "A few years ago, a young couple studying at Zahedan University swallowed a total of one and a half kilograms of opium and were arrested in Tehran. Both individuals stated that due to poor economic conditions and their inability to cover their living and educational expenses, they resorted to this act."