Newspaper Perspectives on Ejei's Statements Regarding 'Cases and Bans'

The newspapers Khorasan and Shahrvand have reported on the parliament's decision to increase the price of petroleum products by 5% next year. Khorasan newspaper has stated that according to this parliamentary decision, in 2015, 'the price of each liter of subsidized gasoline will be 735 tomans and each liter of free gasoline will be 1050 tomans, while the price of each liter of subsidized diesel will be 262.5 tomans and each liter of free diesel will be 525 tomans.' The Etemad newspaper has published the statements of the Judiciary spokesperson, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, under the headline 'Cases and Bans,' quoting him as saying: 'The publication of news regarding the reformist president is prohibited.' The Jahan San'at newspaper dedicated its front page to the press conference of Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and quoted him as saying: 'Mohammad Khatami is banned from being pictured.' The Farhikhtegan newspaper reported that the Judiciary spokesperson described the charges against Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the first vice president of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as 'bribery, embezzlement, and acquiring illegal wealth,' while the Shargh newspaper focused on Ejei's remarks about 'collecting evidence for Ahmadinejad's case.' The Javan newspaper quoted the Judiciary spokesperson as describing some statements by Eshaq Jahangiri, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani, as 'false,' and the Kayhan newspaper reported that he accused the Central Bank of 'neglecting to pursue banking arrears.' The Etemad newspaper also published a report on 'warnings about the rising addiction among children.' The Shargh newspaper dedicated its front page to Reza Hakan Tekin, quoting the Turkish ambassador in Tehran as saying: 'The ultimate goal of Iran and Turkey regarding Syria is similar.' The Turkish ambassador stated that since the beginning of the ISIS crisis, Turkey has been seriously assisting Iraq and had warned Iran and the U.S. about the potential rise of extremist movements due to the previous Iraqi government's discriminatory actions. The Ta'adol newspaper published the results of a survey conducted by MIT, Maryland, Stanford, Northeastern, and Illinois universities regarding 'barriers and motivations for the return of elites to Iran.' According to this newspaper, '36% cited socio-cultural problems and 30% economic issues as barriers to returning to Iran.' The Javan newspaper reported on correspondence between senior officials of the two countries, describing it as 'a new U.S. diplomacy towards Iran.' The parliament's decision to increase the prices of gasoline, gas, and diesel by 5% was also reported by Khorasan and Shahrvand newspapers. Khorasan stated: 'In one of the most important decisions of the parliament session on Tuesday, representatives approved a 5% increase in the price of each liter of petroleum products for the next year.' According to this newspaper, in clause 'Y' of the budget bill for 2015, it is stated that 'the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company is obliged to renovate and develop the oil and gas pipeline network and provide financial resources for the government's share in the development of refineries and infrastructure for the supply, storage, and distribution of products.' The Shahrvand newspaper emphasized that according to the parliament's decision on Tuesday, 'the government was allowed to increase fuel prices by 5%.' This newspaper also published a table of potential price increases for petroleum products, indicating that the price of each liter of 'subsidized gasoline will increase from 700 tomans to 735 tomans, free gasoline from 1000 tomans to 1050 tomans, kerosene from 150 tomans to 157.5 tomans, fuel oil from 250 tomans to 265 tomans, liquefied gas from 210 tomans to 220.5 tomans, subsidized diesel from 250 tomans to 262 tomans, and free diesel from 500 tomans to 525 tomans.' The Shahrvand newspaper reported that during the public session on Tuesday, representatives also agreed to increase government revenues from crude oil exports up to 15 trillion tomans in the budget bill for 2015. They allowed the government to 'deposit the surplus foreign currency resources from crude oil and gas condensate exports, after deducting the 14.5% share of the Ministry of Oil, 20% for the National Development Fund, and 2% for underprivileged areas into the foreign currency reserve account.' However, Gholamreza Tajgardoon, the head of the budget integration commission, stated that 'this revenue is not achievable unless oil prices exceed $100 in global markets.' The Shahrvand newspaper reported that Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, the Minister of Oil, who was present during the review of the oil ministry sections in the budget bill, stated: 'The Ministry of Oil's share from oil sales and exports is 14.5%. When oil was $100 and we sold two million barrels, it would yield $13 billion for the Ministry of Oil. However, for next year, with the parliament estimating oil at around $40 per barrel and exports slightly over one million barrels, it will yield less than $3 billion for the Ministry of Oil. How can we manage the oil industry with this amount?' The newspapers' perspectives on the statements of the Judiciary spokesperson regarding 'cases and bans' were highlighted. The Etemad newspaper published the statements of the Judiciary spokesperson, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, stating: 'The publication of news regarding the reformist president is prohibited.' According to this newspaper, Mohseni Ejei also stated: 'Regarding the reformist president, it has been ordered that media cannot transmit his image or content. The Tehran prosecutor's office has implemented this action, and this order remains in effect. It has been stated that if any media violates this, they will face consequences.' The Etemad newspaper also described the press conference as 'completely different from previous sessions,' noting that 'this time, the spokesperson dedicated all his time to one subject. There was no news about the sensitive oil case or social issues that often dominate the news. This time, Mohseni Ejei reduced the volume of questions from reporters, who were preparing for the 75th press conference of the Judiciary spokesperson and were faced with news that occupied their minds with various questions.' The Jahan San'at newspaper dedicated its front page to the press conference of Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, quoting him as saying: 'Mohammad Khatami is banned from being pictured.' According to this newspaper, on Tuesday, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated: 'According to the order of the Judiciary and the prosecutor's office, mentioning the name of the reformist president in media is considered a violation,' and 'the Supreme National Security Council or the Judiciary has decided on individuals and classified them as leaders of sedition, and the Judiciary can issue orders that, for example, media cannot publish images and content from that person, otherwise, there will be consequences.' The Jahan San'at newspaper reported that during the press conference, Mohseni Ejei spent nearly 45 minutes 'speaking,' and while 'he seemed more excited than the journalists about the arrest of Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the first vice president of Ahmadinejad's government, he dedicated most of the discussions to this topic and answered questions he anticipated journalists might ask.' The Farhikhtegan newspaper also reported that during the press conference, in response to the question of 'why the Judiciary recently ordered media to refrain from mentioning the name and image of the reformist president,' he stated: 'For those whom the Supreme National Security Council has decided or the Judiciary considers as leaders of sedition, the Judiciary can issue orders. Regarding the individual in question, it has been ordered that media cannot reflect or transmit his image or content, and this order remains in effect. If any media violates this, they will face consequences.' According to this newspaper, the Judiciary spokesperson described the charges against Mohammad Reza Rahimi as 'bribery, embezzlement, and acquiring illegal wealth,' stating: 'In relation to the insurance case, some defendants mentioned issues that implicated Mr. Rahimi as well. Based on these investigations and documents and the statements of the defendants in the insurance case, charges were directed at him. However, due to his position, it was decided that this case would be discussed in a three-member council, including myself, Mr. Raisi, and Mr. Amoli Larijani.' He added that 'we went to the then president and presented everything we had seen and heard to him, emphasizing that the charges were directed at him; however, Mr. Ahmadinejad did not believe us and was against summoning him to court.' The Farhikhtegan newspaper quoted Mohseni Ejei as saying: 'Given the importance of the issue, it was not possible to overlook it,' and therefore 'investigations into Mr. Rahimi and two other defendants, Davood Sarkhosh and Jaber Abdali, began, which involved a total of eleven sessions lasting three to five hours each to examine Mr. Rahimi's case, during which he also provided necessary documents and defended himself.' This newspaper quoted Mohseni Ejei as stating that in this case 'four charges of receiving a bribe amounting to one billion and five hundred million tomans from Davood Sarkhosh, facilitating money laundering, acquiring illegal wealth, and participating in a network of embezzlement and bribery were stated in the indictment, but his money laundering charge was not established for the court, and he was acquitted of this crime. However, the charges of receiving a bribe from Mr. Sarkhosh and acquiring illegal wealth and participating in the network of bribery and embezzlement were consolidated into one charge, and based on this case and the charge against Mr. Rahimi, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to return the funds, and the case was referred to the Supreme Court for review. In the Supreme Court's examination of the case, the receipt of a bribe from Mr. Sarkhosh for one billion tomans and the acquisition of illegal wealth were established; however, participation in the network of embezzlement and bribery was not established, and therefore the defendant was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to return the funds.' The Shargh newspaper highlighted the Judiciary spokesperson's statements regarding 'collecting evidence for Ahmadinejad's case,' quoting Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's case, stating: 'I have said regarding this case that due to his responsibilities, the case did not go to the prosecutor's office but is being directly addressed in court. The court is currently examining and collecting evidence, and the case is not yet finalized.' This newspaper also reported that the case of Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, 'has been addressed in the Revolutionary Court, but the verdict has not yet been issued, and everything being said about the case these days is speculation, and the verdict has not yet been issued; only the court sessions have concluded.' The Javan newspaper quoted the Judiciary spokesperson as describing some statements by Eshaq Jahangiri, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani, as 'false.' According to this newspaper, Mohseni Ejei stated on Tuesday, referring to Jahangiri's remarks that 'the greatest corruption of the century occurred in the previous government,' that 'if Jahangiri made this statement, it is false and certainly unfair, and such remarks distort the minds of the people.' The Javan newspaper also quoted Mohseni Ejei as stating: 'The Judiciary has instructed the media that they are not allowed to publish any images or content from the reformist president, and this order remains in effect, and violators will be dealt with.' The Kayhan newspaper also reported on its front page that the Judiciary spokesperson accused the Central Bank of 'neglecting to pursue banking arrears.'