Newspapers' Reactions to Putin's Order Regarding S-300

The newspaper Shargh reported on the release of "a strange three-minute film" in which one of the commanders of the IRGC in Shiraz narrates his account of the March 9 attack on Ali Motahari and his supposed life-saving role. The newspaper simultaneously noted: "The IRGC's public relations denied the official release of any film regarding the Shiraz incident." The newspaper Etemad, in its Wednesday issue, described the "possible delivery of the S-300 missile system to Tehran" as "a late fulfillment of promises by the Russians" and stated that it remains to be seen when "the delivery of the S-300 missile system will take place" and whether Russia wants to restore its credibility based on its statements or if it aims to place a stone in the way of negotiations. The newspaper Javan, close to the IRGC, assessed the consequences of Russia's action in lifting the ban on delivering the S-300 missile system to Iran as "a tremor on the wall of extraterritorial sanctions" and described it as "the explosion of arms sanctions with the firing of Russian S-300s." The newspaper Shargh also reported with the headline "Behind Putin's Order" that "the lifting of the ban on selling the S-300, especially when the U.S. government is under pressure from Republicans, hardliners, and Israel, is more of a winning card for gaining concessions from the West than an action in favor of Iran." The newspaper Arman, while publishing an interview with the spokesperson of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, reported that "the number of canceled concerts has reached 20" and reiterated that the concert by Mohammad Reza Shajarian remains banned. The newspaper Shahrevand reported on the "death of Somayeh Ghorbani from a family acid attack in Bam" and stated: "Somayeh Mehri passed away on Tuesday, April 14, after enduring illness for a long time and two days of hospitalization under oxygen tents due to disability caused by acid wounds." This newspaper emphasized that "Rana," one of Somayeh Mehri's two daughters, was also a victim of her father's acid attack, writing: "Rana and Nazanin, Somayeh's daughters, now have to endure an uncertain future with a father who has made their lives acidic." The "strange three-minute film" about the Shiraz incident; the IRGC's public relations denied the release of the film. The newspaper Shargh reported on the release of "a three-minute film" about the attack on Ali Motahari in Shiraz and wrote: "The IRGC's public relations denied the official release of any film regarding the Shiraz incident." Ameneh Shirafkan, a reporter for Shargh, reviewed the March 9, 2015 attack on Ali Motahari in Shiraz, stating: "The self-styled vigilantes came out of their homes on March 9, this time armed with tomatoes, stones, and pieces of bricks, riding heavy motorcycles. Ali Motahari had left the airport heading to Shiraz University when they suddenly blocked his way, and a pre-planned scenario of throwing stones and bricks at Motahari's vehicle began. A month has passed since that unfortunate incident and the insult to the parliamentary representative, and the investigations are nearing completion. Some have been arrested in this regard, and some are free on bail," but after this attack, "a strange film was released on social media, and later some news with the headline 'The IRGC, the savior of Ali Motahari in the Shiraz incident' appeared on websites." The newspaper Shargh noted that in this "three-minute colored film," two cameras follow the subject from the left and right, stating that in this short film, "a young man claiming to be a soldier speaks throughout the film" and "narrates the March 9 incident from his perspective." The newspaper Shargh reported that "the person speaking in the film" discusses his "essential role" in "saving Ali Motahari" and "at the beginning of the film refers to the organizational mission to go to the incident site," but the newspaper's inquiries from Ramadan Sharif, the IRGC's public relations officer, indicate that "the IRGC has officially released no film regarding this matter" and the public relations officer "is not aware of this film." Mustafa Torkhamdani, Ali Motahari's lawyer, also told Shargh: "The police are responsible for ensuring the safety of citizens in such situations, and the presence of this soldier, Hosseini, at that location is not significant." According to the newspaper Shargh, "the person who claims to be a soldier in this film moves from one camera to another. Sometimes in the midst of his speech, he addresses Ali Motahari. At one point, he alludes to the four or five mobile phones that Motahari had with him, while Motahari recently bid farewell to his old Nokia phone and only has a smartphone." The newspaper wrote: "The young soldier addresses Ali Motahari in part of this film and says: 'Mr. Motahari, do you remember I held your head between two chairs and asked if you were okay? You don't even remember the brick hitting my right hand.'" Shargh noted that "the three-minute film summarizes in the image of Mr. Soldier, a colored curtain behind him, and the Iranian flag" and "the Basij emblem is repeated alongside the image," stating that in this film, "the cameras follow the soldier's narration of the continuation of the story," and "Soldier Hosseini" in the film speaks of his presence next to Ali Motahari at the police station, addressing Ali Motahari: 'Mr. Motahari, do you remember you started calling the Minister of Interior, the Speaker of Parliament, and the President of Shiraz University? Your companion was also reporting the incident to the media. You said to them, 'Tell the President of the University, you bring three hundred or four hundred people here.' You were so scared that to change your mood, I joked, 'Mr. Doctor, who will pay for my blood-stained suit?'" The newspaper Shargh wrote that "the final scene of the film ends with a criticism from Soldier Hosseini," and he tells Ali Motahari: "Mr. Motahari, you didn't even give us a simple thank you." The newspaper Shargh wrote: "The narrative that this three-minute film presents about the attack on Ali Motahari in Shiraz has been questioned by Mustafa Torkhamdani, Ali Motahari's lawyer, who does not accept this individual's account of the incident." Ali Motahari's lawyer even told Shargh: "On March 28, the Shiraz prosecutor's office obtained important films from the day of the incident, and the release of this film on the same day now raises many questions for us." The lifting of the ban on delivering the S-300 to Iran; "a tremor on the wall of extraterritorial sanctions" or "a stone in the way of negotiations." The newspaper Etemad, in its Wednesday issue, described the "possible delivery of the S-300 missile system to Tehran" as "a late fulfillment of promises by the Russians" and noted that "the latest trip [by Ali Shamkhani], a senior official of the Rouhani administration, to Moscow coincided with the announcement of the lifting of the ban on delivering the S-300 missile system to Iran by Russian President Vladimir Putin." This newspaper recalled that "six years ago, Dmitry Medvedev, the former President of Russia, while the two countries had signed a contract for the sale of advanced S-300 missiles, ordered the prohibition of delivering this missile system to Iran under the pretext of arms sanctions imposed by the Security Council against Iran, and the Russians reneged on their previous commitment." However, now, "at a time when Iran's nuclear negotiations with the 1+5 group are nearing their conclusion and the parties want to spend the remaining three months drafting and finalizing the text of the comprehensive action plan, the TASS news agency announced the lifting of the previous ban by Putin." Etemad, while noting that "this news was announced hours after it was said that Russia intends to provide the more advanced S-400 defense system to its eastern ally China," wrote that the announcement of the lifting of the S-300 missile system delivery ban has also provoked many reactions, from the U.S. to Israel and even Iranian and Russian officials, and "now everyone is waiting for the delivery of systems for which payments have been made for over eight years, and some are waiting to see whether this lifting is a show or real." This newspaper emphasized that "the timing of the S-300 delivery remains shrouded in ambiguity," stating that "although the news of the lifting of the ban on delivering the S-300 missile system has been announced, as of the time of writing this report, no news has been provided regarding the timing and volume of the delivery of this missile system." Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian government, stated: "Currently, there are no legal obstacles to delivering the S-300 missile system to Iran," and Nikolai Patrushev, the head of the Russian Security Council, also stated: "The delivery date of these systems to Iran depends on the manufacturing company," but "the Interfax news agency quoted Ali Shamkhani as saying that "the possibility of the delivery of this system in 2015 exists." According to the newspaper Etemad, "Russia, under a contract signed in 2007 with Iran, was supposed to deliver at least five S-300 air defense systems to Iran," and "now we must wait to see when the announcement of the lifting of the S-300 missile system delivery will take place and whether Russia wants to restore its credibility based on its statements or if it wants to place a stone in the way of negotiations." The newspaper Javan, close to the IRGC, however, assessed the consequences of Russia's action in lifting the ban on delivering the S-300 missile system to Iran as "a tremor on the wall of extraterritorial sanctions" and described it as "the explosion of arms sanctions with the firing of Russian S-300s." This newspaper wrote: "So far, various analyses have been made regarding this action by the Russians, but perhaps the clearest message of this action by the Russians can be found in Vladimir Putin's words during his meeting with the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council," who stated that this decision "has a clear message regarding the necessity for all countries to adhere to their commitments." Mehdi Poursefat, a reporter for the newspaper Javan, emphasized: "It can be guessed that the Americans will not be satisfied with this decision by the Russians at all, as this action effectively devalues the sanctions that they intended to present as a valuable commodity in negotiations, while in negotiations, arms sanctions were not on the list of sanctions to be lifted at all." This newspaper wrote that "under such circumstances, it can be clearly understood where the fate of other sanctions, including economic sanctions, will lead," and thus "the options for the U.S. to negotiate with Iran are becoming increasingly limited." The newspaper close to the IRGC mentioned the price of the S-300 missile system as 800 million dollars but wrote that the missile system "Bavar 373 will replace the Russian missile," as for several years "Iran has not remained idle in the face of the Russians' refusal to deliver this air defense system and has begun discussions on indigenizing a long-range defense system to counter the impact of international arms sanctions and to strengthen the country's air defense capabilities, which resulted in the Bavar 373 missile project." Behind the scenes of Putin's order. The newspaper Shargh also reported with the headline "Behind Putin's Order" that "the lifting of the ban on selling the S-300 does not seem to be an independent policy but rather a link with other developments in Russia's foreign relations." Nezhat Amirabadian and Masoud Kazemi, the authors of the report for Shargh, noted that "Russia is currently under international sanctions due to the Ukraine issues," writing: "If Iran can reach a nuclear agreement with the West, Russia will lose, on the one hand, its exclusive markets in Iran under sanctions, and on the other hand, it will face a serious competitor in the gas and energy sector." According to this newspaper, "the lifting of the ban on selling the S-300, especially when the U.S. government is under pressure from Republicans, hardliners, and the Israeli regime, is more of a winning card for gaining concessions from the West than an action in favor of Iran," as "Russia has previously extracted concessions from the West regarding Iran's nuclear file." Ahmad Bakhshai Ardestani, a member of the ninth parliament, referred to Russia as an "unreliable ally" and told Shargh: "This time, due to the current conditions of Russia and Iran's type of interaction with the West, it seems that the S-300 missiles will be delivered to Iran; however, we are aware that Russia has been and remains an unreliable ally for us, but currently, this country, due to the war in Ukraine, is under Western sanctions, especially from the U.S., and identifies with us." According to this parliament member, "On the one hand, since Moscow is confident that Iran and the West will reach an agreement on the nuclear file and that it has no influence over it, it does not want to fall behind in the Iranian market after the agreement." Ahmad Bakhshai Ardestani assessed Vladimir Putin's order to lift the ban on delivering the S-300 to Iran as stemming from "Russia's half-glance towards post-agreement Iran." Reza Jalali, a professor at Beheshti University, also emphasized that "Russia, like in all previous years, uses Iran as a card against the West," telling Shargh: "Moscow has utilized Iran instrumentally, and some contracts and the type of relations have been contrary to our national interests. Russia has sought and continues to seek to exploit Iran for propaganda purposes. This country has its eyes on our oil and natural resources and is therefore not pleased with Iran's nuclear agreement with the West." This international relations expert stated: "Iran had previously announced that it had acquired the S-200 missile system and no longer felt the need for the S-300," but Russia is trying "to deliver the S-300 to Iran at any cost to continue to present itself as an ally and regional partner of Iran." Jahangir Karami also briefly analyzed three interpretations regarding Russia's action in the...