Parliament's Public Relations: Kayhan Fuels Divisions Regarding JCPOA

Mehdi Kiai, the Director General of Cultural and Public Relations of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, wrote in a letter addressed to Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper, that the articles in Kayhan regarding the JCPOA plan "fuel divisions in the country on this issue." He also accused Kayhan of using "vulgar words," engaging in "slander, destruction, and defamation," and of "hasty and incorrect analysis," while mentioning the "ignorance of the newspaper's officials regarding the country's affairs." The letter of complaint from the Parliament's Board of Directors, sent to Kayhan through the public relations office of this institution, was published today, Sunday, October 26, in the newspaper. The letter from the Parliament's public relations manager to Kayhan pertains to the coverage of news related to the approval of the plan for "proportional and reciprocal action by the Islamic Republic of Iran in implementing the JCPOA." Kayhan also published its response alongside this letter, stating that the Parliament, instead of providing a documented response, has made what the newspaper calls "unjust" accusations against it. Last week, Kayhan had headlined: "The general principles of Abolbakhai were approved with engineered uproar," "A 15-minute decision by the Parliament for 15 years," and "The representatives' work was done in three whistles." The Iranian Parliament's Board of Directors objected to some headlines and articles in Kayhan after the approval of the JCPOA plan, deeming them "false" and "completely untrue." The main part of this letter addresses the articles published on Thursday, October 23, as well as the editorial by Hossein Shariatmadari regarding the role of some members of the Supreme Leader's office in the approval of the JCPOA plan. The first part of the Parliament's complaint letter to Kayhan states: "In the headlines and sub-headlines and the editorial, there are statements indicating the ignorance of the newspaper's officials regarding the country's affairs; thus, with a 180-degree misleading interpretation, instead of correcting the provocations and previous positions of the newspaper, it has distanced itself from confronting the announcement of the office of the Supreme Leader and again, using a forward escape method, has targeted the President and Vice President of the Parliament with accusations." The letter continues: "Those involved in the process of the proportional and reciprocal action plan by the Islamic Republic of Iran in implementing the JCPOA are aware, and they know that the newspaper's statements are false and completely untrue." In the editorial of Kayhan on Thursday, October 23, Hossein Shariatmadari criticized a meeting between Ali Larijani (Speaker of the Parliament), Ali Shamkhani (Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council), and Ali-Asghar Hajazi (a prominent official of the Leader's office and close to Ali Khamenei) the night before the JCPOA was reviewed in the Parliament. Mr. Shariatmadari stated in his editorial that "it is said that in a private and confidential meeting, Mr. Hajazi announced that the final and definitive decision of the system was to approve the JCPOA through the same urgent plan that is to be presented in the Parliament tomorrow." In this context, the office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a statement deeming some representatives' comments as "false," which claimed that the presence of a senior member of this office in a meeting with Ali Larijani had influenced the Parliament's review of the JCPOA-related plan. The announcement from the public relations office of the Leader's office was published on Wednesday, October 22, on Ali Khamenei's official website under the title "Emphasis on the Legal Path of the JCPOA Review." The Parliament's objection to Kayhan's "vulgar words" is also mentioned in another part of the complaint letter, stating: "Another reckless behavior of that newspaper is sitting in the position of issuing fatwas and deeming the representatives' vote in this plan as legitimate or illegitimate... Unfortunately, this media sometimes uses vulgar words, such as 'fried potatoes' or 'Abolbakhai's plan' and similar terms, showing disrespect towards the most important institution of religious democracy." The letter continues: "Now the question arises, with what religious and legal permission does a newspaper that feeds off public funds and whose editor-in-chief has not invested a single rial in it have the right to insult and destroy the Parliament, which is the most important pillar of democracy?" In an article published on Tuesday, October 20, Kayhan wrote: "This 9-article plan allows the government to implement the JCPOA without any measures to prevent the harms and dangers of the JCPOA; thus, it can be considered more of an Abolbakhai generalities and a letter of advice." Additionally, in a report published on page two of this newspaper on that day, there were numerous criticisms of the Parliament's Board of Directors and their role in the approval of the JCPOA. The final part of the Parliament's complaint letter to Kayhan states that "all these issues indicate that the newspaper, due to its incorrect analyses in recent months, has focused on a wrong path that has now become clear is distant from truth and reality; thus, by grasping at straws, it intends to escape its previous incorrect analyses." The implementation plan of the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers was approved by the Parliament with 161 votes in favor on Tuesday, October 21, before the numerous reform proposals from Iranian representatives were applied to it. On this day, Iranian representatives approved the details of the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" (JCPOA) with four proposals and four "almost minor" changes. The approval of the JCPOA plan provoked protests from some representatives opposed to the plan, and some of them also objected to the Parliament's Board of Directors.