Plan to Liberalize Gasoline Prices at Gas Stations

The newspaper Etemad dedicated its front page to Mohammad Reza Aref and his wife during their presence at the Ministry of Interior's election headquarters to register for parliamentary elections, stating: "The reformists' list leader has arrived." The front page of the Farhikhtegan newspaper features Ali Larijani, the current Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and cites Behrouz Namati, the deputy head of the Followers faction, stating: "Larijani will not go to the Coalition Council of Principlists." The Bahar newspaper reported on "organized sabotage ahead of Rouhani's trip to Shahr-e Rey." The Qanoon newspaper also published photos of damaged welcome banners for Hassan Rouhani in Shahr-e Rey, describing it as "an insult to the President's images in Shahr-e Rey" and stating: "Tolerance of disruptors has gone too far." The Etemad newspaper reported on details of the "liberalization of gasoline prices" plan from Bijan Zanganeh, the Minister of Oil. The Sharq newspaper dedicated its front page to an interview with Adel Ferdowsipour and Mohammad Javad Zarif, an interview that was supposed to air on Yalda Night from the 90 program but was reportedly prevented from being broadcast. Abdollah Naseri, the head of the IRNA news agency during Mohammad Khatami's presidency and a media manager in the 1980s, wrote in the Sharq newspaper's editorial titled "The Roots of Zarif's Exclusion from Television": "The duality in the behavior of state media, this time by not airing the recorded interview of the Foreign Minister on a sports program, while simultaneously giving a live platform to one of the Principlist candidates recently selected as one of the electoral heads for creating cohesion and political positioning, is a longstanding issue. Concurrently, the Bahar newspaper reported on the "behind-the-scenes of Zarif's exclusion from the Yalda program," quoting Sadegh Zibakalam as saying: "The state media belongs to the allies of Saeed Jalili." Masoud Salimi wrote in a note in the Jahan San'at newspaper titled "Be Careful of People's Intelligence": "The debate over the 90 program and the Foreign Minister of Rouhani's government is one side of the issue," and on the other side, "one should not play with the community's personality, nor should the national media insult people's intelligence; otherwise, the issue of the state media's factional view of the country's situation is not a new event that would surprise the audience." The Jahan San'at newspaper, in its front page, published a report on the "IMF's forecast for Iran's economic performance in 2016," warning of "increased inflation and intensified unemployment." Jahan San'at also has a report on "child abuse in the cycle of cultural and social shortages" and addressed the phenomenon of "child killing," writing: "After years of positive social changes, there are still fathers who, by virtue of being a father, kill their children, and legal courts give short-term prison sentences to them." Abdolsamad Khormashahi, a lawyer and legal expert, told this newspaper: "Child protection laws are luxurious," and Javid Sabahi, a sociologist, emphasized that "the government must create the capacity for cooperation with supportive institutions. Such institutions and organizations that protect children's rights can be very good advisors for solving problems similar to child murders." The Qanoon newspaper, in its election news on Wednesday, wrote: "The news of Ayatollah Javadi Amoli's candidacy excited the community," but "shortly after the news was published in major news agencies, this major event" was denied by his son. The Arman newspaper dedicated its front page to Morteza Eshraqi, the granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini, and reported on his candidacy for the tenth parliamentary elections from the Tehran, Islamshahr, Rey, and Shemiranat electoral district. This newspaper also reported on the "investigation of the 171 trillion tomans violation by the previous government" at the order of Hassan Rouhani and quoted Es'hagh Jahangiri, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani, stating: "Recently, the Central Bank Governor informed the President in a letter that in the last months of 89, in one instance, 41 trillion rials and in another instance, 130 trillion rials were withdrawn from the Central Bank's resources by the order of an official [and] deposited into the treasury." "Concerns about rising prices" is one of the headlines of the Shahrvand newspaper, which wrote: "It was supposed that from the beginning of December, dairy prices would increase by 6%. Yesterday was the first of December; however, people bought milk, yogurt, and doogh at the same previous prices. The secretary of the Dairy Association says that no price increase has been applied yet, and the decision is that dairy products will not be increased until the end of the year; however, the murmurs of this increase have had worrying social repercussions, and critics say that rising prices in the current conditions will mean a decrease in per capita consumption in Iran." The Kayhan newspaper, in its front page, emphasized that "looking to the hands of America has not worked," writing: "While America spares no effort to harm Iran and has no qualms about violating the JCPOA, government officials still look to the West for solving the country's problems." Ali Khorram, a former diplomat at Iran's Foreign Ministry, told the Bahar newspaper: "Visa restrictions for Iranians do not violate the JCPOA." "Organized sabotage" of welcome banners for Hassan Rouhani in Shahr-e Rey. The Bahar newspaper reported on "organized sabotage ahead of Rouhani's trip to Shahr-e Rey." The Bahar newspaper wrote: "This time, the saboteurs acted ahead of President Hassan Rouhani's trip to Shahr-e Rey, tearing down and damaging welcome banners for Rouhani to document another act of self-initiated disruption against the government's caravan." According to this newspaper, "A few days ago, ahead of Rouhani's trip on Wednesday to Shahr-e Rey, banners were installed throughout the city to inform the public and welcome the President, but on Tuesday night, some people took advantage of the darkness and, in an organized act, tore these banners or sprayed paint on them, forcing the welcome committee for Rouhani to collect the torn banners from the city's streets." The Bahar newspaper noted that the destruction occurred "in the streets of Salman Farsi, Salman Farsi Square, Shahid Karimi Highway, and the southern and eastern sides of the shrine of Abd al-Azim Hassani," stating that these banners were "right in the path of President Hassan Rouhani's caravan." Heydatollah Jamali, the special governor of Shahr-e Rey, emphasized that "the saboteurs tore down and damaged about 60 banners of the welcome committee for Rouhani," telling the Bahar newspaper: "Currently, two people have been arrested in connection with these events and are in the custody of the judiciary." The governor of Rey pointed out that "the case of these individuals is under investigation, and after the investigations are completed, their motives will be announced," also referring to the "possible existence of accomplices and organization" behind this act, stating: "It is expected that other individuals may also be involved in this matter." Heydatollah Jamali emphasized the "public's welcome for Rouhani's trip to Rey," regarding the destruction of welcome banners for Hassan Rouhani, stating: "This issue is not a specific matter; these events stem from the sense of duty of some individuals." The Bahar newspaper wrote: "Such actions occur while in recent months, ahead of the elections, many radical and extremist groups have carried out disruptive actions against the government or the political activities of reformists." "Disrupting speeches and meetings of reformists, attempts to cancel their programs, threats and calls to disrupt political ceremonies of reformists, attacks on progressive political forces, and ultimately tearing down welcome banners for Hassan Rouhani" are among the issues that this newspaper emphasized: "All of these actions are carried out to influence the political vitality of society ahead of the elections, under the impact of extremist and disruptive actions." Criticism of the government's passivity in the face of pressure groups; "Tolerance of disruptors has gone too far." The Qanoon newspaper also published photos of the damaged welcome banners for Hassan Rouhani in Shahr-e Rey, describing it as "an insult to the President's images in Shahr-e Rey," and wrote: "Tolerance of disruptors has gone too far." This newspaper pointed out that "the published images on social media show that the billboards installed for welcoming the President have been damaged, and some of them have been torn, while others have been splashed with paint," writing that this event "in the sensitive days leading up to the important elections on March 7 indicates the growing power of extremists who continue to act unlawfully." The Qanoon newspaper reminded that "previously, several times, extremists have attacked speeches in various parts of the country," and wrote: "Now it is the turn of the government of prudence and hope to pay the price for its inaction in legally supporting its permits." According to this newspaper, while this trend initially began with an attack on a famous speech by a parliamentary representative from the Principlist faction, it is now taking on new dimensions every day, "and the incident of the attack on Ali Motahari in Shiraz, which was once one of the most controversial news stories, has now become so repeated that it has turned into a daily occurrence," with the latest incident being the attack "on a speech session by Mousavi Lari at Yazd University." The Qanoon newspaper wrote that "the damages seen in the images of the billboards in Shahr-e Rey could be the beginning of a path paved by the negligence and inaction of the Ministry of Interior of the government." Qanoon adds: "The lack of action against those who easily disregard permits and laws under the guise of self-initiation and the lack of value placed on the Ministry of Interior's permits could create a more critical and dangerous situation leading up to the elections." This newspaper calls for the government, especially Hassan Rouhani, to take action regarding similar actions, writing: "Hassan Rouhani is heading to Shahr-e Rey at a time when recent events may prompt him to think that indifference is the beginning of ruin." The Oil Ministry's plan for "liberalizing prices at gas stations." The Etemad newspaper reported on Bijan Zanganeh, the Minister of Oil, regarding the details of the "liberalization of gasoline prices" plan. According to this newspaper, Bijan Zanganeh announced on Tuesday during a speech to private sector activists about a "special plan for liberalizing gasoline prices," referring to the status of gas stations, stating: "We believe that we should convert 4,000 gas stations into 30 brands and then liberalize prices." Bijan Zanganeh pointed out that "according to this plan, fuel supply stations will be divided into three classes, and only class three stations will sell gasoline at government prices, while the others can offer gasoline in a competitive market." The Etemad newspaper noted that the Minister of Oil posed the question: "How can we really control 4,000 stations?" He stated that currently, "we are dealing with 4,000 owners; why doesn't one brand come to have 30 to 50 stations? There is a station for Mr. So-and-so, and if, God forbid, he passes away, everything suddenly falls apart. We cannot pay money to prevent hereditary monopoly. The children of the deceased may have disputes. Workers' wages are not paid because we cannot pay, and then the station closes. Where in the world do you deal with this many station owners?" However, in Iran, "all station owners are individuals. There is no legal entity." The Minister of Oil emphasized that "we believe that we should convert 4,000 gas stations into 30 brands and then liberalize prices so that the private sector can become active in this way," stating: "Our stations are all owned by individuals, and there is no assurance regarding their quality, and people have to buy fuel with whatever quality the station owners provide." The Etemad newspaper also referred to the criticisms of the Minister of Oil of Hassan Rouhani's government, quoting Bijan Zanganeh as saying: "At the beginning of the revolution, we said we would build an economy that has both the benefits of capitalism and socialism. Now we have built an economy that has the benefits of neither and the disadvantages of both." The Etemad newspaper noted that "this is part of Zanganeh's sharp remarks in a gathering of Tehran Chamber representatives," and "the Minister of Oil, although he attended the private sector gathering to talk about a new era for Iran's economy and emphasized that he has no problem with the private sector and supports it, also raised criticisms regarding those who are non-governmental and emphasized that he has no obligation to support quasi-governmental entities and does not intend to support the private sector that does not allow for competition." The roots of the exclusion of "Zarif" from television. The Sharq newspaper dedicated its front page to a view from an interview with Adel Ferdowsipour and Mohammad Javad Zarif, an interview that was supposed to air on Yalda Night from the 90 program but was reportedly prevented from being broadcast. The Sharq newspaper described the actions of the officials of the Islamic Republic's broadcasting organization in preventing the airing of Zarif's interview as "a red card from the alarmists to Adel and Zarif," writing: "It was late last week when several news sites reported on an interview between Adel Ferdowsipour and Mohammad Javad Zarif. An interview with a football atmosphere that was recorded at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was scheduled to air on Yalda Night from the 90 program," and "in a situation where public opinion on news sites and agencies indicated that the public was eagerly awaiting the airing of this interview, on Tuesday night at the start of the program, Ferdowsipour, with a somber tone, poured cold water on the audience's hands and announced that this interview would not be aired." According to this newspaper, Adel Ferdowsipour, the host and producer of 90, apologized to Mohammad Javad Zarif and his viewers at the beginning of this program, saying: "Tonight, our interview with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was supposed to be aired, but the officials of the organization prevented it."