Reaction to English Language Controversy: 'This is Not a Playground'

The newspaper Qanoon in its Saturday headline titled 'Inquisition of the President' wrote: 'A small minority criticized Rouhani for expressing his opinions' and are trying to position him against the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. This newspaper, referring to the Supreme Leader's remarks about 'tolerance of dissent,' stated: 'Some individuals affiliated with specific factions and self-proclaimed loyalists apparently did not hear these words correctly. This group, who have been chanting the names of Imam and Leader for years, in practice show no sign of following them.' It continued: 'Anyone who speaks against their interests is labeled anti-leadership, and today they have turned to the President's remarks to position Rouhani against Ayatollah Khamenei.' Qanoon implicitly referred to the differing statements of Ali Khamenei and Hassan Rouhani regarding the English language, stating: 'The authoritarian minority that during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's defiance of the Supreme Leader's command 'swallowed their tongues' or claimed that 'the letter [from the Leader] was lost,' have now turned Hassan Rouhani's words into a lever to undermine the President and are trying to portray him as outside the line of leadership.' The newspaper emphasized that the authoritarian minority whenever they intend to 'bring down an individual or faction, they introduce them as opponents of the leadership,' and wrote: 'They had been attacking Hashemi Rafsanjani for his beliefs for a while, and now it is Rouhani's turn for an inquisition.' Sadegh Zibakalam also noted in a piece for Qanoon that he has not seen 'the Leader in his speeches even indirectly say that if I express an opinion on an issue, no one else has the right to express a different opinion on that issue.' He wrote: 'What we see today are 'eggplant round the dish' types who publish issues and statements in the name of the Leader and in fact do not allow criticism or other opinions to be expressed, and who speaks on the matter does not matter to this group, whether it is the President or any other official.' The newspaper Etemad also in a piece titled 'Do Not Play in This Field' wrote: 'Recently, it seems this honor war against the government has taken on broader dimensions and this time the scenario of this new, diverted, and more dangerous conflict is at play.' Joavad Deliri, the editor of Etemad, recalled the attacks of the opponents of the JCPOA against Hassan Rouhani's government, writing: 'Those who have lost hope in defeating the JCPOA have a specific analysis and distortion of every word and statement of the President and present that speech in a media space against the words of the Leader of the Revolution.' The writer of this newspaper noted that 'a general statement from the President has become a tool for positioning him against the Leader of the Revolution by Rouhani's critics,' writing: 'Now, Rouhani himself and his position and relationship with the Leader of the Revolution have become a target for destructive behaviors, especially since he has always emphasized obedience to the Guardian Jurist and the leadership of the Revolution in his speech and method. Although his words should be clear and unambiguous, for those who make mountains out of molehills, finding excuses is quite easy.' Etemad warned against 'the insinuation of division and polarization at the highest levels of the system' and emphasized that 'there should be no doubt that the path of this current will lead to one place and the smoke of division will go into everyone's eyes,' adding: 'It would be a vain dream that the moderate President, who for years has been a representative and trusted figure of the Leader in important positions, would stand against the Guardian Jurist.' Moreover, 'the communicative position of the President with the Leader of the Revolution is not that of an institution, a media outlet, a contract, or an individual. This position has its own sanctity and dignity. This is not a playground.' The newspaper Shargh published pictures of Mohammad Reza Aref and Ali Larijani, two potential candidates for the presidency of the tenth parliament, on its front page and in a report titled 'Hopes of Saturday' wrote: 'With the holding of a brainstorming session of all elected members of the tenth parliament on a day that was previously set for the 'Hope List meeting,' it seems 'Ali Larijani prefers to call the Hope List to a meeting under his own presidency rather than attending a meeting chaired by Aref,' which implicitly means that 'the followers who joined the Hope List in the elections will only continue this coalition if the Hope List supports Larijani's presidency of the tenth parliament.' Mehdi Ghadimi, a reporter for Shargh, wrote that with Larijani's action, the meeting of the Hope List elected members, which 'was supposed to be a place for brainstorming and consensus among all members of the Hope List, has turned into a place for determining the fate of followers who have entered the tenth parliament with the Hope List and now show a green light to the opposing spectrum to maintain the presidency.' The reporter emphasized that the current situation has led Larijani to 'extend a hand of cooperation to a spectrum that had recently published a pamphlet against him during this election in Qom,' and thus 'he, who had been able to introduce himself as a moderate principlist in the eighth and ninth parliaments due to his alignment with this spectrum, now faces the risky option of moving towards alignment with the opponents of the JCPOA to spend his political capital at the very beginning of the tenth parliament. A move that will position him as a player separating from the Hope faction before this faction is even formed.' The newspaper Shargh stated that if Larijani sits on the presidency with the votes of the JCPOA opponents, 'he cannot be the Larijani of the eighth and ninth parliaments and a staunch defender of the JCPOA' and will have to 'turn away from the current tactical alliance and lean towards the Hope faction,' but 'this is exactly the opposite of Aref's situation; because in the continuation of the presidential game, even if the majority vote is in favor of Larijani, Aref will still be at the head of a faction that, contrary to the alliance supporting Larijani, has coherent and unified positions on the JCPOA and also on domestic political issues.' According to this newspaper, 'if the rumors that Larijani has reached an agreement with Haj Babayi and Salek about tactical cooperation in the tenth parliament are correct, it means that he has made his decision. A decision that, more than harming the Hope faction, serves to benefit the hardliners who are now in the absolute minority of the tenth parliament but can reorganize and structure themselves under Larijani's umbrella.' Ahmad Gholami, the editor of Shargh, also in an editorial titled 'Who is Closer to the People's Vote?' examined speculations about the presidency of the parliament and wrote: 'Some individuals from Rouhani's government probably lean towards Larijani. After all, a significant part of the proximity of reformists to Larijani is the result of Larijani's closeness to Hassan Rouhani. It is easy to frame Larijani and Rouhani together in some cases. However, Larijani and reformists can only be placed together with a tactical approach aimed at the future.' The editorial writer of Shargh referred to the role of Mohammad Reza Aref and the possibility of his presidency over the tenth parliament, writing: 'Aref's option for the government and moderates is not an inappropriate one. It may even strengthen its popular aspect and give a more reformist face to the government,' adding that 'the Rouhani government is in an optimal position and after the selection of any option, it only needs to make a slight tactical change,' but this optimal position has been 'given by Aref's moderate personality to the situation. If any other reformist were in Aref's place, it would make the government worry about choosing between the two options.' The editor of Shargh emphasized that 'the political future of reforms is shaped by the decisions made now,' writing: 'The more genuine and popular these decisions are, the more effective and lasting they will be. It should not be overlooked that Aref was elected first in Tehran by the same people who demanded change. A meaningful and valuable vote.' The newspaper Khorasan, close to the principlists, described Saturday as 'a busy day for the newly elected members in Baharestan and Pasteur,' writing: 'Principlists and reformists are looking to attract independents.' This newspaper noted that the elected members of the tenth parliament will participate in four meetings on Saturday, stating: 'The elected members of the tenth parliament must attend four meetings, meetings that will be completely party and factional in at least two cases, and the presence of independent individuals in them and also the side negotiations will largely weigh the two factions.' Mostafa Taheri has a note in Khorasan titled 'An Insult by a Representative is an Insult to the People,' in which he wrote: 'The controversial statements attributed to one of the elected parliament members that were recently published have once again had a wide echo in social networks,' while 'not long ago, shameful remarks from another elected member were also published on social media.' This newspaper emphasized that 'these types of remarks are certainly not the first time they have occurred, and if not properly addressed, they will not be the last time either,' and at the same time explained that 'by confrontation, it means a suitable and proportional punishment; neither excessive nor insufficient. The punishment should be such that these individuals and others do not allow themselves to repeat similar behavior.' This newspaper also referred to 'the disqualification of one of the elected representatives of Isfahan,' namely Minou Khalighi, by the Guardian Council, stating that these double standards 'unconsciously create a comparison among the people regarding the sensitivity of the institutions to the violations of the elected parliament members.' The newspaper Aftab Yazd in its front page titled 'Common Line' wrote: 'Rouhani and Aref, by inviting the elected representative of Isfahan to the meeting of the elected members, this time practically defended Minou Khalighi.' The newspaper Vaghaye Etefaghieh in its front page emphasized that 'the voice of principlists has also been raised,' writing: 'Ahmad Tavakoli and Gholamali Haddad Adel reacted to the disqualification of Minou Khalighi.' According to this newspaper, Ahmad Tavakoli emphasized that 'disqualifying a candidate after being elected by the esteemed Guardian Council has no precedent. Any unprecedented act, especially if it involves the rights of many individuals, raises the sensitivity of society,' suggesting that the fate of Minou Khalighi's entry into the tenth parliament be referred to 'the Council for Resolving Disputes of Powers,' while Gholamali Haddad Adel, another principlist figure, stated: 'The next parliament must decide on the credentials of the elected members of the tenth term, but the issue is completely clear, and the opinion of the Guardian Council on this matter must be evaluated.' Vaghaye Etefaghieh also reported that Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the reformists in the parliamentary elections, 'has officially invited Minou Khalighi in a separate message.' 'Cities that became dormitories' is the title of a report by the newspaper Qanoon about 'dual management in the conflict between construction companies and municipalities of new cities.' Najmeh Jamshidi in this report pointed out that 'new cities were built to accommodate the overflow population of the country's metropolises,' but 'not only have they not alleviated the problems of the metropolises, but they have become a larger problem for them,' as these cities 'only serve as dormitories for their citizens' and are managed under two types of administration: municipalities and construction companies. The newspaper Shahrvand in its front page referred to Leonardo DiCaprio's Instagram post about Lake Urmia, writing: 'DiCaprio globalized the crisis of Lake Urmia.' This newspaper also dedicated its front page photo to a teacher and students from the border village of Qara Ayyeh in North Khorasan who have recently become famous on Instagram. The newspaper Jahan San'at dedicated its front page to the Tehran Book Fair, writing: 'City of Sun was surprised.' This newspaper noted that the volume of visitors to the book fair 'has exceeded what was predicted, and it seems that the visitor statistics are on the rise. Although the organization of the fair is improving, there are still some inconsistencies.' The newspaper Iran, close to the government, reported on its front page about the presence of 'global oil giants in Tehran,' writing: 'Companies like Siemens of Germany, Lukoil of Russia, and Lincoln Electric of the USA, which had refrained from entering Iran in previous years, have come to the first international oil industry exhibition in Tehran in the post-sanctions era.' The newspaper Arman reported that 'the Blood Transfusion Organization has confirmed the sale of blood,' and one bag of blood is sold for '5 million tomans.' The newspaper Te'adol reported that 'official statistics provided by the Secretariat of the High Supervisory Board on Trade Organizations indicate the closure of nearly 118,000 business units in Iran' and emphasized that 'the reduction of 118,000 business units in less than 48 days, of which 14 days were considered official closures, indicates the recession in Iran's economy.'