Rouhani's Press Conference and 'Unanswered Questions'

Most newspapers on Wednesday dedicated their front pages to Hassan Rouhani's press conference, featuring headlines like "Rouhani's Currency Recommendations" and "The Future Will Definitely Be Better from Today." The newspaper Shargh, in its lead story titled "Unanswered Questions," reported that during Rouhani's press conference, several media outlets including Shargh, Etemad, Iran, Hamshahri, Fars, Tasnim, and Kayhan were among those that "could not ask questions." The newspaper noted that for the fifth time, a reporter from Shargh participated in the president's press conference but was unable to pose his question. In this conference, the Shargh reporter intended to ask Rouhani about his electoral promises that sparked hopes among the people, including the removal of certain restrictions and the presence of women and minorities in the cabinet. Rouhani had stated that he was under no pressure in forming the cabinet, so why were the demands not met? A list of other media questions that were not allowed to be raised during Rouhani's press conference was also published in Shargh. The newspaper Arman reported that Rouhani spoke about everything from the JCPOA to currency rates and the voices of protests. The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, quoted Rouhani saying, "Fuel prices must gradually increase," while Kayhan quoted him stating, "Ask Nobakht about the 8% inflation affecting employment." The newspaper Qanoon criticized the "engineering of questions for Rouhani," stating that their question, which had not been able to be asked for years, was about the depth of recent protests. They intended to ask Rouhani whether he was aware that the voices of protests from the grassroots, which he claimed everyone heard, were due to the lack of appropriate mechanisms for delivering criticism and protests to officials. They also questioned whether he knew that the absence of various unions and the crippling of professional associations were among the factors causing turmoil in the country. The newspaper Bahar, in its editorial titled "Repeated Necessities," published a list of Rouhani's statements from the press conference that began with "must": "We must listen to the youth's voices," "We must control currency," "Non-governmental institutions and armed forces must abandon economic enterprises," "We must remain hopeful for the future," "30% of domestically produced cars must be exported," "We must work on culture," "We must provide assistance in the field of print media," "We must solve the liquidity shortage," and "We must seek solutions for university problems." The newspaper questioned why, in the fifth year of his presidency, Rouhani's statements were so similar to those he made in the early days of his presidency. It wondered whether he had not had time to address these "musts" in the past five years and if he would do so in the future. The editorial writer emphasized that these repeated necessities would not sweeten the people's lives but would rather bring additional bitterness. They expressed hope that if Rouhani's press conferences were to be filled with "musts" and deferrals to a bright future, he should refrain from holding them to save the time of journalists, himself, and the public. Sadegh Zibakalam, in a note titled "Why Insist on Press Conferences" in Shargh, stated, "It is not an exaggeration to say that every conversation Rouhani has had since his re-election has led to a decrease in his popularity. At best, one could say that none of these conversations have increased the president's popularity." The note emphasized that many citizens, some of whom may have voted for him, eagerly sit in front of the television to hear his words about life’s problems. Many of his audience face numerous challenges, including unemployment, air pollution, traffic, rising dollar prices, environmental pollution, dust in Khuzestan, increasing poverty lines, and decreasing purchasing power of the middle and lower classes, along with political and social expectations from Iran's foreign policy to difficulties in relations with the United States and tensions with neighbors. The writer noted that the audience is waiting to see what solutions and plans Rouhani has for these problems, but he "delivers nothing but beautiful and eloquent words and some generalities and promises, attempting to give hope for the future." Nader Karimijooni, in the editorial of Jahan Sanat titled "Running the Government by Reaching into People's Pockets," wrote that perhaps the most crucial statement from the president in his interview was about listening to the people's voices. The president emphasized that people have concerns beyond economic issues. However, in economic matters, Rouhani did not present anything new and merely repeated positions that Iranian citizens had previously heard from him and his colleagues. The editorial writer stressed that this repetition likely indicates that Rouhani has nothing new to say, yet like all officials of the Islamic Republic, he dismissed the possibility of the country's situation worsening in the coming months and promised a hopeful future. These promises were made while Iran's oil revenues, which are supposed to cover foreign commitments and Iran's involvement in regional developments, are not being paid, and government officials are forced to reach into people's pockets to fund the country's administration. The newspaper Shargh reported on the request from the Hope faction for the "public prosecutor's intervention" and "review" of the case of Saeed Toosi, noting that Toosi's acquittal has drawn many critics, including families of the Quranic children and members of parliament, especially those from the Hope faction. They claim that public opinion has been hurt. Families have reached out to parliament; the father of two children involved in the case has gone to the 90th commission to share their grievances with parliament representatives. The newspaper reported that members of the Hope faction met with the Minister of Justice and the Deputy of the Judiciary regarding Toosi's case, but neither the Minister of Justice's nor the Deputy's statements were convincing. Abdulkarim Hosseinzadeh, the deputy of the Hope faction, told Shargh, "Public opinion is deeply engaged with this issue. Therefore, when a matter transcends the ordinary level and engages public minds to this extent, it is expected that the public prosecutor can intervene at a higher level and seek justice." Bahram Parsayi, the spokesperson for the Hope faction, also told the newspaper, "In that meeting, we delved into the details of the issue. There were concerns regarding the progress of this case. The Deputy of the Judiciary and the Minister of Justice provided explanations, which were not convincing. It was decided that this discussion would continue with the presence of judicial officials in the Hope faction. The way the case has progressed is concerning, and it was agreed that the legal committee of the Hope faction would allow judicial officials to hold a meeting. In a case like Saeed Toosi's, the damage to public opinion and the hurt feelings of the people must be considered." This parliament member emphasized that "we seek to restore the dignity of the affected children in this case. It is beneath our dignity that some Quranic children have resorted to using psychiatric medication and are not in a good mental state. This case is very complex." The newspaper Hamdeli examined the situation of minimum wage earners in light of the protests by workers at Hepco and Haft Tappeh, stating, "The minimum wage for a four-person household in 1397 amounts to 5 million tomans per month," and considering the set minimum wage, "the purchasing power of workers has sharply declined again in 1396, and job safety and confidence in the future have worsened even more." However, "every workers' protest against poor working conditions is met with police response." The newspaper reported that in recent days, in addition to the strike by the Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers, workers from Hepco, retirees from Khuzestan Steel, workers from Chooka protesting three months of unpaid wages, as well as workers from Tehran's Nobonyad Metro protesting eight months of unpaid wages, and workers from the Shafaroud forest company protesting six months of unpaid wages have gathered to demand their rights. One protesting worker from Haft Tappeh told Hamdeli, "We are protesting for our rights, not for politics. We want our legal rights, but there are people in charge who have no knowledge or awareness of the sugarcane factory or company." The newspaper quoted one of the protesting workers saying, "If our only tool as workers is striking, their tool is politicizing and trying to convey the notion that workers' protests are anti-security acts," but "I urge the high-ranking officials of the country to be aware of these displays and games. We workers only want our rights and our human dignity and honor not to be trampled. Wasn't this revolution for the barefoot and oppressed and the workers?" The newspaper Arman reported on the construction of a 30 billion toman sauna and jacuzzi under a shrine in Tehran, quoting Qasem Mirzaei Nikoo, a member of the tenth parliament, stating, "A sauna and pool have been built under a shrine in Vank, costing 30 billion tomans." Mirzaei Nikoo pointed out that the cost of this sauna and jacuzzi was paid by the Tehran municipality during Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's tenure, stating, "The issue of financial resources and their expenditure, as well as matters such as the allocation of construction projects or assistance under the guise of support for cultural institutions, mosques, and religious committees, raises serious ambiguities," and "in Mohammad Ali Najafi's report, the issue of assistance to specific cultural institutions and expenditures outside the framework and principles for certain religious ceremonies and Hosseiniyahs" was raised, including the case of building a sauna and jacuzzi under a shrine in Vank. The newspaper wrote, "What need does a shrine have for such structures and constructions? Fundamentally, the construction of a pool and jacuzzi should not have cost this amount. These types of questions are serious for parliament and the public, and we expect all these matters to be addressed transparently and for the details to be pursued administratively and legally." The newspaper Jomhouri Eslami criticized the current state of "Friday prayers" and "Friday prayer leaders," stating, "Some Friday prayer leaders lack the necessary knowledge for this position, some others lack the necessary understanding of community interests and national interests, and some have become the mouthpiece for opportunistic individuals or power-seeking groups." The newspaper emphasized that in recent years, "Friday prayers have gradually lost their real function in many cities," stating, "Many Friday prayer leaders have turned to sowing discord instead of promoting unity and have sought the 'Great Satan' not on the other side of the globe but in individuals who are loyal to Islam, the revolution, and the Islamic Republic but have different tastes than theirs. They have forgotten the main purpose of Friday prayers, which is to promote unity, and have polluted the Friday pulpit with praise for some and slander against others." The editorial writer of Jomhouri Eslami emphasized that the presence of such Friday prayer leaders "leads to the discrediting of the Friday prayer stronghold and transforms an important and sacred position that should provide guidance into a platform for receiving and broadcasting orders and remarks." The decrease in participation in Friday prayers is both pleasing to the enemies of the revolution and the Islamic Republic and concerning for the friends of the revolution and those interested in the Islamic Republic.