Swedish Ambassador: Scania Trucks are Manipulated for Diesel Smuggling in Iran

The Shargh newspaper reported on its front page on Monday that the likelihood of Hassan Khomeini's candidacy in the Assembly of Experts elections is increasing, stating: "Hassan Khomeini is coming for the Experts." The Bahar newspaper noted in its Monday issue that the number of Iranian casualties in the Syrian crisis has risen, writing: "The acceleration of movements on the battlefield in Syria has led to an increase in the number of victims of this crisis. Perhaps these new movements have also contributed to the daily rise in the number of Iranian martyrs in this war." The Bahar columnist emphasized that "if Iran's main interest in Syria is to maintain the resistance axis, this interest may be better served by supporting a new government based on the votes of the Syrian people," stressing the need to "set red lines for crises like Syria" and stating: "Emphasizing that Assad is not always supported by Iran may be the most logical position regarding developments in this country." The Law and Jumhuri-ye Eslami newspapers published reports about chants against Hassan Rouhani and Ali Larijani during a religious ceremony among the leader of the Islamic Republic, calling for action against the "hardliners." The Etemad newspaper reported under the headline "JCPOA Elections" about rising expectations for change in the domestic political atmosphere, stating: "It is expected that the country's managers and the directors of political factions will break the ice of domestic policies and prepare the atmosphere for a vibrant election after the JCPOA's conclusion." The Arman newspaper highlighted the insistence of the Guardian Council spokesman on "local investigations to verify candidates' qualifications," stating: "Statements by Nejatollah Ebrahimi, the spokesman of the Guardian Council, could be a topic of questioning and discussion among political activists and analysts. The essence of his statement is that to ensure the qualifications of election candidates, local investigations must be conducted, and information must be gathered from informed individuals." The Iran newspaper, close to the government, dedicated its front page to the "explicit criticism of the Minister of Intelligence against sabotage against the JCPOA." According to this newspaper, Mahmoud Alavi stated during a speech at the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini: "The prudent government did not allow the country to fall, and now some, instead of celebrating the nuclear victory, call the negotiating team traitors." This newspaper also quoted the Minister of Intelligence as saying: "In the past, when an operation achieved this level of success, radio and television would play victory marches in celebration of the victory." The Law newspaper published the text of the conviction of Zia Arabshahi, a former defender of the Persepolis football team, to "50 lashes" following a complaint by Afshin Peyrovani. Peter Tiller, the Swedish ambassador to Iran, in an interview with Shargh newspaper, discussed the bitter events that have damaged the reputation of Scania trucks and buses in Iran, mentioning "manipulation of Scania for diesel smuggling" in Iran as one of the factors contributing to these incidents, but emphasized that the products of this company, when offered in the Iranian market, "are no different from the products manufactured in Scania's factories in Sweden." The Farhikhtegan newspaper reported on the "silent arrest of 10 rapists in Qazvin," stating: "Ten individuals, three of whom were armed, repeated the crime of Khomeini City in Qazvin against young girls in a forest." Farnaz Estadnobari's report in the Farhikhtegan newspaper noted that "the defendants in this case attacked groups that had gone for recreation to the Barajin areas and the Zarshak road in northern Qazvin and raped the girls of this group." The Shahrevand newspaper dedicated its front page photo to the wave of support for "the cardboard sleepers," stating: "The support program for cardboard sleepers has spread to other cities" and "the homeless have received refrigerators, cabinets, and bookshelves." According to this newspaper, two weeks after the installation of "refrigerators" and "cabinets" in Shoosh Square in Tehran to provide food and clothing for the cardboard sleepers by the "End of Cardboard Sleeping Group," it has been reported that these programs have also spread to other provinces, including the installation of a refrigerator for free food supply in the three regions of Rasht and actions in Ilam to provide clothing for the needy. A new account of Hassan Khomeini's candidacy in the Experts elections was reported by the Shargh newspaper, stating: "Hassan Khomeini is coming for the Experts." This newspaper, citing statements from Mohsen Ghoreyani regarding his meeting with the writings of Ayatollah Khomeini, noted that while Hassan Khomeini had previously "postponed his decision regarding invitations to participate in the upcoming Experts elections to a suitable time," now, with Mohsen Ghoreyani's statements, "this suitable time should be after the mourning period." Mohsen Ghoreyani told Shargh newspaper that Hassan Khomeini said he would officially announce his candidacy for the Experts elections two or three weeks after the mourning period. Although the Jamaran website provided clarifications following the publication of Ghoreyani's remarks about his meeting with Hassan Khomeini on Sunday evening, emphasizing that what was conveyed was Ghoreyani's interpretation, not Hassan Khomeini's decision, and that the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini "has not yet made a decision in this regard." However, Mohsen Ghoreyani, a professor at Qom Seminary, confirmed in an interview with Shargh newspaper that he had met with Seyyed Hassan Khomeini last Sunday in Qom, and Hassan Khomeini told him about the possibility of candidacy in the upcoming Experts Assembly elections that "I feel I must fulfill my duty." Shargh pointed out that Mohsen Ghoreyani had also told the Ana news agency on Sunday that "based on the conversations I had with him, it seems that there is an 80% chance he will run for election and a 20% chance he will not." According to this newspaper, Mohsen Ghoreyani also reported the "support of Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, Ayatollah Zanjani, and Ayatollah Mousavi Ardebili for Seyyed Hassan Khomeini's possible candidacy in the Experts elections," telling Shargh: "On Saturday night, that is the night of the mourning feast, I was with Ayatollah Javadi Amoli and inquired about his opinion on this matter. According to Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini has good and strong scientific talent." Mohsen Ghoreyani emphasized that "there are supporters and opponents within the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary regarding Hassan Khomeini's entry into the Experts elections, and the views of the members of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary are not uniform in this regard," stating: "Ayatollah Moqtadaei, a member of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, told me that although Mr. Khomeini is not on the Society's list for the Experts, if he runs, he will definitely have votes among the people." The Shargh newspaper reminded that Mohsen Ghoreyani was the first to announce the possibility of Hassan Khomeini's participation in the Experts elections last May, and "after that, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani officially invited Hassan Khomeini to participate in the elections in an interview with the Tolu Sobhe weekly. The wave of invitations increased after that, and Hassan Khomeini refrained from providing a negative response to these invitations, although he did not provide a positive response either." According to this newspaper, Hassan Khomeini, who is the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini and the eldest son of Ahmad Khomeini, has been teaching advanced jurisprudence since 2013, and now, "having entered the fifth decade of his life and being in the chair of advanced jurisprudence and principles, the invitations for his first significant political and jurisprudential presence in the Iranian political system have increased." Mohsen Ghoreyani told Shargh newspaper: "The country's conditions are such that the government needs individuals in the Assembly of Experts who are aligned with the government and support it and preserve the system and the thought of Ayatollah Khomeini," and from this, Hassan Khomeini "is one of the teachers who feels a duty to be able to fulfill his responsibilities as a supporter of the leadership and the president in the Assembly of Experts in such conditions." An implicit criticism of the rising Iranian casualties in the Syrian crisis was noted in the Bahar newspaper on its Monday issue, which stated: "The acceleration of movements on the battlefield in Syria has led to an increase in the number of victims of this crisis. Perhaps these new movements have also contributed to the daily rise in the number of Iranian martyrs in this war." This newspaper identified the Iranian casualties in the Syrian civil war as "military commanders and volunteer forces" who had gone to this country "under the title of defenders of the shrine or, as stated by Iranian officials, in the form of military advisors with the aim of transferring experiences and helping the Syrian government to free itself from the clutches of terrorists," but "mainly were killed in heavy battle scenes, such as Aleppo." The Bahar newspaper wrote: "The acceleration on the battlefield in Syria, with the military presence of Russia and conducting air operations targeting the positions of the groups opposing the Syrian government, has strengthened the Iran-Russia-Hezbollah bloc in the Syrian crisis," but "the increase in the number of casualties in this war, especially among Iranian forces, also indicates that on the other side of this battle, opposing groups and also Takfiri and terrorist groups are strengthening themselves with more military and logistical support from regional and extra-regional supporters." This newspaper pointed out that this "has added to the complexities of the Syrian crisis and has further darkened the prospects for peace and ceasefire in this country," writing: "It seems that as long as military solutions prevail over political solutions, bloody conflicts on the battlefield in Syria will continue," although in the meantime, "the positions taken by the parties involved in the Syrian battlefield have somewhat kept alive the glimmer of hope for ending the war in this country; positions that are based on the internal realities of Syria and could provide grounds for ending nearly five years of war in this country through a Syrian-Syrian solution; a solution in which the Syrian people play a role in determining the future of Syria." According to the Bahar newspaper, such positions have been "officially and unofficially taken by Iran and Russia based on the temporary presence of Bashar Assad at the head of the Syrian government," including Hussein Amirabdollahian, who, during his visit to London last week, stated in an interview with The Guardian: "We are not trying to keep Assad in power forever," remarks that were similarly reported during a meeting between Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, and Bashar Assad in Moscow. Mojtaba Fathi, the author of the Bahar newspaper's commentary, noted that "the Islamic Republic of Iran's strategy for supporting Assad has so far been based on two principles: first, preventing the spread of extremism and terrorism in the region and threatening Iran's borders, and second, maintaining the resistance axis in the region," writing: "These principles, while noteworthy in their own right, cannot justify unconditional support for Assad and turning him into Iran's red line; because no country in today's world has eternal interests, nor eternal friends or enemies." The Bahar newspaper's commentator emphasized that "if Iran's main interest in Syria is to maintain the resistance axis, this interest may be better served by supporting a new government based on the votes of the Syrian people," writing: "It is fundamentally unlikely that a government replacing Assad would have ties with Israel that could disrupt the resistance axis." This newspaper stated: "Setting red lines for a crisis like Syria also closes the path to achieving a political solution and complicates conditions more than they already are," and based on this, "emphasizing that Assad is not always supported by Iran may be the most logical position regarding developments in this country." The JCPOA elections; increasing expectations from the government to resolve "political stagnation" The Etemad newspaper reported under the headline "JCPOA Elections" about rising expectations for change in the domestic political atmosphere, stating: "It is expected that the country's managers and the directors of political factions will break the ice of domestic policies and prepare the atmosphere for a vibrant election after the JCPOA's conclusion." Mojtaba Hosseini, in a report for the Etemad newspaper, recalled Hassan Rouhani's emphasis in his New Year's message this year on "let's work together to create a parliament worthy of this nation," writing: "Undoubtedly, he and other senior decision-makers and policymakers are aware that operationalizing this goal is only possible under certain changes in the current situation of the country." The Etemad newspaper described "Hassan Rouhani's strategy for managing the country and reforming the remaining and institutionalized disorders from the previous government" as having three main pillars: "the nuclear file, the economic situation, and resolving political stagnation," stating: "Rouhani's initial focus was on the nuclear file and removing the shadow of sanctions and threats from Iran and Iranians. He knew that by resolving the nuclear file, he could gradually correct the inflationary recession with the formula of foreign investment," and now "with the approval of the JCPOA, Rouhani's special task in domestic politics has begun; a task that coincides with the tenth parliamentary elections, the return of reformists, and the troubles of conservatives." This newspaper emphasized that Hassan Rouhani "must resolve the current political stagnation in addition to holding elections and protecting the people's votes and inject fresh blood into the frozen body of domestic politics," but is not oblivious to the fact that "maximum presence in the elections after all the cynicism that has arisen in the political arena of Iran requires a comprehensive action plan or electoral agreement with parties and political currents, centered on national interests." According to the Etemad newspaper, "the words and actions of Hassan Rouhani...