The 'Efficient Front'; Coalition of Ministers from the Ninth and Tenth Governments Minus Ahmadinejad

The newspaper Etemad reported on its front page on Tuesday, quoting Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, stating: "Ballot boxes must be transparent" and "candidates should not be threatened." The newspaper noted that the phrase "ballot boxes must be transparent" was echoed by both the President and the Speaker within 24 hours, but this was not the only commonality in the statements of Hassan Rouhani and Ali Larijani in a gathering of governors. Larijani's remarks on Sunday regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections included other points that were raised differently by Rouhani a day earlier, including that "agencies should not threaten candidates with disqualification." The newspaper Shahrevand highlighted the remarks of the Attorney General regarding the existence of 18,000 land-grabbing cases and referenced the governor of Shemiranat mentioning the "occupation of 818 hectares" of land in this province by armed forces, stating: "If the armed forces need land in the area, they should act legally rather than restrict land by erecting barbed wire wherever they reach." The newspaper Shargh discussed the latest status of "women's entry into sports competition halls," particularly the World Volleyball League, in an interview with Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, quoting her as saying: "The police, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Sports" have signed an agreement for "women's entry into sports halls," but this decree is awaiting the approval of the Minister of Sports and Youth. The newspaper Resalat, close to conservatives, reported that several ministers from the ninth and tenth governments have formed the "Efficient Front and Transformation of Islamic Iran" without Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and are preparing for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The newspaper Arman, while publishing a portrait of Ali Motahari on its front page, reported on this parliament member's letter to Hassan Rouhani, stating: "On Sunday, Ali Motahari, who had previously noticed the hardliners' methods to cancel his speeches, protested this situation in a letter to the President and called for preventing the cancellation of speeches, stating that unrelated institutions should not interfere in executive affairs." Concurrently with the publication of Motahari's letter, Es'haq Jahangiri, the First Vice President, emphasized during a conference of governors across the country that "governors must maintain their managerial authority. Legal speech sessions in counties should not be disrupted, and it should not be allowed for some to stand against the law. Laws must always be the criterion." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, reported on its front page that "John Kerry is satisfied with 6 hours" of individual diplomacy with Mohammad Javad Zarif, stating: "The foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S. concluded their intense nuclear negotiations in Geneva after six hours." The newspaper noted: "John Kerry said he had very constructive negotiations with Mohammad Javad Zarif, but Zarif, without specific description of the negotiation atmosphere, stated that multiple points of contention remain, which will be tested with full-time work over the next four weeks to see if an agreement can be reached or not." The newspaper Kayhan, published under the supervision of the Supreme Leader's representative, emphasized on its front page that Iran must "sanction America's European accomplices." The newspaper wrote: "While Western negotiating countries are constantly intensifying sanctions against our country alongside nuclear negotiations, unfortunately, no movement has been observed from the Iranian side to pressure America's accomplices in sanctioning Iran. Evidence shows that Iran's hand is completely open for this retaliation." The newspaper Jahan San'at reported on its front page that "the single-digit inflation rate, independence of the central bank, and exit from dependence on oil revenues were the main focus of the 25th monetary and currency policy conference." According to the newspaper, Ali Tayebnia, the Minister of Economy, announced at the monetary and currency policy conference Iran's plan to achieve a single-digit inflation rate, stating that "the government has so far managed to control inflation with some discipline and regulations, which is an achievement; however, controlling inflation has now entered its core, and from now on, the government must increase its efforts to reduce the inflation rate." The newspaper Iran also reported on the formation of "special courts for unauthorized financial institutions" and quoted Valiollah Seif, the Central Bank Governor, stating: "The Chief Justice has ordered the formation of special courts to deal with unauthorized institutions." Larijani's electoral alignment with Rouhani; "Ballot boxes must be transparent" The newspaper Etemad reported on its front page quoting Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, stating: "Ballot boxes must be transparent" and "candidates should not be threatened." The newspaper noted: "Ballot boxes must be transparent"; this is a phrase that was echoed by both the President and the Speaker within 24 hours, but this was not the only commonality in the statements of Hassan Rouhani and Ali Larijani in a gathering of governors. Larijani emphasized that "the best choice is made by the people," stating that "while candidates have duties, they also have rights. They should not be threatened by various agencies that if they say such a thing, we will disqualify them. These individuals are candidates for the parliament, meaning they must defend the rights of the people. It is true that they may be candidates from a small town, but according to the Constitution, a parliament member represents the people; if threatened, their personality is crushed, and they can no longer defend the rights of the people." The Speaker of the Ninth Parliament also stated: "We must create conditions for maximum participation in elections, which is a great support for the people, the revolution, national security, and the preservation of the national interests of the country. If we consider this as a principle, we must organize actions. First, we must create healthy and real competition in the country. Competition must be real and not just in speeches, and people must feel that there are diverse votes in the country. Both the Ministry of Interior and political parties must strive for diverse votes to exist." According to Etemad, Ali Larijani also emphasized the "necessity of maintaining national security in elections" and stated: "Elections are not a place where we undermine national security. Our support is national security, not that we distort it and create division among ethnicities. Sometimes some speak in a way that national security is compromised and becomes a tool for foreign countries to undermine Iran." In another part of his speech, the Speaker also addressed the importance of "holding healthy elections" and stated: "Our strategy should be that if someone commits an offense, we should remove that individual, not deprive the people. If elections are annulled, the people suffer. Our strategy should be to remove those who disrupt, but the people's votes must be preserved. Here, the executive boards become important." Ali Larijani emphasized that "election boxes must be transparent," stating: "In a foggy atmosphere, the presence of the people diminishes. For example, the more transparent the election boxes are, the more trust the people have, and from the first hours when they bring the boxes, they see inside them. This is a small but important issue." The newspaper Etemad, referring to the "commonality" in the statements of Hassan Rouhani and Ali Larijani, wrote: "It seems that the alignment of the heads of the executive and legislative branches is not a meaningless slogan. At least their expression of concerns indicates this, especially in a situation where many predict that the Speaker of the Parliament and his allies are preparing to align with the supporters of the government for the elections on Esfand 7." According to the newspaper, Ali Larijani, who has now distanced himself from the conservative critics of the government more than ever, albeit with a milder and more calculated tone, is moving along the same line as the government and has even spoken of "healthy elections" and emphasized that "the necessary conditions must be provided for society." Etemad wrote that with his remarks on Sunday, Ali Larijani "showed that so far he has not left Hassan Rouhani alone in executing the parliamentary elections, just as he previously stood firmly behind the government during the nuclear negotiations and reiterated his nuclear positions on Sunday." The existence of 18,000 land-grabbing cases; occupation of 818 hectares in Shemiranat by armed forces The newspaper Shahrevand highlighted the remarks of the Attorney General regarding the existence of 18,000 land-grabbing cases and quoted the governor of Shemiranat stating: "If the armed forces need land in the area, they should act legally rather than restrict land by erecting barbed wire wherever they reach." The newspaper wrote that "although a while ago, the legal advisor to the President mentioned the existence of over 100,000 land-grabbing cases in the country and provided statistics that are less discussed," on Sunday, Ebrahim Raisi, the Attorney General, in the third session of the Council for the Preservation of Public Property in Shemiranat, referred to the judiciary's determination to combat violations, stating: "So far, 40,000 hectares of national lands that were occupied in the country have been reclaimed, and 18,000 cases have been formed in this regard in the judiciary, and their follow-up process is ongoing." Ebrahim Raisi emphasized that "no meter of national land should be allowed to be encroached upon" regarding land occupation and illegal constructions, stating: "Undiscriminating confrontation with corruption must be on the agenda. Cases that are formed in this regard in various agencies and referred to the judiciary must be pursued with a jihadist determination and dealt with decisively with violators, according to the Supreme Leader's directives." The Attorney General mentioned "illegal permits" as one of the challenges in combating land grabbers, stating: "Some agencies create inappropriate grounds for individuals to misuse national resources by issuing incorrect permits. It is regrettable that some governmental agencies issue permits illegally and create the grounds for the occupation of national lands, which will cause many problems for the country in the future." The newspaper Shahrevand also reported that Ezzatollah Khan Mohammadi, the governor of Shemiranat, in the third session of the Council for the Preservation of Public Property in this county, presented a report on the statistics of reclaimed national lands, stating: "So far, about 7 trillion and 300 billion tomans have been returned to public property in the direction of reclaiming national lands." Ezzatollah Khan Mohammadi, referring to the Supreme Leader's remarks regarding attention to the heights of Tehran province and the phenomenon of land and mountain grabbing, stated: "Given the attractions that Shemiranat has, the issue of national land occupation has been significant, and the negligence of relevant agencies over the past 15 years has exacerbated this issue." The governor of Shemiranat reported the existence of 1,550 cases in the field of national land occupation in this county, stating: "In 180 cases, rulings have been issued, of which 22 rulings have been executed, and 40 rulings remain that will soon be executed, with the monetary value of the cases being pursued amounting to over 352 billion tomans." Ezzatollah Khan Mohammadi criticized that 818 hectares of national lands in Shemiranat are occupied by armed forces, stating: "If the armed forces need land in the area, they should act legally rather than restrict land by erecting barbed wire wherever they reach. We are determined to pursue these matters as, according to the Supreme Leader's directives, no individual or group has the right to encroach upon national lands." Molaverdi: The signed permit for women's entry into volleyball competition halls is awaiting notification The newspaper Shargh discussed the latest status of "women's entry into sports competition halls," particularly the World Volleyball League, in an interview with Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, quoting her as saying: "The police, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Sports" have signed an agreement for "women's entry into sports halls," but this decree is awaiting the approval of the Minister of Sports and Youth. Fatemeh Jamalpour, a reporter for the newspaper Shargh, noted that "there are 18 days left until Iran hosts the World Volleyball League, and the status of women's entry into volleyball halls is still unclear," reminding that Shahindokht Molaverdi had previously announced that "women's entry into volleyball halls has been finally approved," but still "there is no news from the Ministry of Sports regarding women's entry or not." Shahindokht Molaverdi, regarding whether "the doors of Azadi Stadium will finally be opened for women to watch volleyball games or not," told the newspaper Shargh: "The minutes of women's entry into volleyball halls have been signed by representatives of the police, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Sports and Youth and are awaiting the Minister of Sports and Youth's notification.