The End of Zarif the Hero, The Beginning of Zarif the Accountable

The newspaper Shargh published a report titled "Billion Dollar Discrepancy in Blocked Funds," stating: "During the two years of negotiations between Iran and the 1+5 countries, news reports led to the expectation of hearing about $100 or $120 billion of Iran's blocked currencies during the years of sanctions. Now that an agreement has been reached, officials are unveiling different numbers that are much smaller than previous statistics." The newspaper Iran reported on its front page about "Rouhani's Nuclear Letter and the Leader's Response." According to this newspaper, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, responded to President Hassan Rouhani's letter regarding the Vienna agreement, stating: "The text [of the JCPOA] that has been prepared should be carefully considered and placed within the legal framework, and then, if approved, measures should be taken to prevent potential violations by the other party and to close that path." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, published a report on "The Oil War Alarm," stating that with the lifting of oil sanctions, Arab OPEC countries "will stand against Iran." The newspaper Qanoon published a cartoon of Mohammad Javad Zarif and members of Iran's nuclear team in a report titled "The End of Zarif the Hero, The Beginning of Zarif the Accountable," emphasizing the difficulties facing the foreign minister of Rouhani's government after the Vienna agreement and the need for him to be accountable like other ministers. The newspaper Hamshahri reported that Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, after a meeting with Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, issued an order to reduce the height of an unauthorized structure in the historical area of Eshratabad. The newspaper Shahrevand published a photo of a nuclear celebration on its front page, in a report titled "Return of Hope," examining the "repercussions of the nuclear agreement" in Iran. The newspaper Iran also dedicated its front page to the "Nuclear Agreement Celebration," stating: "Following the announcement of the nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the member countries of the 1+5 group, people in various cities of our country spontaneously took to the streets on Tuesday night, expressing their joy and happiness for the success of the Iranian delegation in this heavy marathon of nuclear negotiations until late at night." The newspaper Aftab Yazd reported on its front page about the "End of Extremists' Dominance," stating: "Perhaps expecting an apology from the hardliners who have recently aligned with the people is an optimistic expectation, but one can hope that in the realm of politics, nothing is impossible, and perhaps it can be predicted that one day the Iranian nation will see a bold headline in the hardliners' newspaper saying 'Apology to the People and the Negotiating Team.'" The unveiling of the "Billion Dollar Discrepancy in Blocked Funds" The newspaper Shargh published a report titled "Billion Dollar Discrepancy in Blocked Funds," stating: "During the two years of negotiations between Iran and the 1+5 countries, news reports led to the expectation of hearing about $100 or $120 billion of Iran's blocked currencies during the years of sanctions. Now that an agreement has been reached, officials are unveiling different numbers that are much smaller than previous statistics." According to this newspaper, Valiollah Seif, the head of Iran's Central Bank, announced on Wednesday during a cabinet meeting that the blocked currencies of the "Central Bank" amount to $29 billion, which are blocked in Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, and regarding the "blocked currencies of the government," he stated: "About $6 billion of Iran's resources are also in India, which belongs to the government and has not been transferred to the Central Bank's ownership." Shargh emphasized that the important point in "Seif's statement was that he did not mention China and its debt to Iran, which cannot be transferred to the country." This newspaper recalled that "during the negotiations that took place during this time, about $8 billion of Iran's blocked foreign assets were released and returned to the Central Bank's treasury," stating: "A few days ago, Valiollah Seif announced the arrival of 21 tons of gold bullion to Iran, which was also delivered to the treasury." According to this newspaper, Ali Tayebnia, the Minister of Economy, also confirmed Seif's figures in response to a question during the cabinet meeting, stating: "About $35 billion of these assets have been invested in Niko Company, which relates to oil company projects, and about $22 billion is in China as finance collateral; if you evaluate all these amounts, you will arrive at the figure mentioned by the head of the Central Bank." Shargh also reported that Bijan Zangeneh, the Minister of Oil, also referred to the blocked dollars in the oil sector on Wednesday during the cabinet meeting, stating that this asset "is almost $4 billion and comes from oil sales." This newspaper wrote: "The complexity of the matter increases when we read the statement of Akbar Komijani, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, from a year ago," as the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank stated in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on July 2, 2014, that "Tehran's financial capacity is under pressure due to the sanctions of the US, Europe, and the UN, which have led to the blocking of $150 billion of Iran's oil revenues in foreign accounts." In addition, the newspaper Shargh referred to the statements of Mohammad Baqer Nobakht in November 2013 in the parliament, where the Deputy of Planning and Strategic Supervision of the President of Iran reported on "Iran's €22 billion claim from China for oil and gas exports," and at that time, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, traveled to China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, and "media in Tehran reported that the main reason for this trip was to resolve Iran's $22 billion claim from China," and this figure "is separate from the $22 billion that has been transferred from Europe to the banks of this country." The newspaper Shargh also reviewed the statements of several Iranian and non-Iranian officials, including the Governor of Tehran, Asadollah Asgaroladi, the head of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, regarding Iran's blocked assets, and even wrote: "Barack Obama, the President of the United States, after the agreement, in an interview with the New York Times, also referred to 'the $150 billion of Iran's blocked funds.'" Hadi Haqshenas, a former member of parliament and economic expert, referring to the "statistical ambiguity of the Central Bank" regarding Iran's blocked currencies, told Shargh: "According to some statements from Central Bank officials, the blocked foreign currency revenues of the country in previous years were $150 billion. This figure, considering the annual oil and gas revenues of the country and the fact that we could not transfer currency, may be close to reality, but with a different combination; in such a way that part of the foreign assets of the Central Bank is considered, which previously had its rial equivalent injected into the country's economy, and part is also blocked currency that its rial equivalent has not yet been published." This economic expert emphasized that "Iran's foreign currency assets must be managed and entered into the country's economy in such a way that we do not witness an increase in liquidity and inflation and the emergence of the Dutch disease in the economy again." The narrative of the newspaper close to the Revolutionary Guards regarding the possibility of an "oil war" after the "nuclear agreement" The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, published a report on "The Oil War Alarm," stating that with the lifting of oil sanctions, Arab OPEC countries "will stand against Iran." Vahid Hajipour, in his report for Javan, referring to what he described as "the beginning of war in OPEC," wrote that in this context, Arab OPEC countries "are severely angry due to the war they must have with Iran, especially Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which have warned that if Iran increases its oil exports, a major OPEC war will engulf everyone," because Iran intends to reclaim its share from these countries at any cost. The newspaper Javan also wrote that Arab OPEC countries during the sanctions "seized Iran's share" in OPEC, "supporting ISIS terrorists," and now, after Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, Iran's Minister of Oil, stated that after the lifting of sanctions, Iran will immediately increase its export capacity by 500,000 barrels, Iran's rival countries in OPEC are also thinking about increasing their production to maintain their share. Simply put, Iran demands its share of the market at any cost, and the countries that have seized its quota are signaling to Iran that it will have a hard time ahead. This newspaper also wrote: "With the intensification of oil sanctions over the past few years and the West's precise planning to prevent oil sales, the oil industry faced numerous restrictions, the most significant outcome of which was the reduction of oil exports, which was immediately compensated by oil-producing countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq, and Iran's oil market was handed over to them. With the coming to power of the eleventh government and the return of Bijan Namdar Zangeneh to this ministry, direct and indirect messages were sent to these countries with the content: sooner or later, you must give back the market, make room for Iran." The newspaper Javan pointed out that "the markets of East Asia and Europe are Iran's two main markets, the former filled with oil from Arab countries and the latter with oil from Russia and African producers," writing: "European refineries, which were once distanced from Iran, have now begun the countdown for refining Iranian oil." This newspaper also mentioned the possibility of "increasing Iran's share of the oil market," writing: "According to analysts, Iran will be able to reach 60% of its oil exports within a year after the lifting of sanctions. European companies, including Italian companies Eni and Saras, have been negotiating with the National Iranian Oil Company for a year." To reclaim its share in the oil market under current conditions, the newspaper Javan wrote that "Iran needs two years, and the manner of its entry into the market has alleviated producers' concerns regarding falling oil prices, as Iran's entry into the market will be gradual and over a two-year plan," but "the Ministry of Oil is undoubtedly the happiest ministry in the nuclear agreement between Iran and the six oil powers, as it can sell its shipments at the lowest cost and also, with the release of its assets and claims, will double its investment in joint reservoirs." "The End of Zarif the Hero, The Beginning of Zarif the Accountable" The newspaper Qanoon published a cartoon of Mohammad Javad Zarif and members of Iran's nuclear team in a report titled "The End of Zarif the Hero, The Beginning of Zarif the Accountable," referring to the difficulties facing Iran's foreign minister after the Vienna agreement. Masoud Borbor, in a report for Qanoon, noted that "Mohammad Javad Zarif, during the many months he pursued Iran's national interests against global powers, had the support of the majority of the people and the media," recalling that in the past two years, "aside from the alarmist media that have separated their path from the national interests of the country and beat the drum of division alongside global opponents, most media in the country adopted a praising tone towards the 56-year-old man of Iran's foreign policy and at least did not consider harsh criticism of him appropriate," and this "supportive policy of reformist and independent media towards Zarif had several reasons. Above all, the media, like the people, considered national interests to be paramount above any other goal or purpose and were aware of the difficulties ahead for the Iranian negotiators." The newspaper Qanoon also referred to the internal opponents of the government's diplomacy and their pressure on Mohammad Javad Zarif in recent months, writing: "Internal opponents criticized and attacked the polite foreign minister of Rouhani to such an extent that the man who appeared in parliament and the National Security Commission more than any other minister in the history of the Islamic Revolution and answered representatives on various issues, became embroiled in challenges from impartial media." This newspaper pointed out that the support of media and newspapers supporting the negotiations and diplomacy of Rouhani's government for Mohammad Javad Zarif continued until Iran and the 1+5 countries reached a comprehensive agreement, stating that the Iranian foreign minister "must not forget that if he has so far been in the position of a national hero and received praise and support alongside historical great men, now that he has completed this heavy and critical task, from today he will be under the critical and watchful eye of the people and the media as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran." The newspaper Qanoon emphasized that "Zarif's mission as a national hero has now ended, and from now on we will face Zarif as a responsible and accountable minister," and "from today, the winding path of implementing the nuclear agreement and other complex global equations with all hostilities and enmities will be opened before him, and at every step and around every corner, the vigilant gaze of the people and the media will observe him." The order of the commander of the Revolutionary Guards to reduce the height of the "unauthorized structure" in Eshratabad The newspaper Hamshahri reported on its front page about the order of the "commander of the Revolutionary Guards to reduce the height of the unauthorized structure" in the historical area of Eshratabad. According to this newspaper, "The issue of the green structure on the northern side of the Sepah Square has come to an end," and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, announced on his Instagram that he had received the order from the commander of the Revolutionary Guards to reduce the height of the unauthorized structure and wrote: "Some time ago, I shared a matter regarding the construction of a tall structure in Sepah Square with my brothers. After the publication of the matter in the meeting...