The Mystery of the Identity of the Suspect in the 1981 Explosion

The newspaper Etemad in its front page on Tuesday titled "The Culprits of the Two Billion Dollar Seizure" wrote: "The official statement of the government's special task force pointed the finger of blame regarding the seizure of two billion dollars of Iranian assets in the U.S. towards the officials of Ahmadinejad's government." This newspaper emphasized that "Hassan Rouhani kept his promise" and on Tuesday the special task force of the government acted to introduce the culprits of purchasing bonds in the U.S., bonds that were seized by the U.S. Supreme Court to pay compensation to the families of American Marines killed in the 1983 Beirut explosion. According to Etemad, the special task force, chaired by Ali Tayebnia, the Minister of Economy, identified the officials of the previous government as responsible for purchasing these bonds in its 16-page report and requested that further investigation and decision-making regarding the factors of the seizure be pursued by the Supreme National Security Council. The newspaper Hamdeli also reported on its front page with the title "A Report with a Big Question Mark", stating that according to the report of the special task force, despite a lawsuit filed in 2003 and the possibility of Iran being condemned in the Peterson case, the purchase of the bonds continued until 2008 by the Central Bank of Iran, raising the question of "why no action was taken to convert or transfer the money from these bonds during the critical period from Fall 2007 to Spring 2008." The headline of the Tuesday issue of the newspaper Aftab Yazd titled "The Suspicious Movement Against Aref in the Presidential Office" serves as a warning to Hassan Rouhani. This newspaper wrote: "Hearing that individuals in Hassan Rouhani's cabinet are actively working to maintain the presidency of the principlists in the parliament not only causes grief but also indicates the ingratitude and unappreciation of some who are campaigning against Mohammad Reza Aref." The newspaper Arman in a report titled "The Mystery of the Identity of the Suspect in the 1981 Explosion" wrote: "The individual arrested in Albania, who played a role in the explosion at the Prime Minister's office in 1981, has gradually become a subject that every day law enforcement officials release details about." According to this newspaper, "On the first day when it was announced that this individual had been arrested, some assumed that the arrested individual was Kashmiri, the main perpetrator of the explosion at the Prime Minister's office, but the next day, Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the spokesperson for the law enforcement, denied this and reported that the arrested individual is a woman. After this news, some news sites speculated again and wrote that the arrested individual is Zahra Atiyanfar, but on Tuesday, "this speculation was also denied" and Hossein Ashtari, the commander of the law enforcement, rejected the speculations about the name of the arrested individual in Albania and stated that the police are seeking to extradite this woman to the country." The newspaper Vaghaye Ettefaghieh in a report titled "Concerns of the Last Speech" wrote: "Attacks on the government, the JCPOA, and Hashemi have intensified in the final days of the parliament." According to this newspaper, Javad Karimi Qodosi in the parliament stated: "Hashemi's blow to the revolution, Islam, and the nation in 2009 was no less than the blow of the hypocrites at the beginning of the revolution." The newspaper Shargh in a report titled "New Troubles for the Hashemi Family" reported on "intense protests against Faezah's meeting with Fariba Kamalabadi, a Baha'i prisoner." This newspaper emphasized that the publication of a photo from Faezah Hashemi's meeting with Fariba Kamalabadi, one of the leaders of the Baha'i community who was released on leave after eight years in prison, "had such an impact on the political atmosphere in Iran that perhaps no one imagined." Shargh recalled that Faezah Hashemi Rafsanjani was once imprisoned with Fariba Kamalabadi in Evin Prison, writing: "After this meeting, the image was published in some media, leading to protests including statements from Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who said: 'Faezah made a serious mistake and must correct and compensate for it,' but Faezah Hashemi in an interview with EuroNews Persian stated: 'I have done nothing wrong, I am not regretful, and those who attack for this reason do not care about religion.' Furthermore, 'my position regarding the Baha'is is a human rights issue. It is not right for us to discriminate in this way as a religion.' This newspaper also referred to the statements of the Basij commander against Faezah Hashemi and accusing the daughter of the head of the Expediency Discernment Council of "treason" and quoted Mohammad Reza Naqdi as saying: 'We must decisively confront these deviations.' According to Shargh, while on Tuesday, Saeed Rabdoust-Motlagh, the secretary of the central council of the Islamic Revolution Martyrs' Cooperation Center, announced the submission of a petition signed by 1,500 people to the prosecutor's office, Hessam al-Din Ashna, an advisor to Hassan Rouhani, also wrote on his Facebook page: 'I wish those whose great name overshadows their small name would instead of publishing images of post-New Year's visits, think a little about the consequences of matters and heed their father's advice. I wish they knew that by doing this, they have neither helped the host nor lifted a burden from Iran.' This newspaper also wrote that Javad Karimi Qodosi, Mohammad Soleimani, Seyyed Amir Ghazizadeh Hashemi, and Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Ali Taheri and 'a number of representatives of the ninth parliament have demanded the judiciary to deal with Faezah Hashemi' and Hadi Sadeqi, the cultural deputy of the judiciary, also stated regarding this matter: 'Faezah Hashemi's meeting with some members of the Baha'i sect is unjustifiable. This action was a mistake and has no justification.' Several newspapers close to the principlists also attacked and accused Faezah Hashemi for her meeting with Fariba Kamalabadi on their front pages. Among them, the newspaper Resalat in its front page quoted Naser Makarem Shirazi, a cleric based in Qom, as saying: 'Contact with the Baha'is is a crime and subject to prosecution.' Naser Makarem Shirazi emphasized that 'strengthening the enemies of Islam is considered a crime from a religious perspective and the offender can be prosecuted,' stating that they oppose the Baha'is 'not only because of their enmity towards Islam but also because they are agents of America and Israel.' Resalat also quoted Mohammad Javad Kolivand, the current representative of Karaj in the parliament, as saying: Faezah Hashemi 'must quickly rectify and correct this mistake and apologize to the Iranian people for it.' The newspaper Hemayat, affiliated with the prison organization, in its front page quoted Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, as saying: 'Those who are associated with the clergy and the authorities of the system should avoid norm-breaking more than others and be ashamed of such actions, knowing that if these norm-breaking actions lead to criminal titles, we will deal with them severely and without regard to their affiliations.' The newspaper Kayhan, while attacking Faezah Hashemi, accused several former and current political prisoners of having ties with Baha'i prisoners or their families, labeling them as 'a connection between the hypocrite movement and the Baha'is.' Kayhan simultaneously published an unnamed interview with an individual it introduced as a 'Baha'i suspect' from the 2009 protests. This newspaper quoted this 'suspect' as saying: 'During the 2009 protests, we carried out actions through text messages or the suggestions of the kids. For example, the kids said we would go on the roof and instead of saying Allahu Akbar, we would say Allah Abhi.' The newspaper Jomhouri Islami in a note titled 'Don't Make Mistakes, This is Not Human Rights' addressed Faezah Hashemi, stating: 'Due to your family position, you must exercise caution in establishing connections with individuals,' as 'you live in a society where some are trying to use any excuse to disregard all the jihadist records and great services of your father, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, and harm him.' The author of the note in the Jomhouri Islami divided the detractors of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani into two categories, stating: 'Some want to remove him from their path due to their thirst for power so they can monopolize power and do whatever they want with the revolution and the system, even if some of them do this with good intentions,' while the second group 'is tasked with damaging him to harm the essence of the revolution and the system.' The newspaper Iran reported that 'Soroush Farhadian, a reformist journalist, was summoned to the first branch of the Arak Prosecutor's Office on charges of propaganda against the regime and acts against national security, and after being informed of the charges and undergoing preliminary investigations, was released on bail.' According to the newspaper Iran, 'some principlist media referred to this reformist journalist as the main organizer of the reformists' campaign in the second round of elections in Markazi province, stating that the reformists sent him from Tehran to carry out the mission of winning in the elections during the second round.' Soroush Farhadian is currently the editor-in-chief of the weekly 'Roo Be Roo.' This newspaper also reported the arrest of Mehdi Bootarabi, introducing him as the 'manager of Persian Blog.' Mehdi Bootarabi had also been arrested in 2009. The newspaper Iran also reported 'conflicting news' about the release of Hamed Talebi, accused of publishing photos attributed to Mina Khalighi. According to this newspaper, while Abdolreza Davari, close to the previous government, announced the release of Hamed Talebi, responsible officials told this newspaper that the accused of publishing photos attributed to Mina Khalighi in the Telegram channel 'Geychi' has not yet been released and 'will be freed if bail is provided.' Meanwhile, the newspaper Qanoon quoted experts participating in the 'National Conference on the Current Status and Future of Communication and Media Rights in Iran' criticizing the 'double standards in dealing with media.' This newspaper also quoted Mohammad Mahdi Farghani, one of the speakers at this conference, as saying: 'In our press law, we clearly witness the right of accountability for the press; in this regard, if a mistake is made, they are obliged to respond and must print two and a half times the published material as a response. But is this accountability also provided for television with nationwide coverage and 80 million viewers? We have repeatedly witnessed slander, defamation, and insult to individuals on television, but no right of response has been considered for citizens.' The newspaper Qanoon in its Tuesday issue, inspired by the film 'Offside' by Jafar Panahi, published a report titled 'Girls in Offside,' narrating the entry of a girl disguised as a boy into Azadi Stadium on the day of the Persepolis and Rah Ahan match. The newspaper Qanoon also wrote: 'She published a photo of herself on social media moments after the game started, writing: I said I would go to Azadi Stadium, and I finally came. The 21-year-old girl, who wore five shirts and five pants on top of each other to avoid detection, is now facing a major problem; threatened with arrest and even death.' According to the newspaper Qanoon, a user in a comment threatened this young girl with death, writing: 'This rule-breaking girl should be arrested and burned in an iron cage in front of Azadi Stadium to serve as a lesson for all football-loving women not only in Iran but worldwide,' but now this young girl says: 'For what crime do they want to burn me? For what crime do they want to set me on fire? Perhaps for the crime of enjoying watching and cheering for my living team! Or maybe for being among the men who call me their honor. The same men who, when it comes to their honor, shed blood and give their lives to protect my kind.' The newspaper Vaghaye Ettefaghieh in a report titled 'The Pest of Tower-Garden on the Life of the Capital's Gardens' wrote: 'The condition of Tehran's gardens is urgent, and urban officials are aware of this situation, but the plan that could save the city's trees from the fear of being devoured has an uncertain fate, and many others are not hopeful for its implementation.' This newspaper pointed out that 'despite the efforts of some members of the city council to protect the city's gardens,' the plan 'for the protection and preservation of gardens and agricultural lands in Tehran' was referred back to the commissions again due to serious opposition from four members of the Tehran City Council. 'The Origin of Iranian Wealthy People' is the editorial of Tuesday's issue of the newspaper Ta'adol, in which Montazir writes: 'If you delve a little into the lives of these 'rich kids', you will find that most of their fathers, if not rent-seekers, have benefited from the advantages that the economic-political conditions of the country have specially provided for them.'