The Resistance of Bankers Has Been Broken

The newspapers Vatan-e Emruz and Javan have attacked the daily Qanoon for publishing a note titled 'Why Was the American Soldier Crying?!' in its Sunday, February 25 issue. Vatan-e Emruz, close to the Front of Steadfastness, pointed out that Qanoon condemned the publication of images of detained American soldiers, labeling it as a 'Daesh-like' act. The newspaper quoted Rasoul Sanaei Rad, the political deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stating that such comments about condemning the broadcast of images of detained American soldiers contradict national pride. Sanaei Rad emphasized that 'we had no behavior outside of human standards and norms with the detained American soldiers,' criticizing those who described the broadcast of the soldiers' arrest as 'Daesh-like' as either being self-defeated before foreigners or ignorant. The Javan newspaper also criticized the comparison of the IRGC's actions to Daesh behavior, stating that Qanoon has 'completed its submission to America.' This newspaper further stated that the critical note published in Qanoon is part of a broader goal to 'undermine the functions of revolutionary institutions and damage their powers in governance,' 'polarizing society,' 'fanatical support of reformists for American soldiers,' and 'creating human rights documents for the ruling system,' as well as 'increasing sanctions against the IRGC' and being part of a 'soft war' to 'change the ideological, cultural, and political beliefs of society.' It noted that since the eleventh government took office, the volume of media violations against revolutionary and ideological foundations has been increasing, and the confiscation and confrontation with violating media is a public demand. The Etemad newspaper, while publishing a report from a meeting between Mohammad Reza Aref and Ali Motahari at Amir Kabir University in Tehran, wrote in its Tuesday headline that 'the common demand of Aref and Motahari at Polytechnique was for students to participate in the elections so that the ninth parliament is not repeated.' According to this newspaper, Mohammad Reza Aref told the students: 'We will eliminate the rival with the ballot box,' but 'the reformists do not see themselves against the system.' The Shargh newspaper published statements from Ali Saeedi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC, stating that 'we did not interfere in the elections; we responded to the Guardian Council's inquiries.' The representative of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC also mentioned: 'In the elections, we will announce the criteria. We will announce candidates that align with the revolution. We will evaluate the best candidates based on criteria and indicators and announce them to the people.' Simultaneously, Yadollah Javani, the former head of the political office of the IRGC and current advisor to Ali Saeedi, wrote in the Javan newspaper that 'the psychological pressure from reformists on the President has been effective, and Mr. Rouhani's concern about a one-term government has led to efforts by government officials to empty the parliament of principlists and hand it over to the reformist moderate current.' Newspapers close to the principlists have also targeted the 'electoral lists' of the reformists and the record of Hassan Rouhani's government in the lead-up to the start of election campaigning for the Islamic Consultative Assembly candidates. The Javan newspaper, close to the IRGC, in its front page, published photos of Gholamhossein Karbaschi, Mehdi Hashemi, and Shahram Jazayeri with the headline 'Dirty Hands Behind Special Lists,' referring to the formation of the Kargozaran Sazandegi Party during the fifth parliamentary elections and wrote: 'Money entered the elections of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Iran from the fifth parliament.' This newspaper also stated that 'dirty money, dirty votes, and dirty social capital are three elements that threaten the health of democracy in the Islamic Republic.' It emphasized that 'the contamination of parliament representatives in the Islamic system with dirty money and indebtedness to such supporters is a warning that oversight bodies must pay more attention to,' adding: 'Otherwise, gradually, there will be no significant difference between the Iranian parliament and other countries, and whatever the system spends to rectify this issue is worth it.' Kayhan wrote in its Tuesday headline: 'Revolutionaries Should Cross the Bridge of Elections with Regret; America Will Intensify Sanctions.' This newspaper stated: 'The current conditions of the country are very sensitive for the electoral arena, and the West's plot for infiltration in this arena is still felt. The West's plot for a colored revolution in the Iranian elections has failed, but nevertheless, the West is not hopeless about infiltrating the elections and is heavily relying on the March elections, wanting to infiltrate through mischief in this arena. Therefore, as we approach the elections on March 7, we must increase our level of awareness and insight so that a pro-Western current does not enter the parliament.' The Resalat newspaper dedicated its front page headline and photo to Parviz Davoodi, the first vice president of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from 2005 to 2009, quoting him as saying to Hassan Rouhani: 'Mr. President, what is your economic record?' The Shargh newspaper published the reaction of Eshaq Jahangiri to principlist criticisms, quoting the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani as saying: 'Those who created Babak Zanjani and lost the oil platform should be ashamed.' The first vice president of Hassan Rouhani, in response to criticisms from Ahmad Tavakoli and Elias Naderan, two principlist candidates for the parliament who accused the eleventh government of 'hiding contracts and statistics,' stated: 'A reminder is necessary, and we seek transparency to provide the necessary statistics to the people, but those who use such expressions should be ashamed of the actions that left the country in ruins,' and 'the gentlemen spent all the oil money, incurred heavy debts, and left behind a debtor government that is said to have a debt of 380 trillion tomans in some statistics,' and now 'those who sold 22 billion dollars of the country's money under the pretext of stabilizing the currency price in Dubai and Istanbul at a low price to foreigners should be ashamed. Those who withdrew 17 trillion tomans in a month and a half without permission from the Central Bank's resources should be ashamed.' The Etemad newspaper, in a note titled 'Women's Demands from the Representatives of the Tenth Parliament,' wrote: 'Creating jobs, marriage, and the ethical pathology of youth are the main demands of women from the tenth parliament,' but Soheila Jelodarzadeh, in a note in the Jahan San'at newspaper, referring to the demand for '30 percent female representation in parliament,' stated: 'This issue is a requirement for the sustainable development of the country.' The Qanoon newspaper, by publishing a report on the strengths and weaknesses of the electoral list of the Voice of the Nation presented by Ali Motahari, wrote: 'One of the weaknesses of this list is the lack of attention to the women's quota,' as only two women are included in this 20-person list. The Hamdeli newspaper criticized Ali Motahari's action of introducing a separate electoral list for the Tehran electoral district, stating: 'Ali Motahari, by publishing a separate list, will become a ladder for the advancement of those who neither have his courage nor have much faith in his positions over the past years.' The Ta'adol newspaper, in its front page, emphasized that 'the resistance of bankers has been broken,' reporting that 'bank managers have agreed to reduce the interest rate from 20 to 18 percent starting from March 1.' The Shahrvand newspaper dedicated its front page to Sara Abdolmaleki, a 22-year-old member of the national rugby team who was involved in a car accident nearly a month ago. This young athlete told the Shahrvand newspaper: 'People were not supportive; my parents were grieving.'