The Start of Conservative Newspapers' Attack on the 'Nuclear Agreement'

The Iran newspaper reported on the 'acceleration of negotiations in Vienna,' while the Etemad newspaper emphasized that 'the drafting of the comprehensive nuclear agreement and its annexes, which had progressed slowly in the weeks following the Lausanne negotiations, is now advancing more rapidly with the presence of ministers and simultaneous technical and political consultations at three levels.' Concurrently, the Ta'adol newspaper, citing various reports including the invitation of 'Catherine Ashton' to the negotiation venue and the addition of Mohammad Nahavandian to the Iranian team in Vienna, stressed that 'the big agreement is closer than ever.' The Iran newspaper, close to the government, quoted Hassan Rouhani on its front page as saying, 'The decision for peace is harder than war.' According to this newspaper, Rouhani stated during an iftar gathering with governors and deputy ministers on Thursday, 'Resolving the nuclear issue does not mean that all problems will be solved afterwards.' The Iran newspaper also quoted a tweet from 'Rouhani's Twitter,' where the President of the Islamic Republic stated, 'Imam Hassan taught us to pay attention to the interests of the nation and the will of the people and society and to make decisions in favor of the nation and the Islamic community.' With the increasing likelihood of a 'deal' between Iran and the P5+1 countries, some newspapers close to conservatives, especially Kayhan and Vatan-e-Emruz, have launched a new wave of attacks on the 'nuclear agreement.' Kayhan newspaper, in its Saturday front page, titled 'The Makeup of a Bad Agreement with the Distortion of Nuclear Red Lines,' wrote: 'Given Iran's insistence on nuclear red lines in negotiations with the P5+1, the U.S. seeks to operationalize its goals of undermining the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran by changing the language of the final agreement text.' Mehdi Mohammadi, a former member of the Kayhan editorial board and a member of the Islamic Republic's negotiating team during the tenure of Saeed Jalili, wrote in the front page of Vatan-e-Emruz, referring to Rouhani's remarks about 'Hasan's Peace': 'If a good agreement is in place, why is the story of Imam Mujtaba's peace being brought up?' Vatan-e-Emruz even implicitly threatened that 'any agreement that significantly deviates from the system's red lines will have no chance of implementation.' The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, also wrote in its Saturday front page, titled 'One Step to Agreement, One Step to Failure,' that 'the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 made significant progress on Thursday and Friday, and it seems that both sides have managed to set aside some of the existing differences in the main text of the agreement.' The Arman newspaper reported on 'new findings' regarding the case of several representatives receiving money from Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the first vice president of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Shahrvand newspaper reported on the renewed protests of the people of Ekbatan against the construction of a Quran house and the beating of protesters. The Qanoon newspaper, in its front page titled 'National Wake-Up Call for Water Shortage,' wrote: 'Iran today is grappling with the issue of water crisis, and the necessity of adopting management methods for this crisis requires a precise understanding of Iran's current status regarding water indicators.' The front page photo of Qanoon is dedicated to Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari, the Minister of Interior during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, who spoke about the plans and electoral strategy of the Reformist Strategic Council in the upcoming parliamentary elections, stating: 'We are seeking rational competition.' 'The big agreement is closer than ever.' The Iran newspaper reported on the 'acceleration of negotiations in Vienna' and the Etemad newspaper emphasized that 'the drafting of the comprehensive nuclear agreement and its annexes, which had progressed slowly in the weeks following the Lausanne negotiations, is now advancing more rapidly with the presence of ministers and simultaneous technical and political consultations at three levels.' Concurrently, the Ta'adol newspaper, citing various reports about the invitation of 'Catherine Ashton' to the negotiation venue and the addition of Mohammad Nahavandian to the Iranian team in Vienna, stressed that 'the big agreement is closer than ever.' The Iran newspaper reported on the 'acceleration of negotiations in Vienna' and wrote: 'The steps of diplomats towards reaching a significant agreement in the history of world diplomacy have accelerated. The Coburg Hotel in Vienna, which has recently been at the center of world news, is witnessing exciting days intertwined with the comings and goings of the heads of diplomacy of major countries who do not miss any opportunity for intensive consultations with Iran and each other.' Maryam Salari, in a report for the Iran newspaper, noted that 'in the important and sensitive meetings of the foreign ministers of the seven countries last Thursday, the foreign ministers placed the latest directives from their capitals on the negotiation table, and after intensive discussions, returned to further consultations with their high-ranking officials.' In this context, high-ranking officials from Russia, Germany, France, and the UK traveled back to their countries to return to Vienna on Sunday evening to hold the negotiation table one last time. The Iran newspaper also quoted 'informed sources' as saying: 'France's position at the negotiation table, especially given the controversial positions of its foreign minister in discussions with the media, has been interpreted as a kind of obstruction to reaching an agreement, but France's position in the diplomats' meeting was softer and more flexible than Fabius's statements to reporters.' This newspaper also reported that participants in the Vienna negotiations 'are keenly listening for news from the sudden visit of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency to Tehran, so that if Amano gives the green light and openings are created to resolve the dispute over PMD, the completion of the nuclear agreement text will also accelerate.' The Iran newspaper also wrote: 'Iranian diplomatic officials,' including Iran's representative at the IAEA, 'described Yukiya Amano's presence in Tehran as very constructive. A presence designed by Tehran that could pave the way for resolving remaining disputes.' An 'informed source' told the Iran newspaper: 'The basis of the agreement is based on resolving this issue. IAEA and Iranian officials have agreed on a new framework to finalize the PMD issue before the implementation phase of the agreement.' The Etemad newspaper also reported on its front page with the title 'The Fever of Agreement,' stating: 'The pieces of the puzzle of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 are being completed. Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the IAEA, made a 24-hour trip to Tehran and returned. In Coburg, Mohammad Javad Zarif held mostly political meetings with counterparts from the three European countries involved in the negotiations and China.' Sara Masoumi, in a report for the Etemad newspaper, noted that 'Amano met in Tehran with the President and the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council; a meeting that still lacks detailed information but is said to have been constructive.' According to the Etemad newspaper, 'In Vienna, however, intensive technical negotiations between Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, and Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, continue; meetings that generally last several hours but have zero news output,' although 'given that most of the technical solutions were obtained during the Lausanne negotiations, it seems that Salehi and Moniz are outlining the roadmap and technical checklist that Iran must inform the IAEA about its commitments.' This newspaper also reported that 'meetings between John Kerry and Javad Zarif are also taking place in morning and evening sessions. In this round of negotiations, as in previous rounds, the most meetings have been between Iranian and American delegations. At one point during a meeting at the level of political directors from Iran, the U.S., and the EU representative, the three parties entered the negotiation room at 9 PM and left the negotiation room at 3 AM on Friday with progress in drafting the text.' The Etemad newspaper emphasized that 'the drafting of the comprehensive nuclear agreement and its annexes, which had progressed slowly in the weeks following the Lausanne negotiations, is now advancing more rapidly with the presence of ministers and simultaneous technical and political consultations at three levels.' The Ta'adol newspaper, emphasizing that 'the big agreement is closer than ever,' wrote that while negotiations in Vienna continue, 'two news items have highlighted the possibility of reaching an agreement more than before. The Al-Manar news network claimed that the UN Security Council has begun drafting a resolution to lift sanctions on Iran, and the other news relates to the invitation of Catherine Ashton to attend in Vienna, which experts say indicates that reaching a final agreement has become possible.' This newspaper dedicated its front page photo to the presence of Mohammad Nahavandian alongside Mohammad Javad Zarif and Hossein Fereydoun in Vienna and reported with the headline 'All Rouhani's Men in Vienna for Agreement' that 'Iran's caravan in Vienna in the days leading up to the extended deadline of the agreement is seeing more and more government officials; after the presence of figures such as Hossein Fereydoun [Rouhani's brother] and Ali Akbar Salehi, it was reported on Friday that Mohammad Nahavandian has also traveled to the Austrian capital to increase the weight of Iranian officials for influencing the negotiations.' The Ta'adol newspaper wrote that Mohammad Nahavandian 'the President's Chief of Staff, has joined the negotiators with special missions and for necessary consultations.' The start of the conservative newspapers' attack on the 'nuclear agreement.' The Kayhan newspaper, in its Saturday front page titled 'The Makeup of a Bad Agreement with the Distortion of Nuclear Red Lines,' wrote: 'Given Iran's insistence on nuclear red lines in negotiations with the P5+1, the U.S. seeks to operationalize its goals of undermining the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran by changing the language of the final agreement text.' This newspaper confirmed the possibility of a 'deal' in the Vienna negotiations, stating: 'The Iran and P5+1 nuclear negotiations are taking place in Vienna. According to existing evidence, there is a serious possibility that the text of the agreement will be sent for review to the capitals,' but 'news published by Western media emphasizes that at least in two issues of inspections and sanctions, this agreement seriously contradicts the national interests and red lines of Iran.' Kayhan wrote: 'Regarding inspections, according to senior U.S. officials, the focus has currently shifted from access to specific lists of individuals and locations, but first, the resolution of PMD [Possible Military Dimensions of Iran's nuclear program] as a precondition for the suspension of sanctions by the P5+1 has been maintained, and second, the Agency can access any suspicious facilities, including military facilities, under the pretext of verifying the agreement and implementing the protocol in the future,' and 'in fact, regarding inspections, only a change in language has occurred, and the issue of access to documents, locations, individuals, and military equipment has not been excluded at all.' This newspaper also wrote: 'U.S. officials have also separately emphasized regarding sanctions that the implementation of the suspension of sanctions will occur after Iran fully fulfills its commitments and it is verified by the Agency, and the issue of simultaneity in the text of the JCPOA has been circumvented.' Kayhan emphasized: 'Given current information and reports, the JCPOA text is written based on the Lausanne framework and no fundamental amendments have been made to it.' The Vatan-e-Emruz newspaper, owned by Mehrdad Bazrpash, a representative close to the Steadfast Front, also published an article opposing the possible agreement in addition to its front page and editorial on Saturday. Mehdi Mohammadi, a former member of the Kayhan editorial board and a member of the Islamic Republic's negotiating team during Saeed Jalili's leadership of the negotiations, wrote in the front page of Vatan-e-Emruz, referring to Rouhani's remarks about 'Hasan's Peace': 'If a good agreement is in place, why is the story of Imam Mujtaba's peace being brought up?' This newspaper emphasized that the likelihood of an agreement between Iran and the P5+1 is strengthening, stating: 'The nuclear negotiations are nearing their final days and perhaps hours. From within the negotiations and from the numerous statements and positions, one point emerges, and that is the determination of both sides to finalize the text of an agreement in this round of negotiations.' The writer of Vatan-e-Emruz stated: 'The Americans' intentions are clear; they have explicitly stated that they have achieved the main points they wanted in Lausanne, and now they have no strategy other than to maintain the Lausanne framework,' as 'the Lausanne statement fulfills the U.S.'s key objective of long-term limiting Iran's nuclear program while maintaining pressures and expanding a special inspection regime in Iran.' Vatan-e-Emruz wrote: 'What is now important is that Mr. Rouhani, as the President who has explicitly promised the people that in any nuclear agreement Iran's rights will be fully preserved and all sanctions will be lifted, will do under these conditions? Additionally, the question arises as to what decision the nuclear negotiating team, which the Supreme Leader has praised with the attributes of bravery, zeal, faith, and trustworthiness, will make in the coming days? All these questions are, in fact, the prelude to a larger question: what is the relationship between the drafted JCPOA text and the red lines of the Islamic Republic or, better yet, with the security and livelihood of the Iranian people? Is this agreement what is claimed, or is it that through techniques such as complicating and ambiguous writing, it is an American fact sheet that has been slightly rearranged?' Mehdi Mohammadi emphasized in this newspaper's report that 'any agreement that significantly deviates from the system's red lines will have no chance of implementation, as the Islamic Republic does not intend to jeopardize its values, security, and the livelihood of its people merely to please the Americans.'