Warning About the Strengthening of 'Racism' in Iranian Society

The newspaper Jahan San'at has highlighted the economic situation in Iran, citing studies from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, stating that Iran ranks "seventh in inflation and nineteenth in unemployment" among countries worldwide. The statements made by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on Wednesday have received widespread coverage in newspapers. The newspaper Etemad has reported on its front page, quoting Ali Khamenei as saying, "Negotiation with America is forbidden," while the government-affiliated newspaper Iran has published a photo of the Supreme Leader on its front page, also quoting him as saying, "Negotiation with America is prohibited," but "Iran has no objection to the principle of negotiation with countries, whether European or non-European." Almost all newspapers aligned with the conservatives, including Kayhan, Resalat, Hemayat, Jam-e Jam, Khorasan, Vatan-e Emruz, and Siyasat-e Ruz, have dedicated their front pages to the Supreme Leader's opposition to the topic of "negotiation with America." The Jam-e Jam newspaper, affiliated with the Islamic Republic's Broadcasting Organization, published a commentary by Hoshmatollah Fallahipisheh stating that one of the reasons for the Supreme Leader's opposition to this negotiation is that "the conditions for equal negotiation with America have not yet been met, and since these conditions are not yet met, any negotiation under current circumstances is detrimental to the national interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is not evaluated in line with the country's ideals." The Resalat newspaper in its editorial stated, "Negotiation with America not only has no benefits but also has disadvantages. The first harm is tarnishing the 'brand' of the struggle against global arrogance that has drawn the attention of the world's nations to Iran and Islam for over three decades." This newspaper has even threatened supporters of negotiation with America in Iran, stating, "It is enough for the leadership to will it, and they will see millions of youth responding to the Commander-in-Chief's call, waking up those who dream of America in Iran, and giving the enemy a lesson so that they no longer speak with insolence and enmity toward the nation." Kayhan has also highlighted part of Ali Khamenei's remarks that contradict statements made a year ago by Hassan Rouhani in red letters on its front page, quoting the Supreme Leader as saying, "Imam Hussein did not negotiate with Umar ibn Sa'ad; they admonished him." This newspaper has also reported on the welcome of parliament members to Ali Khamenei's statements, stating, "According to the Supreme Leader's explicit statements, negotiation with America has been declared forbidden, and without doubt, the first concern of the parliament regarding the JCPOA should be to address it." The newspaper Shargh has reported on the election of Mohammad Reza Aref as the head of the Reformists' Policy Council, stating, "The first meeting of the Supreme Policy Council of Reformists will be held on Sunday afternoon, chaired by Mohammad Reza Aref," and in this meeting and subsequent ones, discussions will take place about the pillars of this council and how to interact with national and governmental figures; a council that has been formed with the approval and endorsement of the reformist president. The newspaper Bahar has warned about the strengthening of "racism" in Iranian society, following a report on recent behaviors on social media regarding events in Saudi Arabia. The newspaper Iran has reported, quoting Saeed Ohadi, head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, about the "disappearance of 71 Iranians" in the Mina incident, stating, "Currently, the identity of 42 deceased Iranians has been identified in the Jeddah morgue, but identification in the sense of revealing their names has not yet been completed." This newspaper has also reported, quoting Hassan Qashqavi, Deputy Foreign Minister, about the "identification of two Iranian corpses in the morgue of the Pakistanis," stating, "The immediate return of the identified bodies, not burying any body before possible consent, and cooperation in identifying the missing and determining their status in cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia continues, and we hope that Saudi cooperation will continue." The newspaper Etemad has reported on the presence of eight defendants in the second court session of the case against Ali Motahari and simultaneously noted that "the court officially invited Ali Motahari to attend the next court session. That is, on November 10, Ali Motahari must once again board a plane to Shiraz and see the airport where he was attacked seven months ago." The newspapers Qanoon and Ebtekar have reported on Mohammad Javad Zarif and John Kerry alongside Angela Merkel and Pope Francis as potential nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize. The economic situation in Iran, according to global institutions; seventh in inflation, nineteenth in unemployment. The newspaper Jahan San'at has highlighted the economic situation in Iran, citing studies from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, stating that Iran ranks "seventh in inflation and nineteenth in unemployment" among countries worldwide. This newspaper has reported that "according to the latest report from the World Bank on the Iranian economy, in 2015, Iran faces a decrease in economic growth, a decrease in its share of the global economy, a decrease in investment and national savings, a decline in government revenue and expenditure, and worsening unemployment conditions, while indicators such as inflation, imports, and exports improve." According to Jahan San'at, based on the latest report from the World Bank, the inflation rate in Iran this year will be 15.09 percent, and "although this figure improves Iran's situation compared to previous periods and marks a two-step growth for Iran, Iran still ranks seventh" in terms of the highest inflation rates in the world out of 187 countries. This newspaper has also reported that the "International Monetary Fund" in its latest report "noted the decline in economic growth and Iran's GDP," stating that "Iran's share of the global economy is decreasing and will reach 1.22 percent." Jahan San'at, citing the "International Monetary Fund" report on "Iran's macroeconomic indicators in 2015," has also stated: "Iran's GDP will decrease to 396 billion and 915 million dollars this year. This figure was estimated at 416 billion dollars in 2014," although according to forecasts, "this figure will return to over 416 billion dollars in 2016." Furthermore, "Iran's economic growth in 2015 will decrease to 0.8 percent (eight-tenths of a percent), down from 4.34 percent last year." The newspaper Jahan San'at has also reported that the latest statistics from the International Monetary Fund indicate an increase in the unemployment rate in 2015, showing that Iran's rank in this regard has worsened from 26 to 19, which means a worsening situation in the country. According to this report, "Iran's unemployment rate will rise from 10.6 percent in 2014 to 11.66 percent in 2015, and this figure will increase to 12.2 percent in 2016," thus "Iran is the nineteenth country with a high unemployment rate, and most countries with higher unemployment rates than Iran are European." Jahan San'at has also noted about the "European countries" that have higher unemployment rates than Iran, stating that "Macedonia holds the first rank in the world with an unemployment rate of 25.27 percent, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 27 percent and Greece with 26.78 percent." Three narratives from conservative newspapers on Khamenei's opposition to "negotiation." The Jam-e Jam newspaper, affiliated with the Islamic Republic's Broadcasting Organization, published a commentary by Hoshmatollah Fallahipisheh stating that one of the reasons for the Supreme Leader's opposition to this negotiation is that "the conditions for equal negotiation with America have not yet been met, and since these conditions are not yet met, any negotiation under current circumstances is detrimental to the national interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is not evaluated in line with the country's ideals." Hoshmatollah Fallahipisheh emphasized that "the Americans want negotiation for negotiation's sake, not for achieving results," stating, "The Americans are more interested in using negotiation to break the pride of a nation and impose their policies than in achieving results, whether in terms of de-escalation, international crises, or even in terms of repairing relations and ending crises. The Islamic Republic of Iran has always responded to the imposition of American values with resistance and has spoken of equal negotiation." The Jam-e Jam newspaper also stated: "In the nuclear issue, the negotiation that took place was for the purpose of repelling harm, as the Americans had used this pretext to impose sanctions against Iran and were pursuing an Iranophobia policy," and for this reason, the Supreme Leader "accepted negotiation as a topic but emphasized that this negotiation does not mean dialogue on other issues. However, after these negotiations, some raised the issue that Iran and America could negotiate on various topics and that this negotiation has equal conditions." Hoshmatollah Fallahipisheh, a former parliament representative, emphasized in his commentary in the Jam-e Jam newspaper that the Supreme Leader's opposition to negotiation is "because the conditions for equal negotiation are not yet met, and as long as the situation remains this way, negotiation will face prohibition. However, if American behavior changes and equal conditions are established," then "other positions may be adopted." Mohammad Kazem Anbarlooie, a member of the Islamic Coalition Party, wrote in the editorial of the Resalat newspaper titled "Negotiation with America is Forbidden," stating, "Negotiation with America not only has no benefits but also has disadvantages. The first harm is tarnishing the 'brand' of the struggle against global arrogance that has drawn the attention of the world's nations to Iran and Islam for over three decades." The editorial writer of the Resalat newspaper also stated, "We are committed to fulfilling our Islamic and humanitarian obligations and act accordingly, but since the other side has no obligations, one-sided negotiations are entirely to our detriment," and even if the Americans "sometimes fulfill their commitments, it is merely to design a trap for executing their oppressive and deceptive plans." This newspaper has also written: "Some believe that the JCPOA opens a new chapter in our relations with America and the West, thus we should not say or do just anything. These people think that we are moving towards de-escalation with America through the JCPOA. This perception is entirely wrong." Resalat then referred to the statements made by Ali Khamenei on Wednesday, stating that the Supreme Leader addressed a group of commanders and personnel of the IRGC Navy, saying that "those who are careless and naive regarding negotiation with America are being warned" and stated, "A significant part of the enemy's activities is to change the calculations of officials and manipulate the revolutionary and religious thoughts of the people." The Resalat newspaper emphasized that "for this reason, firmly, negotiation with America is forbidden," stating that "not only are universities and armed forces awake and on alert, but the people, especially the youth, are also ready. Now, with the Mina tragedy, there is a lump in the throat of the Iranian nation against America, and they are waiting for a harsh, tough, and strong response to the enemy. It is enough for the leadership to will it; they will see millions of youth responding to the Commander-in-Chief's call, waking up those who dream of America in Iran, and giving the enemy a lesson so that they no longer speak with insolence and enmity toward the nation." The Kayhan newspaper has also prominently featured on its front page, quoting the Supreme Leader, stating, "Negotiation with America means opening the way for infiltration." Kayhan highlighted part of Ali Khamenei's remarks that contradict statements made a year ago by Hassan Rouhani in red letters on its front page, quoting the Supreme Leader as saying, "Imam Hussein did not negotiate with Umar ibn Sa'ad; they admonished him." This newspaper has reported that the Supreme Leader stated, "Naive and careless individuals regarding negotiation with America say how it is that Imam Ali and Imam Hussein negotiated with their enemies, but now there is opposition to negotiation with America," but "such an analysis regarding Islamic historical issues and the country's issues is ultimately naive because Imam Ali did not negotiate with Zubair, and Imam Hussein did not negotiate with Umar ibn Sa'ad in the sense of today's negotiation, meaning they did not make deals, but both of these great figures admonished their counterparts and advised them to fear God." Hassan Rouhani, a year ago during a trip to Zanjan, emphasized "negotiation within the framework of logic and standards," citing a narration that on the night of Tasu'a, "Imam Hussein set up a tent and invited Umar Sa'ad to negotiate; an Imam who knows that tomorrow he and his companions will be martyred by this very Umar ibn Sa'ad and his ignorant companions, but he wanted to conclude an argument with the world, and for this reason, that night, he negotiated for hours with Umar Sa'ad so that the outcome of their confrontation would not end in war." The Kayhan newspaper has also reported on the welcome of parliament members to Ali Khamenei's statements, stating, "Representatives have taken the Supreme Leader's warning about the prohibition of negotiation with America seriously and said that according to the Supreme Leader's explicit statements, negotiation with America has been declared forbidden, and without a doubt, the first concern of the parliament regarding the JCPOA should be to address it." This newspaper quoted Hossein Ali Hajideligani, a representative from Shahinshahr in the ninth parliament, stating, "Just as the government acknowledges in its statements that it follows the commands of the Supreme Leader or intends to do so, it must also show this obedience to the guardianship of the jurist in its actions and prove it. The fact that we have dealt with matters and negotiated and met is not befitting the Islamic Republic's diplomatic apparatus; our diplomatic apparatus should receive this message." Ali Khosravi, a representative from Semnan, also stated the reason for the Supreme Leader's explicit opposition to "negotiation with America," saying, "In academic and university centers, as well as in institutions such as the Expediency Discernment Council and the Supreme National Security Council, there are efforts to theorize negotiation with America as the first step in relations so that the taboo of negotiations is broken."