Widespread Reflection of Obama's Interview in Iranian Newspapers

The interview of Barack Obama, the President of the United States, with Thomas Friedman, a prominent journalist from the New York Times, has received extensive coverage in Iranian newspapers on Tuesday. At least the newspapers Farhikhtegan, Aftab Yazd, Resalat, Javan, Vatan-e-Emruz, and Khorasan dedicated their front pages to this interview. The Farhikhtegan newspaper published parts of the interview under the headline 'Obama Criticizes Arab Anti-Iran Sentiment' on its front page, stating: 'This is the first time a President in the United States has elaborated on a diplomatic issue in detail for the public.' The Mardomsalari newspaper also described the remarks of the US President as 'a renewed criticism of the anti-Iran positions of US senators.' Other newspapers such as Etemad, Afkar, Etemad, Jomhouri-e-Eslami, and Tebalance also featured parts of the US President's speech on their front pages. The Tejarat newspaper dedicated its front page photo to Barack Obama, while the Shargh newspaper published a photo of Obama on its front page, quoting him as saying: 'An agreement with Iran is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.' The Aftab Yazd newspaper reported on its front page that Barack Obama stated in the same interview: 'Sanctions will be lifted.' The Khorasan newspaper also reported on its front page that the US President said: 'All Iranian people are willing to endure hardships for the nuclear program.' Most newspapers close to various conservative factions, including the Javan, Vatan-e-Emruz, and Hemayat newspapers, dedicated their front pages to presenting a worrying image of Obama's interview with Thomas Friedman. The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, headlined its front page 'Obama's Military Doctrine at the Heart of Diplomacy with Iran,' stating that the US President emphasized: 'My doctrine is that we engage, but we also maintain our military capabilities.' The Javan newspaper also noted: 'Experts assess Obama's remarks as a response to the recent proposal by the Iranian President to resolve conflicts with all countries.' The Vatan-e-Emruz newspaper, close to the Stability Front, described the US President's remarks as 'military threats three days after the Lausanne agreement.' The Kayhan newspaper, published under the supervision of the Supreme Leader's representative, quoted the US President as saying: 'The goal of the Lausanne agreement is to change Iran's behavior.' The East newspaper reported that five members of parliament, in their third official letter, provided the names of violators in the Mortezaei and Zanjani agreement to Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, and Sadegh Larijani, the Head of the Judiciary. According to the newspaper, these five members of parliament pointed out the 'failure to summon the violators and those involved in this agreement' and revealed all the names listed in the parliamentary report, stating: 'It was expected that as soon as the report was referred, the esteemed judiciary would summon all those involved in the approval and conclusion of this disgraceful agreement.' However, this issue 'has not been addressed until the writing of this letter.' The Shahrevand newspaper reported with the headline 'Opening or Disagreement in Domestic Politics,' referring to the remarks of Mohammad Reza Bahonar, a conservative figure, who stated: 'The result of the nuclear negotiations will impact the tenth parliamentary elections, and the presence of reformists in the tenth parliamentary elections will be more prominent than in the eighth and ninth parliaments.' Mehdi Pazouki, an economics professor at Allameh Tabatabai University, also discussed the obstacles facing Iran's economy after the Lausanne agreement and the potential finalization of the nuclear agreement in July, stating: 'Sanctions are only 20 percent of Iran's economic problem,' and '80 percent of the economic issues will remain the day after sanctions are lifted' due to 'economic management issues.' The Etemad newspaper, in a report titled 'A Trip to Tehran with the Dream of Reducing Tensions,' wrote about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's trip to Tehran, stating that this visit was made at the invitation of Hassan Rouhani and that 'the President arrived in Tehran just a month after his sharp remarks against the regional policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' This newspaper emphasized that 'Turkey, in recent years, has not turned the nuclear issue into a tool for opposing Tehran, unlike countries like Saudi Arabia.' Sadegh Maleki, a regional expert and analyst, told Etemad: 'After Erdogan's visit to Tehran in February 2014, despite serious differences between the two countries, today's visit shows that Ankara has a proper understanding of the new conditions, and the Turkish President's visit to Tehran once again demonstrates that they can adapt to any changes and pursue their national interests in the best possible way.' The Arman newspaper reported that 'AIDS patients face not only social problems but also treatment issues,' as many hospitals refuse to accept patients with HIV or AIDS. The Qanoon newspaper reported on the 'death of Hadi Saei's uncle,' a member of the Tehran City Council, following a confrontation with 'municipal contractors,' reminding that previously, Ali Cheraghi, a van driver, also died in August 2014 'after being beaten by a municipal contractor in front of his 13-year-old son.' Qanoon wrote: 'Only eight months have passed since Ali Cheraghi's death, and it seems that the City Council has lost the oversight of municipal contractors to Qalibaf, as this incident repeats itself in such a short time.' The Shargh newspaper reported: 'The tumultuous relationship between Tehran and Riyadh has been marked by a new incident. On Tuesday, it was reported that two Iranian teenagers were assaulted at Jeddah airport while returning to Iran after participating in Umrah. Although the source of this news was the head of the Medical Center for Hajj and Pilgrimage of the Red Crescent, who later denied it and labeled it as media fabrication, the Foreign Ministry later officially confirmed the news, and the Deputy Foreign Minister used the term 'near-assault' instead of assault.'