Ministry of Culture Spokesman: We Will Enforce the Ban on Khatami's Appearance

Hosseini Nooshabadi, the spokesman for the Ministry of Culture, expressed a different opinion two days after he had doubted the legality of the ban on the appearance of Mohammad Khatami, stating on Wednesday, December 25, that he considers the ban legal and that "anyone who acts contrary to the law will be dealt with." Following the publication of an image and an interview with former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in the Sunday issue of the newspaper Ettelaat, the Public Prosecutor's Office for Culture and Media filed a complaint against the newspaper's managing director, Mahmoud Dowayi. However, Hosseini Nooshabadi stated on Tuesday that the Supreme National Security Council had not issued a resolution regarding Khatami's ban. He reminded that the council's resolutions are only enforceable when approved by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. He emphasized that the Ministry of Culture believes it cannot act beyond the Press Law with the media. On Wednesday, in an interview with the Mizan news agency, Nooshabadi said: "Regarding the ban on the individual in question, the judiciary has issued its ruling, and that ruling has been sent to the press and media, and the press will comply with it; anyone who acts contrary to the law will be dealt with." He stressed: "The Ministry of Culture operates within the framework of regulations and cannot speak beyond the law." Regarding his statements from Tuesday, he commented that "unfortunately, some websites and newspapers interpreted it differently, and some took political advantage of my response; I was actually discussing a legal issue in the Constitution at that meeting." Nooshabadi clarified: "The Ministry of Culture does not intend to interfere in matters pursued by the judiciary, and based on the interests determined by the judiciary and the ruling issued, we will also enforce it." He concluded by stating that "our discussion is not about confronting the judiciary" and added: "We do not support media that break boundaries, and the Ministry of Culture does not intend to support these media." Meanwhile, Mahmoud Dowayi, the managing director of the Ettelaat newspaper, stated that he covered news related to Mohammad Khatami after private correspondence with the Supreme Leader regarding this matter. One day after Mahmoud Dowayi was summoned twice to the prosecutor's office due to the publication of news about Khatami, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, reminded that Mahmoud Dowayi "has served the system all his life, both before and after the Islamic Revolution," describing the action against him as "a sign of anger" and lacking "rational, legal, and foresighted support."