Kayhan Censors Khamenei’s Remarks

After Iran’s major daily the Kayhan censored parts of ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks that he made on Monday regarding the ongoing nuclear issue and talks in which he defended president Rouhani’s proposals to suspend the activities in the Fardow and Arak nuclear facilities, other right-wing newspapers in the country followed suit. Within 24 hours after Khamenei’s remarks US president Barack Obama declared that the resolution of the nuclear issue had passed its technical issues and that what remained was “political will,” from Tehran.

Kayhan newspaper, run by Hossein Shariatmadari who has been appointed directly by ayatollah Khamenei to manage the newspaper group, did not publish any of the leader’s remarks about the two disputed sites and his defense of the suspension of uranium enrichment to 20% purity. The remarks that were eliminated include the following: “The Iranian side has done some of the things it could to bring it closer to an agreement. It has taken multiple steps: It has suspended the expansion and development of enrichment machinery, this was done because they considered it necessary to do for a period; the enrichment of uranium to 20% purity levels, which is a major accomplishment; to acquire the know how to enrich to 20%; those with knowledge know that to move from 5% enrichment to 20% is more important than enriching beyond 20%. Our young and dedicated technicians accomplished this and this is now suspended which was necessary for the talks; The Arak (heavy water) complex, which is a major and important technical accomplishment, has been suspended for now. Fardow, which is a major initiative that our forces and domestic elements have created to provide security to our centrifuges, has been temporarily suspended. Along with these major accomplishments, the Iranian side has acted on the logic of negotiations.”

An editorial in Javan newspaper affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards wrote a commentary on the remarks of ayatollah Khamenei but left out those parts that from its perspective convey softness. Instead it presented these words to be the major message of the speech: “I do not favor the argument that they make about first agreeing on the major principles and then finalizing the details. If they want to agree, they should make a decision in one single session.”

Raja News, a site close to the Steadfast Front belonging to the conservative hardliners, focused its reporting on Khamenei’s rejection of the two-step approach to conclude an agreement for which it reprinted the many reports that have appeared in the media in recent months, including remarks by Khamenei, against this approach. The site ignored all the other elements of the speech.

When one reads the latest speech one is bound to notice that the supreme leader is not categorical on the issue and by using the words “do not favor” simply expressed his taste. “I do not favor the argument that they make about first agreeing on the major principles and then finalizing the details. If they want to agree, they should make a decision in one single session,” he said.

A newspaper close to former president Ahmadinejad, Vatan Emrouz, rejected the possibility of reaching a “good” agreement in its editorial titled “Good Agreement, Bad Agreement” and compared the possibility of a good agreement with Obama’s administration to the fantasy of a Walt Disney cartoon. “The Americans are very far from reaching a “good” agreement with Iran since Obama’s biggest achievement has been to prevent the US Congress from enacting new sanctions against Iran, subject to the dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program. Is it not fantasizing to think that a comprehensive agreement will soon be reached with the US according to which “all the sanctions” against us will be lifted and foreign investors will rush to our country? Even Walt Disney cannot use such fantasies into a movie, let alone diplomacy.” Just two days earlier ayatollah Khamenei had said, “We agree with the progress that our government officials have launched and are making. I too will accept a good agreement if they reach one.”

A former member of the presiding board of the Majlis, Mehrdad Paziresh, told Fars news agency that one reason the Americans had presented a two-step approach to reaching an agreement on the nuclear issue was because they wanted to get close to the next presidential elections in the US and also that through this process they would identify the areas where they could strike at Iran.

Hamid-Reza Asefi, the foreign ministry spokesman during Khatami’s administration told Tasnim news agency that ayatollah Khamenei’s speech had two goals: strengthening the position of Hassan Rouhani’s negotiations team, and warn the Americans against killing time in the talks and to show them that Iran had not entered the talks from a position of weakness and thus would be willing to give any concession.

The commentary around Mr. Khamenei’s speech took place as US president Barack Obama said that the technical issues in the talks with Iran had been settled and that political will was now necessary to conclude it.

Obama’s comments indicate that Tehran and Washington have made their cases and that the technical issues have been settled. The US it appears has presented its proposal to Iran and now it is ayatollah Khamenei that must make the final decision to accept or reject them.