On 30th anniversary of Iran newspaper’s launch
VP: Government Open to Media Criticisms
By Mostafa
Shirmohammadi
Staff writer
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on Monday the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian would welcome any “constructive criticisms” about its performance in the media, calling it a practice that would help promote national unity.
Aref made the remarks at a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the ‘Iran’ newspaper at the Iran Cultural and Press Institute (ICPI), a media group that operates as a subsidiary of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) and publishes a series of government-owned newspapers including Iran Daily in English, Al-Vefagh in Arabic and Persian-language sports newspaper Iran Varzeshi.
The event was attended by Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi, IRNA chief Hossein Jaberi Ansari and ICPI Managing Director Ali Motaghian as well as a host of current and former staff.
Aref noted that ‘Iran’ was established during a period when public attention had been diverted toward foreign media for various reasons.
“Recognizing this shift, then-president [Akbar] Hashemi Rafsanjani launched the newspaper to serve as a platform for the Iranian people and become a symbol of the [1979 Islamic] Revolution,” he said.
Page 8