The final stretch of nuclear talks and the comments by Foreign Minister Zarif that the West needs to choose one: an agreement or more pressure dominated the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Saturday. Speaker Ali Larijani’s harsh words against those who hide behind the Supreme Leader to criticize the negotiating team along the Supreme Leader’s meeting with poets and literary figures also appeared on the covers of dailies.
Ettela’at: Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency have agreed to put an end to [outstanding] issues about Iran’s nuclear program.
President Rouhani told the visiting director general of the UN nuclear watchdog that the remaining issues between Iran and the IAEA can be resolved in a short period of time.
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani told Yukiya Amano that Iran does have the political will to strike a nuclear deal with P5+1.
Afarinesh: A number of unauthorized hunters have been arrested in Firuzkuh [northeast of Tehran].
Afkar: The Iranian negotiating team has welcomed the release of a national fact sheet on nuclear talks.
Aftab-e Yazd: “We need to behave logically not to confuse the youth,” said Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Aftab-e Yazd: “The opinion of the majority should be respected,” President Rouhani said, recalling the peace deal Imam Hassan, the second Shiite Imam, signed some 13 centuries ago out of respect for the majority opinion.
Aftab-e Yazd: We are only a few steps away from a final deal; some Western sources have reported that the deal will be finalized on Sunday.
Arman-e Emrooz: Foreign Minister Zarif sends positive signals from Vienna.
President Rouhani’s Chief of Staff Mohammad Nahavandian has joined other negotiators in the Austrian capital.
Asr-e Iranian: Friday prayer leaders across the country have urged the Iranian nuclear negotiators to return home with a good deal in hand.
Asr-e Rasaneh: The president has called for more efforts to pave the way for non-oil exports.
Asrar: “Government seeks to ease the daily pressure on members of the public,” said President Rouhani.
He further said that the decision to make peace is more difficult than to decide to go to war.
Asrar: “The Iranian people won’t leave alone those who are fighting on the diplomatic front,” said the chairman of the Expediency Council.
Ebtekar: Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has criticized those who make ill-considered comments about the nuclear issue. “Why are you hiding behind the Leader?”
Emtiaz: Items dating back to 2,500 years ago have been unearthed in Karaj.
Hemayat: The complicated gamesmanship of the West and the IAEA to impose a bad deal on Iran
Jomhouri Islami: A final round of intense nuclear talks is underway in Vienna.
Foreign Minister Zarif said that a lot of progress has been made in the talks; the president’s chief of staff has joined the negotiators in the Austrian capital. Catherine Ashton, the former EU foreign policy chief, will be in Vienna as a guest of honor for the nuclear deal.
Jomhouri Islami: One hundred days of heroic resistance by the Yemeni people in the face of Saudi aggression.
[That is the title of the daily’s supplement on 100 days of Saudi airstrikes against Yemen.]
Kaenat: “Our budget is 23 percent less dependent on oil revenues,” said the director of the Management and Planning Organization.
Kaenat: Banks across the country are owed some $30 billion in arrears.
Kaenat: Road accident deaths in Tehran have declined 50 percent over the past seven years.
Kayhan: A bad deal, which blurs Iran’s red lines, is being presented as a good deal.
Rah-e Mardom: A 16-year-old mugger has been arrested in the capital.
Resalat: “The US should choose either an agreement or more sanctions,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Rooyesh-e Mellat: “Iran and the IAEA have reached a better understanding,” the IAEA chief said after leaving Tehran where he held talks with President Rouhani and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.
Roozan: The final whistle of the nuclear talks is set to be blown.
Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi has signaled Iran’s readiness to cooperate with Amano [the director general of the UN nuclear watchdog].
Sepid: “When the 8th government took office, the Health Ministry had 230,000 people on its payroll; the number has now jumped to 460,000,” said Health Minister Hassan Hashemi.
Some 50 percent of the employees either have a high school diploma or are dropouts.
