The comments Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made at a meeting with members of the Assembly of Experts on Thursday were on the front page of almost every newspaper on Saturday (September 6). Depending on their political leanings, different dailies headlined the story differently. For instance, Javan newspaper, which is close to principlists, quoted the leader as saying, “We need to get ready to play a role in a new world order.” Tafahom cited Ayatollah Khamenei as saying, “Differences over political approaches shouldn’t chip away at [national] unity.” Another headline-grabbing story centered on bilateral talks between Tehran and Washington underway in Geneva prior to negotiations later in September between Iran and P5+1 in New York.

Ebtekar: “Everyone has a duty to support the government,” the Supreme Leader told members of the Assembly of Experts. Following those comments a number of principlists, who have been widely known for their caustic criticism of the 11^th government ever since it took office in August 2013, toned down their rhetoric.

Ebtekar: City of Mice, the latest movie by Marziyeh Borumand rakes in over one billion tomans at the box office in a little more than a week. The puppet show, which makes many Iranians feel nostalgic, has thrown a lifeline to Iranian movie theaters.

Ebtekar: “Where does Hashemi stand in the establishment?” is the title of the newspaper’s editorial by Mohammad Ali Vakili who says in the early years of the revolution Hashemi Rafsanjani was the target of anti-revolutionary elements and later came under attack from hardliners within the establishment. But he managed to ride out the storm and remain part of the system.

Ettela’at quotes Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh as saying that sanctions are no longer as serious an impediment to the Iranian oil industry as they used to be.

Ettela’at:“President Hassan Rouhani has praised Iranian sportsmen and women who have struck medals at international events.”

Tafahom: “News websites which do not have license to operate will be closed down,” deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Hossein Entezami said.

Javan: “Controversial handover of public schools to the private sector.” This headline takes a swipe at the Education Ministry for its decision to hand over some public schools to founders of non-governmental education institutes and says while such a decision could be ideal in reducing the dependence of the education system on state budget, commercialization of educational services is anything but.

Javan, which makes no secret of its critical view of the government and uses every opportunity to imply that nuclear talks with P5+1 would lead nowhere, puts the Iranian deputy foreign minister and his US counterpart on its front page. The image in which the two diplomats are in a face-to-face posture is captioned, “Nuclear talks are not the same as reestablishing ties with the US.”

Roozan: “Some 1,800 Iranian workers died in workplace accidents in the 12 months to March 21, 2014. Almost 90 percent of them had no insurance,” the deputy minister of labor said.

Haft-e Sobh: “The mystery surrounding an Iranian general” is the title of the daily’s lead story which says foreign news outlets keep reporting that Iran’s Ghasem Soleimani [commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force] plays a role in the fight against ISIL militants in Iraq, but Tehran does not confirm the news.

Aftab-e Yazd: “South Pars gas field returns to its glory days,” Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said.

Abrar: “The antidote to Western media onslaught is clarification and reasoning,” said the Supreme Leader in a meeting with the members of the Assembly of Experts.

Abrar: “Repeated attempts by pirates to commandeer an Iranian oil tanker have been foiled by the Iranian Navy.”

Abrar: “Mr. Ejei, you shouldn’t have gone public with a ruling which is subject to appeal,” the vice president under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said in reaction to an announcement by the judiciary spokesman that Mohammad Reza Rahimi has been convicted of fraud and sentenced to prison term and fines. It seems the former VP, who is widely known by his initials – M. R. – in the Iranian press, hopes to have the verdict overturned on appeal.

Asrar: “Over one billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets has been released,” the Central Bank of Iran said.

Asrar:“No impeachment is on the agenda of the Islamic Consultative Assembly,” said MPMohammad Hassan Abutorabi-Fard.

Etemad: “Joyfulness is the inalienable right of all of us,” President Rouhani said at a ceremony to praise athletes.

Iran: Iranians bid final farewell to Amir Nasser Katuzian, who was widely known as the father of Iranian law.

Banifilm: An Iranian documentary has won the People’s Choice Award at the Montreal Film Festival.

A majority of Iranian newspapers on Thursday September 4, 2014 ran front-page headlines on the 16^th gathering of the Assembly of Experts, which came to a close on Wednesday. Some said the final statement of the assembly urged the government to do more on the cultural front, others reported that the statement identified unity as key to the sustainability of the Islamic system. They also reported that President Hassan Rouhani has urged his Cabinet to try their best to implement the instructions of the Supreme Leader and has commissioned his deputy Eshagh Jahangiri to oversee the measures Cabinet members take in this regard.

Ebtekar quoted the government spokesman as saying that implementation of the policy to introduce a single foreign currency rate would be gradual. “The anti-recession bill government has sent to parliament is partly designed to encourage local production and exports.”

Ebtekar also quoted the interior minister as denying rumors that members of the IS [Islamic State] terrorist group pose a security threat to the borders of the Islamic Republic.

Abrar: “Will appointment of a new ambassador spark a thaw in trade ties between Iran and Germany?” The article that poses this question says Ali Majedi, a veteran diplomat and economist who currently serves as deputy oil minister, is expected to start his new job in Berlin later in September.

Abrar: “The election of Mehdi Chamran by Tehran City Council as its new chairman is a victory for Ahmadinejad supporters and should serve as a wake-up call for the 11^th government,” a member of the Central Council of [reformist] Baran Foundation said.

Ettela’at: “We are bent on eliminating poverty,” President Rouhani said at a Cabinet meeting. “Respect for the civic rights of all ethnic and religious groups is a pillar of government policies.”

Ettela’at: “Universities should not serve as a venue for political rivalry,” the acting minister of science said.

Ettela’at: “Tehran is determined to solve the nuclear case,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at talks with senior Luxemburg officials.

Aftab-e Yazd quotes Javad Karimi Ghoddusi, a principlist deputy representing Mashhad in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, as saying “Government has overstepped the red lines of the establishment.” He claims that over the past year the government of President Rouhani has focused much of its attention on nuclear talks which have so far only resulted in “more sanctions, threats and humiliation.”

Hemayat cites Deputy Health Minister Ali Akbar Sayyari as saying that high blood pressure is to blame for 84 percent of deaths in Iran.

Vatan-e Emrooz has a story on fires that charred some 1,000 hectares of forestland in the north earlier this year and quotes a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly’s Environment Committee as saying that the Environment Protection Organization is not going far enough in dealing with the fires, which are mostly arson.

Jomhouri Islami: “Iran’s diesel exports have registered a 7-fold increase.”

Javan: “Iran becomes the first Asian basketball team to secure a victory in FIBA World Cup in Spain.” It came after Iran defeated Egypt 88-73 following three back-to-back defeats at the hands of Spain, Brazil, and Serbia.