Iranian Government Ends Advertisements In Critical Newspaper

The conservative Iranian newspaper Jomhuri Eslami said on Saturday that the Ministry of Culture has halted government advertisements because it critical stance.

Masih Mohajeri, a cleric and long-time managing editor, disclosed the development emphasizing the administration's intolerance of criticism.

Mohajeri stated, "They [the Raisi administration] cannot tolerate any criticism and believe that the media should unquestioningly serve the government's objectives."

The newspaper has consistently scrutinized President Ebrahim Raisi's economic and foreign policies over the past two years.

In September, Jomhouri-e Eslami joined the chorus condemning the censorship of critical media outlets by ruling hardliners. The paper emphasized the need for a relationship between the government and the media characterized by "mutual respect" to uphold professional standards.

By August, midway through Raisi's presidency, the newspaper asserted that Raisi could no longer attribute his failures to the previous government. It highlighted Raisi's substantial support from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and like-minded conservatives dominating other branches of the government. Despite Raisi's initial belief that he could manage the state without a balanced foreign policy, the paper argued that the country's situation and the impact of foreign policy on worsening conditions required a more nuanced approach.

Jomhouri-e Eslami (Islamic Republic) also underscored alarming economic indicators, including an 83-percent increase in printing money, a 95-percent rise in the US dollar exchange rate, and a 114-percent price hike for essential goods. According to the paper, these figures reveal Raisi and his colleagues' lack of understanding of the country's conditions and the consequences of their confrontational foreign policy decisions.