Iranian press review: Conservative media shift position to back Gaza peace plan

Conservatives see Gaza peace as 'smart resistance' 

Hamas’s agreement to US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and enter indirect talks with Israel has triggered a sharp shift in Iran’s conservative media, which had previously highly critical of the proposal.

On Wednesday, the hard-line daily Resalat welcomed the Israel-Hamas talks on its front page, running the headline “Smart Resistance”.

“Hamas has opened a new phase in the war against the Zionist regime by accepting this plan,” Resalat wrote. “The move will sharply intensify internal tensions for Netanyahu and fuel protests by political groups, which would be a major achievement in the war.”

The Kayhan daily, affiliated with conservative factions close to Iran’s supreme leader, also adopted a similar stance, praising the negotiations.

Warning that the US and Israel might use the talks as a “trap,” Kayhan wrote: “Hamas’s response to Trump’s plan is an example of smart diplomacy because it is based on four pillars: accepting the principle of a ceasefire to immediately stop the war, postponing details to later negotiations, firmly rejecting any disarmament, and emphasising the essential role of the Palestinians in the political future of Palestine.”

Report reveals Israel’s efforts to back Shah’s son

A report by the Citizen Lab research centre at the University of Toronto has revealed an online campaign by the Israeli government to promote Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last Shah, as a key opposition figure.

Iranian media and Persian language outlets abroad have widely covered the findings.

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According to the report, during Israel’s attacks on military and civilian targets in Iran, Israeli government sources launched a Persian-language campaign on X portraying Pahlavi as the leading opposition figure abroad, claiming he enjoys broad support among Iranians.

In response, the Persian service of Voice of America highlighted Pahlavi’s comments during his visit to Israel in April 2023. When asked about his support among Iranians, he said: “Don’t take my word for it, look at Twitter, Instagram, and cyberspace.”

The Iranian daily Farhikhtegan, affiliated with hard-line factions, also reacted to the report, saying Pahlavi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu share similar goals.

“The ongoing cooperation between the Zionists and the Pahlavis is aimed at destroying Iran. Netanyahu dreams of dividing, weakening, and collapsing Iran and turning it into another Syria, and Pahlavi is following Netanyahu’s plans to restore the throne,” the daily wrote.

Pahlavi has voiced strong support for Israel in recent years and backed the Israeli military action against Iran in June. His father, who ruled Iran with an iron fist until 1979, was a close ally of the United States and Israel.

Political prisoner refuses 'to beg' for pardon

Political activist Siamak Amini, imprisoned since August 2024, has denounced prison conditions and the denial of his medical care in a letter from prison, saying he will not seek forgiveness in exchange for treatment.

'I will also be a small drop of resistance and will not bow down to the tyrants'

- Siamak Amini, political prisoner

“I will never write a letter asking for pardon or begging. My release from this prison is not important to me. Although I am sick, I will stay with honour until the last day of my unjust sentence and fight for freedom,” Amini wrote.

“I will also be a small drop of resistance and will not bow down to the tyrants. Our resistance is the seal and signature of the tyrant’s destruction.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court has sentenced Amini to four years, one month, and 17 days in prison on charges of “gathering and colluding” and “propaganda against the establishment”.

He previously spent five years in prison during the 1980s.

Children from low-income families deprived of education

The government’s intensified crackdown on people without identity documents following the war in June has left many children from poor families unable to attend school.

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After Israel attacked Iran, Tehran began a large-scale deportation of undocumented Afghan immigrants, accusing some of collaborating with Israeli intelligence, and introduced new restrictions for people without identification papers.

As the new school year began, local media reported that these rules have also affected many Iranian children from impoverished families in Sistan and Baluchestan province who lacked documents.

The Etemad daily reported that while there are no official figures, unofficial estimates suggest over one million Iranians lack identification documents, including more than 400,000 children.

According to Etemad, most of these individuals live in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, Golestan, Kerman, and West Azerbaijan.

In recent days, a video on Persian-language social media has shown a Baloch student leaving school in tears after being denied entry to classrooms.

*Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.