Iran praises Musk’s attack on anti-establishment media: Press review

The Iranian government had previously welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's reduction of financial aid to organizations opposing the Iranian leadership. Recently, billionaire Elon Musk criticized some media outlets critical of the Iranian government in a post on social platform X, a statement that has been widely praised by supporters of the establishment in Iran.

In his post on X, Musk called for the closure of two major media organizations whose Persian-language services have been providing uncensored news for over two decades. He wrote of Radio Free Europe and Voice of America: "No one is listening to them anymore... just a bunch of radical left lunatics talking to themselves while burning $1 billion of US taxpayer money per year." This stance has sparked considerable debate and discussion on the role of these media outlets.

The tweet was widely shared in Iranian government-affiliated media and received positive responses from establishment supporters on the X platform. One X user wrote: "Those who wanted to overthrow the establishment are being overthrown." Another user stated: "If this happens, only the Saudi-backed Iran International satellite channel will remain, giving it even greater influence over public opinion." While the Persian-language services of these media organizations have been criticized for not adhering to international journalistic standards, they remain influential in Iran. Iranian authorities have targeted journalists from these media outlets, with many fearing imprisonment if they return to Iran.

The reinstatement of Saeed Mortazavi by the Iranian judicial system has sparked strong opposition from Iranian lawyers, who believe it violates international and domestic law. Mortazavi, once dubbed the "Butcher of the Press" by reformist media, is one of Iran's most notorious judges, responsible for closing critical media outlets and imprisoning opposition journalists. He was also convicted in connection with the deaths of detainees at the Kahrizak detention center, leading to his dismissal.

Exiled Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi condemned Mortazavi's reinstatement in a post on Instagram, calling it a direct message to independent lawyers. "The history of the Islamic Republic of Iran shows that criminals and corrupt officials are promoted at a faster rate and with greater power! Their illegal and inhumane actions are not punished but become medals of honor," Ebadi wrote. Kambiz Norouzi, a lawyer specializing in Iranian press law, also criticized the decision: "The problem is not Saeed Mortazavi himself. It doesn't matter whether he is a lawyer or not. The real problem is justice and the law, which have faded and become victims of power."

Recently, the Iranian national currency, the rial, has rapidly depreciated to a historic low, exceeding 900,000 Iranian rials per U.S. dollar, triggering widespread criticism from conservative and hardline politicians against Masoud Pezeshkian's government. The Iranian rial began to depreciate last Friday after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned the government from holding negotiations with the United States, and by Sunday, the exchange rate in the open market reached a historic low, exceeding 900,000 rials.

When Pezeshkian took office in July, approximately 600,000 Iranian rials were equivalent to $1 USD in the open market. While government supporters attribute the recent currency depreciation to the negotiation ban and increasing sanctions on Iran, Pezeshkian's opponents blame it on his government's mismanagement. Conservative commentator Ata Bahrami claimed that one of the reasons for the decline was "the Iranian government's own decision to halve oil exports to China." Bahrami argued that this decision was intended to pave the way for negotiations with the United States.

Meanwhile, conservative media outlets have been circulating an old video of the country's Economy Minister, Abdolnaser Hemmati, in which he criticized the economic failures of former President Ebrahim Raisi. In the video, Hemmati stated that if government officials cannot stop the currency depreciation and improve the country's economic situation, they should resign.

Hojjatollah Seyyedi, head of Iran's Securities and Exchange Organization, revealed that traders assisting the organization in circumventing sanctions earn $10 billion to $15 billion annually. While Seyyedi did not provide details about these traders, experts believe they have close ties to influential figures within the organization. He implied that some political groups and domestic lobbies strongly oppose any negotiations with the United States because they benefit from circumventing sanctions.

In recent years, sanctions on Iran's banking system and restrictions on exports of oil, gas, and petrochemical products (key sources of revenue) have severely damaged the country's economy. In response to these sanctions, the Iranian government has relied on shell companies and local businessmen acting as intermediaries, who charge high fees to facilitate the transfer of funds to Iran or the sale of Iranian exports abroad.