The column ‘Persian Press Review’ features the headlines and leading articles carried by Farsi dailies.

Saturday’s headlines:
MARDOMSALARI: Only two days after China voted for sanctions resolution, Ahmadinejad says there is no obstacle in expansion of Iran-China ties
IRAN: New resolution is final nail in coffin of the UN Security Council and Obama, says Ahmadinejad
ASRAR: The United States should be expelled from the International Atomic Energy Agency, says Ahmadinejad
TEHRAN-E EMROOZ: Central bank gives other banks ultimatum to reduce interest rates
PUL: Tehran Stock Exchange to show reaction to new round of sanctions
JAVAN: The opposition leaders’ cases prepared to be heard, says deputy head of Majlis National Security Committee
HEMAYAT: Independent countries oppose new resolution against Iran
KHORASAN: Majlis speaker criticizes government for excessive rice and milk powder imports
DONYA-E EQTESAD: World’s second largest economy faced with threat of economic collapse, warns Japanese prime minister
SHARQ: Majlis proposes plan to decrease cooperation with IAEA
FARHANG-E ASHTI: We have not issued any permission for opposition rally on June 12, says Tehran governor general
QOSTARESH-E SANAAT: Obama will regret his decision to impose sanctions on Iran, according to the Guardian
KAR-O KARGAR: Level of liquidity rose 22% in year 1388 (which ended March 21)
EBTEKAR: Hillary Clinton laments cancellation of Iranian opposition rally
Leading articles:
JOMHURI-E ESLAMI in its editorial has called on the administration to reassess its foreign policy after the imposition of new sanctions on Iran. The adoption of the fourth round of sanctions against Iran showed that Iranian officials have miscalculated the situation and wrongly analyzed what is going on in the international arena. Some African and Asian countries that Iranian officials regarded as friends betrayed trust and voted against Iran. China and Russia also aligned themselves with the U.S., France, and Britain and acted against Iran and proved that they are not reliable partners. The writer also suggests all Iranians, even those who oppose the administration’s policy, should realize the sensitivity of the current situation and condemn the Security Council’s move in unison and cooperate so that we can weather the storm.
PUL in its editorial has commented that the sanctions will not have serious repercussions on the country’s economy, if appropriate measures are taken. Economic sanctions can deal severe blow to the countries that are under sanctions and the experiences of Cuba, North Korea, and Zimbabwe have proven this fact. But it seems that Iran will not suffer the same experience, because Iran is a wealthy country and has a well-established production sector. Iran also has good capability to store goods and Iraq’s war against Iran in the 1980s increased the Iranian nation’s creativity to tackle the emergency situations. Officials should know that sanctions will increase the costs of economic activities and can weaken the status of the Iranian exporters in the international markets, so they should protect exporters and producers and try to maintain Iran’s status in the international markets. They also should adopt policies to prevent turbulence in the domestic market.
EBTEKAR editorialist has also touched on the adoption of new resolution against Iran and made some proposals how Iran should respond to the Security Council’s move. Now that the sanctions have been imposed, there is no need to implement the Tehran agreement on nuclear fuel swap. Iran agreed to exchange its low enriched uranium for fuel rods on the Turkish territory, but the United States and other members of the UN Security Council brushed off Iran’s initiative and it proved that the U.S. and its allies are not seeking to resolve the issue peacefully. As the second move, Iran should reassess its relationship with the IAEA, and if necessary shift policy toward the NPT. The writer believes that political groups also have some obligations. They should not undermine the ruling group for its nuclear policy. When the reformists were in power, the principlists accused them of compromise and even treason, and now that principlists are in power, the critics interpret the adoption of the new resolution as the evidence of the administration’s imprudence and inefficiency. But all officials should know that the United States is poised to take advantage of any discord within the system to put Iran under further pressure, so they should avoid provoking row over the administration’s mistakes and wrong policies.