This column features excerpts from the editorials, commentaries, and news articles of the leading Iranian newspapers.

Saturday’s headlines
KAYHAN: U.S. director of national intelligence says sanction has no effect on Iran
HEMAYAT: Next year budget bill to be studied during Noruz (Iranian New Year celebrations)
JAVAN: Attack on pyramid schemes in 140 parts of Tehran
SHARQ: Grief and devastation in Japan
TAFAHOM: Central bank governor says decrease in interest rates in next year is certain
DOYA EGHTESAD: Housing market showing signs of recovery
QODS: Leader says an atmosphere of slander and defamation is against the sharia and political wisdom
FARHIKHTEGAN: Unrest in Saudi Arabia’s Shiite-populated regions
JAME JAM: Health costs are not included in government’s support package
TEHRAN-E EMROOZ: Arab rulers handing out money to contain public anger
SHARQ: Transport cash subsidies to be paid to citizens, announces Royanian (head of the committee for management of transport and fuel consumption)
Leading articles
IRAN in a news report quotes Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi as saying during the sacred defense (Iran’s defense against the Saddam regime in the 1980s) Iran taught a lesson to potential enemies that “if you attack Iran we will not defend inside our lands, rather we will hunt you down and destroy you outside borders.” He said after the Valfajr 8 operations (a reference to one of Iranian armed forces’ military operation against the invading Saddam army) the Americans, the Soviets, and supporters of Iraq came to the conclusion that no longer any military force can withstand Iran’s army and Sepah (IRGC). Safavi also said popular uprisings against despotic and corrupt regimes in North Africa and the Middle East including Egypt, Libya and Yemen are inspired by the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The former IRGC commander said the Islamic Revolution in Iran have “exported” Islamic awakening to other countries.
TABNAK in an analysis says the Islamic Revolution opened a new chapter in regional and global developments. It created new doctrines in the world. The Islamic Revolution drew a line over Marxism and set the stage for the collapse of the Eastern bloc including the breakup of the Soviet Union. During the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, Imam Khomeini sent a letter to him pointing out that from now on Communism should be found in museums. Many outstanding political analysts were astounded by Imam’s statement as they could not digest the farsightedness of Imam at the time. Many political analysts, while respecting Imam, rejected the view that the Soviet Union - a superpower which was armed with nuclear weapons, continental ballistic missiles, etc – was on the verge of crumbling? After the passage of a short time Imam’s prediction came true. In the same letter, Imam advised Gorbachev not to turn to capitalism as this system is also on the verge of collapse. However, the main challenge between the Western liberalism and religious democracy emerged with the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. These challenges should be examined from two perspectives. Is religion capable to administer the world? And who will be able to run the future of humanity? It was expected that with the weakening of communism in the Eastern bloc the Western capitalism would emerge victorious. However, the Islamic Revolution in Iran brought new serious challenges to the West. Samuel Huntington, the American thinker, realized these challenges and said the main conflict would be between the Western and Islamic civilizations and warned that liberal democracy could not withstand the Islamic civilization. The Western liberalism is of the opinion that the interference of religion in politics will ultimately lead to despotism. However the Islamic Republic has presented a model of religious democracy and this model of governing reached its climax in the 2009 presidential polls when people turned out in great numbers to vote, though claims of vote rigging, torture, and dictatorship were propagated in attempt to present an unsuccessful model of religious democracy