TEHRAN- In its first headline, the Sharq newspaper says Europe’s strategy is to place Germany in the front line of confronting Tehran and reminding the Germans of their role in the “war crimes” against Iran, an open reference to German provision of chemical weapons to Iraq’s Saddam Hussein in the 1980s.

German ambassador to Tehran Hans-Udo Muzel was summoned to the Foreign Ministry following Berlin’s leadership in arranging a special meeting of the UN Human Rights Council and appointing a fact-finding committee on the recent protests in Iran. A strong complaint against the aggressive and baseless statements of the German authorities was conveyed to the ambassador.

Considering Tehran and Berlin’s moves against each other, a question arises in the mind that why Germany has turned into a center of opposition to Iran in the European continent. In this context, some analysts believe that the election of Olaf Scholz as chancellor and their coalition government’s emphasis on human rights slogans caused protests in Iran to become more noticeable by Berlin.

This is while others reject human rights obsessions by Germany, and assume that if the Western conflict with Iran is thought to be coordinated with the United States, especially after closer relationship between Iran and Russia, it can be said that the scenario of “a Western hit to Iran through Germany” is likely to be one of their goals. It is because Germany is the one that interacted with Iran, even at the height of the political tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Iran: Move to legalize demonstrations

The pro-government Iran newspaper, in its editorial, announced the “bill on holding demonstrations” is being followed up to be discussed at the Majlis [Iranian Parliament].

Under the bill, which was also backed by the president, a mechanism has been devised for the implementation of all the principles of the constitution so that the people can warn the officials whenever the management of affairs go wrongly, Mohammad Dehghan, the legal deputy to the president, told Iran.

The bill also discusses referendum with special mechanism, which can be pursued with the authorization of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the vote of two-thirds of the members of the Majlis but only in stabile and peaceful atmosphere and not when the enemy seeks to create chaos in the country.

Hamshahri: Sabotage leading to assassination

The Hamshahri newspaper, which mostly reflects the views of conservatives running the Tehran Municipality and holding all the seats in the Tehran City Council, ran a big headline “To the End of Life” in regard to football match between Iran and the U.S. 
In an interview with former head of the Atomic Energy Organization Fereydoun Abbasi, the newspaper also discussed the devotion of martyr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh to the national goals.

“Our enemies are mainly some of the countries in the region, the U.S. and the fake Zionist regime. They are always planning to weaken the Islamic Republic in different dimensions, an example of which is infiltration and sabotage that leads to assassination of important figures. The scientists of our strategic fields have not kept any documents and knowledge with themselves (and written them down). Therefore, there will be no harm in our scientific and strategic roadmap,” Abbasi told Hamshahri.

Kayhan: May German conscience awakened

In its editorial, the conservative Kayhan newspaper reviewed a list of German crimes against the Iranian nation following the Iraqi invasion of Iran (which began in September 1980), narrating real tales of people’s sufferings.

“The cases mentioned in this article are enough for a lifetime of shame for the German authorities in the field of human rights. Based on the mentioned cases and many other reasons, the German government has no authority to comment on the human rights situation in other parts of the world, especially in Iran! In just one sentence, the bitter taste of German chemical weapons continues to irritate the body and soul of men and women in our country.

One suggestion is that the photo frames of the oppressed Iranian children, including Idris, 9 months old, and Shaheen, 8 years old, are given to the German embassy in Tehran, or handed over to German Foreign Minister Annalena Charlotte Alma Baerbock so that the German authorities can see closely without censorship, the result of German human rights. It may awaken their conscience,” it wrote.

Etemad: People’s voice

In a note, the Etemad newspaper raises the question of “What is the voice of the people?”, as critics believe that the government has not heard the voice of the people or the protestors, or has heard but does not accept it.

“There is no other way to hear and understand the people’s voice except to refer directly to the people themselves, which is done by referendum, which is out of our discussion at the moment, or valid polls and surveys.  It is the best and least expensive method, used by almost all developed societies. So a plan is needed to consider the people’s ideas in different domestic, foreign, economic, political fields, as well as their solutions and suggestions. I personally believe that this way will be useful leading to valid results and benefit all the people, the country and the government.”