Word: atrianfar
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Dates: during 2006-2006
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...telephone call that announced the ban of Iran's foremost independent daily, Shargh, came late this morning. "I have good news for you," said Mohammad Atrianfar, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, putting the receiver down and taking a calm sip of tea. "We've been shut down." I happened to be in his office at the time, waiting to talk about Iran's nuclear confrontation with the West. Shargh has bravely broadened debate here about the issue, publishing critics of the government's hardline stance and informing Iranians that such radicalism carries high costs. The closure, suggests Atrianfar...
...government at a time when its policies grow more controversial, and its public support more uncertain. In recent weeks, the government has threatened critics with "legal action," and rounded up illegal satellite dishes that provide access to outside news channels popular among millions of Iranians. The banning of Shargh, Atrianfar explained, reflects the government hostility toward any form of political opposition. In its absence, there will no longer be any print forum through which liberal intellectuals and reformists can communicate their ideas with the public. "It's clear there's no tolerance for a reform movement to take root here...
...Within minutes of the phone call, Atrianfar's mobile began to ring incessantly. Busy with a television crew clearing out of his office, he handed it to me to answer, but asked me not to confirm the closure yet. I recognized the voice of the first caller, a distraught reformist and former official who was clearly careening down a highway. "Can we tell Saeed Laylaz?" I asked Atrianfar. He nodded. Laylaz is a contributor to Shargh and a member of the reformist inner clique, who is always the first to hear about everything. At such moments, reformists give up their...
...Mohammad Quchani, the newspaper's renowned columnist, edged his way into the room, and asked Atrianfar whether he thought the closure might be temporary. They argued briefly over the most appropriate metaphor for the situation. Was banning a newspaper more like a car breaking down on the road, or a plane shutting off mid-flight? Was this going to be a crash or a stall? As they discussed, I sat thinking about how much I would miss Shargh, with its ironic headlines, perfectly pitched gibes at the government, and relentless reporting on Iran's social ills. Who else is going...
...easier to funnel its support for Hizballah via Damascus. "Iran and Syria are now standing behind each other," says Laylaz. "Their strategy is more unified." Does this mean that Iran micro-manages Hizballah or vets its major operations? "Hizballah sees the need to confer with Iran," says Atrianfar. "But it doesn't necessarily do so over tactics...