Hardline daily says protests ‘not worth hearing'

The editor of Iran’s hardline Kayhan newspaper dismissed the ongoing protests on Wednesday, criticizing government remarks that described demonstrations as legitimate expressions of public pressure.

Hossein Shariatmadari, Kayhan’s editor-in-chief appointed by the Supreme Leader, wrote that the protests did not deserve to be heard, arguing they were driven by what he described as foreign-linked agitators rather than economic grievances.

He took aim at comments by government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, who had said authorities recognize peaceful protests and should listen when people raise their voices under economic pressure.

Shariatmadari said that protest slogans did not reflect economic demands and alleged that demonstrators had expressed support for what he called “killers” of Iranian citizens, accusations frequently leveled by hardline media against dissent.