Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made the remarks on Sunday during the opening ceremony of the 21st edition of Press and News Agencies Exhibition at Tehran Grand Musalla, adding “the worst kind of premature death is that of the press which is trampled under baseless criticism even before it has gained the opportunity to introduce itself.”
Highlighting the importance of clearly-defined regulations that would prevent certain groups from undermining the freedom of the press, the President said “if a news medium has violated the rules, it is the responsibility of the media institution to determine the violation, not any other organization. We have the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Judiciary and the Press Supervisory Board. These institutions have the authority to judge whether a medium has spoken in favor of national interests or against it.”
Rouhani maintained that not every security officer has the authority to set the bar for the press and other publications.
The President further stressed the importance of ‘strategic coordination' among all organizations in the government, adding “sometimes we see that the reverse is taking place in the society. Strategic non-coordination is the greatest threat to a country.”
Elsewhere in his speech, Rouhani referred to Iran’s nuclear program, saying “in the upcoming weeks, we will begin to sell UF6 and buy yellowcake instead. This means we will enter the global nuclear business. Once the JCPOA is implemented, our centrifuges will be upgraded and the UF6 gas will be injected into IR8 centrifuges for the first time and laboratorial enrichment will begin.”
The 21st Press Exhibition was inaugurated on November 7 and will be open to the public for a week.
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