The Iranian regime sent out their marching orders to the media.
U.S. President George W. Bush (L) and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, brother of King Abdullah, (R) watch a traditional dance while holding swords outside of Al Murabba Palace in Riyadh, January 15, 2008. (REUTERS/Saudi Prince Agency)
The regime in Iran ordered all newspapers and media outlets to only report that US President George W. Bush’s trip to the Mideast a failure.
Rooz News reported on the memo:
“Write that this trip was not successful and that it had no achievements.” This was order of Iran’s National Security Council to Iranian media that planned to provide any coverage of US president George W. Bush’s recent trip to the Middle East.
Following Bush’s arrival in the Middle East, the National Security Council issued this memorandum and forwarded it to offices of all newspapers and journals in Iran ordering them not to cover any parts of Bush’s trip to the region or the U.S. President’s remarks.
According to the instructions, newspapers were banned from publishing any parts of Bush’s remarks during his visit to Arab nations and Israel’s capital, in the latter of which he held a news conference with the Israeli prime minister. But by the time the memorandum was issued, several newspapers had already covered parts of Bush’s remarks.
Publications are required to abide by memorandums issued by the National Security Council, and will face suspension if they fail to do so.
The National Security Council’s recommendations, however, did not end here. The Council asked newspapers and journals in a follow up correspondence to publish news, analyses and interviews about Bush’s trip, but conclude that the trip was not successful and report that Bush had failed to secure the support of Arab nations.
Meanwhile… The Saudi news website Abha Al-Watan (in Arabic) warned on January 1, 2008 of the Iranian threat to the region:
Those claiming today that Iran has failed in its plans to export the revolution are disillusioned and unable to see the facts on the ground. I will take responsibility for saying that the real threat to the future of the region lies between Iran and Israel, in that order, which is not arbitrary, but based on reality.
At worst, Israel is before us on a firm front in clear geographical borders, to the mile and parts of it. On the other hand, Iran’s secret and public centers are distributed in the Arab world like unexpected volcanoes. From the Huthist movement in Yemen’s mountains to Hizballah’s secret state in Lebanon, including the Iranian reality that has today separated southern Iraq from its map, the centers of coexistence of the revolution-exporting scheme are being chosen to be transformed into conflict barricades.
The last victim on the list is none other than the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain. The Iranian revolution-exporting plot is playing the contradictions in a calculated balance. At the same time, the Iranian official apparatus of the political leaders there refrains from commenting on the sedition caused by the sectarian incident. Instead, Ayatollah Shariatmadari, one of the players, assumes the role by announcing that Bahrain is an Iranian state in a loud Friday sermon. He is mistaken who thinks that his remarks are merely a passing thought by a man who is voicing his own opinion, not necessarily the state’s official views. The whole issue is about exchanging roles, which is steeped in the literature of the great revolution-exporting political project.
The Abha Al-Watan in Arabic — is a daily newspaper known for its exclusive reports and in-depth coverage of local, Arab, and foreign news and is strongly critical of Israel. It is financially supported by Asir Governor Prince Khalid al-Faysal. (Hat Tip American Freedom)