Iran scolds hardline Kayhan Daily over Trump threat

Iran's Press Supervisory Board issued a rare warning to the ultra-hardline Kayhan newspaper for threats of assassination against President Donald Trump for the 2020 killing of IRGC's Qasem Soleimani.

The supervisory board announced that it had issued an official warning to Kayhan’s managing editor following the publication of a provocative, anonymous daily column in Kayhan’s Saturday edition, written in a satirical style, that openly supported violent revenge against Trump. The piece mocked the US president’s past threats and invoked Soleimani’s death, declaring, “A few bullets are going to be fired into that empty skull of his.”

The board’s statement reiterated that the Islamic Republic’s official policy regarding revenge for Soleimani is the legal prosecution of his killers, particularly Trump, in an international tribunal.

The rhetoric was escalated further in a follow-up column on Sunday. "The shot hasn’t even been fired yet, and already a bunch of local lackeys and US bootlickers are totally freaking out …They’ve gotten scared because their skulls are as empty as Trump’s," the outlet wrote on Sunday referring to extensive criticisms voiced by public figures on social media.

Trump and several of his aides were placed on an Iranian hit list after Soleimani's killing. However, in recent months, the issue had somewhat faded amid Trump’s renewed 'maximum pressure' campaign and growing calls to renegotiate a new nuclear deal.

Though unattributed, the column, which often voices very controversial views, is widely believed to have been written by Kayhan’s ultra-hardliner editor-in-chief, Hossein Shariatmadari.

As the Supreme Leader’s official representative at Kayhan Publications, Shariatmadari’s statements are often seen—both inside and outside Iran—as indicative of the thinking of at least some elements within Ali Khamenei’s inner circle. He has held the position for 32 years and is widely known for his hardline views, including repeated calls to close the Strait of Hormuz and frequent threats against the United States, Israel, and regional countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

"Such threats ring hollow the demands of Iranian officials for there to be ‘mutual respect’ during future negotiations with the United States," Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), was quoted as saying in an article published by Fox News Digital on Saturday.

“Kayhan has been aligned with the regime’s past plots that US law enforcement has disrupted,” Brodsky added. He urged US officials to make it clear that negotiations are impossible while Iran is “threatening and plotting to kill American citizens.”

Referring to the Fox News article, Iranian media and public figures have widely criticized Kayhan newspaper and Shariatmadari for what they say is very damaging rhetoric to Iran's possible talks with the United States.

A commentary titled “Causing crisis, Shariatmadari style”, published by Rouydad 24 website in Tehran on Sunday, said when Shariatmadari speaks, “the story is different, and it boils down to creating a crisis." Another commentary described his statements as a "shooting diplomacy in the heart".

Ettela’at newspaper, also overseen by Khamenei's office, also sharply criticized Kayhan and other hardline media outlets for advocating nuclear armament, the assassination of Trump, and retaliatory attacks following Israel’s strike on Iran in October. “At such a critical juncture in Iran’s confrontation with the United States, these calls are damaging the credibility and stature of the armed forces and the government in both the media and public opinion,” the commentary said. “If this trend continues, we may find ourselves fighting a domestic fifth column masquerading as super-revolutionaries.”

The recent warning against Kayhan is notably mild compared to actions taken against reformist publications. In these cases, the board has suspended or revoked licenses and referred journalists for prosecution under national security charges. Such unequal enforcement has long fueled criticism that the board operates with double standards, cracking down harshly on reformist voices while tolerating or excusing hardline rhetoric.

Kayhan and Ettela’at, which is also under Khamenei's control, are among Iran’s oldest newspapers.

Both newspapers have a circulation of less than 5,000 and are mainly distributed to government offices, but carry political weight.