As the Obama administration continues putting together the specifics of a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear development program in exchange for loosening of international sanctions, news reports have begun portraying Tehran in a less ominous light.
The positive media for the Shiite theocracy comes as most Republicans and some Democrats on Capitol Hill are calling on the White House to seek approval for any final deal from Congress and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns that the deal will endanger his own country.
The lead story in Tuesday’s print edition of the Washington Post quoted foreign affairs experts heralding Iran for increasing Internet access for its citizens.
“[T]hey see a nation making investments in civilian technology that could help Iran build a more modern, open economy, especially if a tentative nuclear deal struck last week yields a permanent accord and an easing of international sanctions,” the Post’s Craig Timberg reported.
Separate articles at CNN and CNBC’s websites noted that investors are “lining up” to spend money in Iran, now that a potential nuclear deal with the country is in sight.
Another CNN story last week framed a deal with Iran as a potential boon to the U.S. economy.
“Iranians have had to live with the pain of being largely shut out of the global economy for years,” CNN reported. “How quickly Iran bounces back is directly linked to those sanctions being dismantled, and that may not be simple.”
Non-establishment media joined in with coverage of historical wrongdoing against Iran by the United States.
The Intercept, a First Look Media venture co-founded by Glenn Greenwald, published a list Tuesday of “Six things you didn’t know the U.S. and its allies did to Iran.” Listmaker Jon Schwarz assured readers that “if you know our actual history with Iran, you can kind of see where they’re coming from.”
The British Guardian opted for a human interest angle, reporting on Tehran’s newly revived symphony orchestra, whose comeback the left-leaning paper credits to Iranian President President Hassan Rouhani.
“Under the country’s previous president, the hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, this once glamorous music institution experienced one of its darkest periods when it was disbanded due to negligence by officials and financial stringency,” the Guardian’s Saeed Kamali Dehghan reported. “But now, the culture ministry has hired a world-class conductor and it is rising from the ashes nearly three years after it was shut down.”
The deal with Iran is scheduled to be completed by the end of June.
