Kayhan

Kayhan is a Tehran-based daily newspaper founded in 1943 and one of the oldest and highest-circulation papers in Iran. Since 1993, its editor-in-chief has been Hossein Shariatmadari, a figure personally appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and widely regarded as the editorial voice of Khamenei's most hawkish instincts. Shariatmadari has held the post for more than 32 years, making the appointment one of the most durable in Iranian media. On the night of 14-15 June 2026, Kayhan published an editorial calling the Ceasefire with the United States "a gift to the enemy", positioning the paper at the vanguard of the hardline revolt against the deal struck by the Pezeshkian government.

Kayhan operates under the umbrella of Kayhan Publications, an organisation whose supervisory board is answerable to the Office of the Supreme Leader rather than the government or judiciary. This institutional structure gives it a degree of immunity from pressure by elected governments; previous presidents have been unable to sanction or close it. Shariatmadari has repeatedly called for closing the Strait of Hormuz, threatened EU forces in the region, and in widely cited editorials demanded retribution against US figures including former president Donald Trump. Iranian journalists distinguish between Kayhan as an institution (read as Khamenei's signal) and Kayhan as Shariatmadari personally (often more extreme than Khamenei's actual position), though the distinction is deliberately blurred.

Beyond Iran, Kayhan functions as a barometer for where the Islamic Republic's ideological floor lies. When Kayhan attacks a government policy, it signals that the Supreme Leader's inner circle is permitting or encouraging internal dissent. Its June 2026 attack on the MOU gives hardline IRGC and Basij networks political cover to resist implementation, and tells Western negotiators that the Pezeshkian government cannot guarantee delivery without Khamenei's explicit blessing.