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{{Short description|Iranian daily newspaper}}
{{Distinguish|Sharq (magazine)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| logo               = LogoofSharghnewspaper.png
| logo_size          = 250px
| image              =
| caption            = The front page of ''Shargh'' <br />on 21 September 2011, announcing assassination of [[Burhanuddin Rabbani]], former president of [[Afghanistan]]
| alt                = 
| type               = [[Newspaper#Daily|Daily newspaper]]<br />Online
| format             = [[Broadsheet]]
| founded            = {{start date and age|df=yes|2003|8|24}}
| ceased_publication = 
| political_position = 
| price              = 
| owners             = Mehdi Rahmanian
| founders           = 
| publisher          = Golriz Institute 
<!-- For editors, see http://www.sharghdaily.ir/OnlineNews.aspx -->
| editor             = Ali Dehghan (newspaper) {{br}} Sina Rahimpour (online)
| circulation        = 30,000 Daily (2015)<ref>[http://www.entekhab.ir/fa/news/221199/%D8%AA%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%DA%98-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%87%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7-%DA%86%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B1%E2%80%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA  تیراژ واقعی روزنامه‌ها چقدر است؟]</ref>
| headquarters       = Fatemi Street, [[Tehran]], Iran
| website            = {{URL|http://www.sharghdaily.com}} 
}}

'''''Shargh''''' ({{langx|fa|شرق|italic=yes|lit=East}}; also {{small|[[Romanize]]d}} as '''''Sharq''''') is one of the most popular [[Iranian Reformists|Reformist]] [[Newspaper#Daily|daily newspapers]] in [[Iran]].<ref name=ymeast>{{cite web|title=Controversial cartoon led to ban on reformist Iranian newspaper|url=http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/controversial-cartoon-led-to-ban-on-reformist-iranian-newspaper_9805|work=Your Middle East|access-date=19 September 2013|date=2 October 2012}}</ref>

The owner is [https://www.sharghdaily.com/fa/author/21 Mehdi Rahmanian], the editor-in-chief of the newspaper is [https://www.sharghdaily.com/fa/author/287 Ali Dehghan] and the editor-in-chief of online is [https://www.sharghdaily.com/fa/author/198 Sina Rahimpour].

==History and profile==
''Shargh'' was founded in 2003.<ref name=can>{{cite web|title=Iran shuts down leading reformist newspaper|url=http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=11bccbe7-4274-40e9-8f15-45df4476f0f3|work=Canada.com|access-date=6 October 2013|date=6 August 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140922071537/http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=11bccbe7-4274-40e9-8f15-45df4476f0f3|archive-date=22 September 2014}}</ref><ref name=aad>{{cite news|title=Iran Shuts Leading Reformist Paper|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/06/AR2007080600691.html|access-date=15 October 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=6 August 2007|author=Ali Akbar Dareini|agency=AP}}</ref> The daily is managed by [[Mehdi Rahmanian]]. Its chief editor was [[Mohammad Ghouchani]] in its first period of publication. Mohammad Ghouchani and [[Mohammad Atrianfar]], its ex-head of policy-making council, left ''Shargh'' in March 2007 and joined ''[[Ham-Mihan]]'', another reformist newspaper managed by [[Gholamhossein Karbaschi]].

Arash Karami, an Iranian journalist, described ''Shargh'' as the opposite of conservative paper ''[[Kayhan]]'' in terms of political stance.<ref>{{cite news |author=Karami |first=Arash |date=15 March 2014 |title=Iran's Fourth Estate |work=Asharq Al Awsat |url=http://www.aawsat.net/2014/03/article55330035 |access-date=22 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920000210/http://english.aawsat.com/2014/03/article55330035 |archive-date=20 September 2016}}</ref>

==Bans==
''Shargh'' had published 141 editions before the temporary ban by the Iranian judiciary system on 4 February 2004, one day before the [[Iran Majlis election, 2004|parliament election]], following the publication of an open letter from some members of the outgoing parliament to [[Ayatollah Khamenei]], the [[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leader]]. The letter was read to journalists by [[Mohsen Armin]], one of the organizers of the MPs sit-in criticizing the settings of the [[Council of Guardians]].

The situation got more interesting when [[Mehdi Rahmanian]], ''Shargh''{{'}}s manager in charge, met [[Saeed Mortazavi]], [[Tehran]]'s general prosecutor, the next day to discuss a removal of the ban. After that, Rahmanian wrote a public letter asking for forgiveness, saying that he couldn't confirm that the letter was actually from the MPs and signed by them, and that even in the case it was, it would have been a non-professional act to publish "offensive" texts.

Mortazavi announced that he had ordered the ban because of a request by the [[High Council of National Security of Iran|High Council of National Security]], which [[Hassan Rowhani]], the council's chair, and [[Mohammad Khatami]], the president, later denied on 20 and 23 February, respectively, mentioning the matter was not even discussed at the council's meeting. The ban was removed on 28 February 2004, and ''Shargh'' was published again from 3 March 2004.<ref name=aza>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071117194444/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1533773,00.html Controversial cartoon led to ban on reformist Iranian newspaper] ''Time'', Azadeh Moaveni 11 September 2006</ref> ''Shargh'' was shut down again on 11 September 2006 by the Iranian government.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Martin Albrow|author-link1=Martin Albrow|author2=Helmut K Anheier|author-link2=Helmut Anheier|author3=Marlies Glasius|author4=Mary Kaldor|author-link4=Mary Kaldor |author5=Monroe E Price|title=Global Civil Society 2007/8: Communicative Power and Democracy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jaFIB3uBHHAC&pg=PA106|year=2008|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-1-4129-4800-5|page=106}}</ref>

In March 2007, Iran's hardline judiciary allowed a number of banned reformist dailies to republish, including the flagship centrist daily ''Shargh'' after a half-year ban.<ref name=aza/> However, the daily was banned after publishing an interview with Iranian-Canadian poet Saghi Ghahraman in August 2007.<ref name=aad /> The interview was viewed as counter-revolutionary and immoral by the press directory.<ref name=can/>

The digital newspaper ''Your Middle East'' reported on 26 September 2012 that ''Shargh'' had been banned over a controversial cartoon that shows a group of men covering each other's eyes with ribbons.<ref name=ymeast/><ref>{{cite journal|author=Arash Karami|title=Iran's Fourth Estate|journal=The Majalla|date=13 March 2014|url=http://www.majalla.com/eng/2014/03/article55248945}}</ref> The newspaper, one of the few remaining dailies close to the reformists, published the cartoon on 25 September and provoked anger among Iranian lawmakers as well as officials, who said the cartoon insulted Iranian fighters in the [[Iran–Iraq War]] (1980–88).<ref name=ymeast/> Iranian soldiers usually had ribbons reading holy words on their foreheads during the war.<ref name=ymeast/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Iran|Journalism}}
*[[List of newspapers in Iran]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==External links==
{{Official website|www.shargdaily.com}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925073548/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/iran/index.html PBS - Wide Angle: Red Lines and Deadlines]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shargh}}
[[Category:2003 establishments in Iran]]
[[Category:Censorship in Iran]]
[[Category:Newspapers published in Tehran]]
[[Category:Persian-language newspapers]]
[[Category:Newspapers established in 2003]]
[[Category:Daily newspapers published in Iran]]