Al-Monitor | Rohollah Faghihi: The future�of some Iranian newspapers is in limbo�as they can't afford�paper, a new phenomenon stemming in part from US sanctions.


Paper imports have grown�increasingly expensive in the past year, and especially since May, when�the United States�withdrew�from the nuclear deal with Iran � the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).�A number of newspapers have been forced to shut down or reduce their page count and circulation. Contributing to�the problem is the impact of the�rial devaluation�and associated issues related to�imports.�The Paper and Cardboard Producers� Syndicate told Iran's�Financial Tribune�that�the price of publication paper has doubled in the past year because of�currency exchange rate volatility.

The reformist Hambastegi�newspaper was one of the first victims,�closing July 17. Experiencing the same problem, Kar va Kargar on July 25 was unable�to publish for the day.�Meanwhile, the high-circulation Hamshahri�newspaper, which belongs to the Tehran municipality, and Reformist paper�Sazandegi�both�eliminated eight pages�of their folios. The tabloid Haft-e Sobh�was compelled to raise its prices, doubling the cost to�20,000 rials (48 cents). Additionally, Ettelaat, one of the oldest dailies in Iran, seems to have�stopped publishing�its 50-year-old sports magazine,�Donyaye Varzesh.

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