Kayhan

Kayhan is a newspaper published in Tehran, Iran. It is considered "the most conservative Iranian newspaper." Hossein Shariatmadari is the editor-in-chief of Kayhan. According to the report of the New York Times in 2007, his official position is representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran. Kayhan has about 1,000 employees worldwide. There are conflicting reports about its circulation numbers: in 2006 the BBC gave it as 60,000–100,000 copies, in 2007 the New York Times gave "about 70,000", and in 2008 a New York University School of Law journal article reported it as 350,000 copies. Kayhan also publishes special foreign editions, which include the English-language Kayhan International. History and profile Kayhan was founded in February 1943 by owner Abdolrahman Faramarzi and Mostafa Mesbahzadeh as editor-in-chief. Later the roles of Faramarzi and Mesbahzadeh were reversed. The paper supported Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi during his reign. Published in Iran as well as in London, the newspaper had a circulation greater than one million prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 1974 Kayhan media group introduced itself as "the largest newspaper and magazine publishing house in the Middle East". Forugh Mesbahzadeh, the wife of Kayhan major owner, officially appeared as the manager of the leading Iranian women's magazine, Zan-e Rooz. During the clashes between the Imperial forces and revolutionaries Kayhan and Ettela'at was censored. After the overthrow of the Shah all of Mesbahzadeh's assets were seized, including the publishing plant, which was the main headquarters of the daily. Following the revolution Kayhan became a state-sponsored publication together with Ettela'at and Jomhouri-e Eslami of which publishers are directly appointed by the Supreme Leader.