Last night, Iranian television aired the first of two parts of the confessions of American-Iranian academics Drs. Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh.

Dr. Esfandiari introduced herself as an academic who holds seminars for advancing democracy and invites experts from Iran to them.

Following the broadcast, the editor of the conservative news agency Mehr, Pervez Ismaili, who is also editor of the Iranian Foreign Ministry organ Tehran Times, published an article titled "Soft Confession," in which he stated that the confessions were not a sign of support for the advancement of human rights, culture, and democracy in Iran.

(see also "Iranian Website: Don't Air Confessions Of Detained American Academics")

Source: Mehr, Iran, July 19, 2007