It said the paper, which had replaced "No Rooz", the semi-organ of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the country’s largest political formation supporting the embattled President Mohammad Khatami, was closed on charge of publishing articles "contrary to the law".

Though the Judiciary has banned the media of writing any article in favour of dialogue with the United States and Ayatollah Jalaleddin Taheri, the dissident cleric who resigned two weeks ago from his post as Friday preacher of the central city of Esfahan, in protest to the appalling situation of the country, yet this is the first time that a court is using such a vague pretext to shut a newspaper.

IRNA did not explain what kind of articles the court considers as contrary to laws or which of the new paper’s article caused its closure.

The closure of Ayeneye Jonoob brings to 86 the number of Iranian publications shut by the Judiciary on orders of Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, the lame leader of the Islamic Republic, who has branded independent and pro-reform newspapers as "nests for the enemy", meaning the United States.

The daily, formerly a local weekly in southern Iran has been suspended on the ground that its publisher Mohammad Dadfar had been sentenced to jail on charge of propagating against the Islamic Revolution and insult to the leader.

"Judge Sa’id Mortazavi, in a letter to Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ahmad Masjad-Jame’i, has cited 14 complaints brought against Mr. Dadfar", IRNA said, without providing more details.

Mr. Dadfar is an outspoken reformist MM (Member of the Majles) from the Persian Gulf city of Booshehr.

In another move, Mr. Mortazavi has asked the Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister to prevent from the publication of Rouz No (New Day), saying it was intended to replace the recently banned daily No Rooz.

A lawyer for Mr. Zarafshan said he had been arrested Wednesday evening at his residence in Tehran, by two plainclothes men who refused to be identified.

The order to arrest Mr. Aqajari, a leading member of MIRO (Mojahedeen of Islamic Revolution’s Organisation) was issued in mid July after a speech in Hamadan in which he had claimed that people are not "apes" to follow blindly what a bunch of ignorant mullahs tells them, as there is nothing such as rohaniyyat (clergy) in Shi’ism.

He had also accused some of the ruling ayatollahs for using religion to establish a dictatorship in Iran.

However, he had refused to present himself the the Hamadan Islamic revolution court, claiming his life was in danger there. He had been left free on a 200 millions Toomans (25.000 US Dollars) bail.

According to IRNA, it was Mr. Mohsen Armin, a member of the central council of MIRO, a "pillar" of pro-reform movement, who broke the news about the arrest of Mr. Aqajari, adding that the court has accused him of disclosing documents intended to remain secret.