``We have had a glasnost spring which seems to have finished just when we were about to enjoy it,'' one young Iranian journalist, who asked to remain unnamed, said.

The promising press freedom which started with the presidency of Mohammad Khatami in August 1997 and the appointment of Attaollah Mohajerani -- a Khatami aide and along with his wife, Jamileh Kadivar, a fierce supporter of a free press -- as Culture Minister, has suffered heavy blows in the last few months.

Several dailies as well as weekly and monthly magazines have been closed down, including the daily Toos (former Jame'e), which was known to reflect Khatami's reform policies.

The latest victim was the cultural monthly Adineh, which was once run by renowned dissident Faraj Sarkuhi, who is currently in what has been described as``intellectual exile'' in Germany.

Even the daily Zan (Woman), run by Faezeh Hashemi, a member of parliament and daughter of former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, was closed down for two weeks.

The closures were ordered by press or public courts on charges such as ``threatening national security'', '``dissemination of lies and corrupt articles'' or ``insults'' to state officials or revolutionary values.

Iran has almost 1,000 publications with a total circulation of over two million, said to be far below the internationally acknowledged average for a population of over 65 million.

Even the press festival next month -- always eagerly awaited -- has not found a positive echo within the country's press circles. Iran News, an English daily close to Khatami's government, wondered whether it would be a press festival or a ``press requiem''.

``When one recalls the excitement that prevailed during last year's press festival, and compares it with the lack of enthusiasm this year, onewonders whether the nation should be congratulated or condoled,'' the daily said.

``Perhaps it is more advisable that instead of holding festivals, press officials should institutionalise the legal position of the print media, so that the weakest political turbulence would not inflict such grave damage on our press,'' Iran News said, referring to the fact that the press law is unclear and the criteria change from case to case.

The daily was also referring to the ongoing power struggle between the pro-Khatami faction and the conservative opposition led by traditional clergymen, who regard the moderate press as a threat to the Islamic system.

Culture Minister Mohajerani is accused by moderate press circles of having agreed to a compromise in order not to be impeached by the conservative deputies in the Majlis (parliament) and keep his portfolio which is regarded vital for Khatami's reform efforts.

His deputy in charge of press affairs, Ahmad Burqani, whom the Iranian press praised as theinitiator of a press renaissance, resigned after a reported disagreement with Mohajerani over the issue.

Burqani warned several times, both before and after his resignation, of the ``drying out of the press tree''. He was replaced by Shaaban Shahidi, another close aide of Khatami who used to head the external services of the state-run radio.

Iran's intellectual scene was also shocked by a series of murders which have taken the lives of five dissidents, including three writers. Radical Islamic groups are continuing their threats against intellectuals and moderate press circles.

A bomb attack last month damaged the premises of the moderate Tehran daily Khordad injuring two reporters. The daily is close to Khatami and is run by his deputy and former interior minister, Abdullah Nuri.

``How can we conduct a dialogue between global civilisations if we cannot start the dialogue right in our own backyard,'' the Iranian reporter commented on the status quo, referring to Khatami's motto of dialoguebetween civilisations.