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‎Following the suspension of Aria daily, officials at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance ‎are examining the suspension of Sarmaye daily, leading many to believe that the reformist ‎newspaper will be shut down in the coming days. ‎

Sarmaye is among the reformists and independent newspapers that focuses on financial issues. ‎The daily's critical and investigative economic pieces have turned it into a favorite among the ‎country's financial and business elite, which has infuriated some in the administration. In at least ‎three separate speeches, including his address on the national television, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ‎has accused Sarmaye and its managing editors of waging a propaganda war against his ‎administration. ‎

Soon after, in a meeting with reporters, Ahmadinejad harshly criticized Sarmaye for "creating ‎oppression against government." Even though many other in the administration criticized ‎Sarmaye daily, experts believed that certain calculations had prevented the paper's shut down up ‎to now. ‎

Sarmaye's managing editor, Hossein Abde, has the experience of presiding over Tehran's stock ‎market during the final months of Khatami's presidency. During the 2005 presidential elections, ‎Abde openly supported Hashemi Rafsanjani's campaign and voiced sharp criticisms of ‎Ahmadinejad. He was removed only months after the coming to power of Ahmadinejad on ‎accusations that he "purposefully caused a crash in the stock market to harm the ninth ‎administration." In his final months at the Tehran stock market, Abdeh published Sarmaye as a ‎forum for experts to examine the government's economic policies. According to experts in the ‎field, Abde was successful in his attempt. ‎

Abde also played a prominent role in gathering signatures for the open letter of economists ‎addressed to Ahmadinejad. Apparently, his successful performance in a televised debate against ‎administration economists had added to his popularity in public opinion and among the elite. ‎