Tehran's 21st International Book Fair inaugurated on May 1 at Tehran's Prayers Ground (Mosalla).
Iran's culture minister had urged writers to self-censor their books if they want to be published in the Islamic republic, which applies strict vetting on literature and other arts. "This is what we ask publishers and writers, you are aware of the vetting code, so censor pages which are likely to create a dispute," conservative minister Mohammad Hossein Safar Harandi told a news conference.
All publications in Iran must be approved by the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance, and publishers have complained of tighter censorship on new books since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005.