Iranian Newspaper Closed After Poet Urges Gender Equality

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's leading reformist newspaper was shut down yesterday for the second time in a year after publishing an interview with a poet who called for greater gender equality, authorities said. The daily Shargh was founded in 2003 and shut in September 2006 for publishing a cartoon deemed to have made fun of Iranian government hard-liners. It was allowed to reopen in June. It published an interview Saturday with poet Saghi Qahraman, who said gender roles should be less restrictive and that men should play a bigger role in household activities like taking care of children.