The issues and challenges of Iranian trade during the Qajar era were among the main concerns of the Akhter newspaper. Published in Istanbul, outside the political domain of Iran, Akhter enjoyed relative immunity from state censorship and therefore was able to express its economic and social perspectives with greater freedom. Strongly influenced by European economic liberalism, particularly the ideas of Adam Smith, the newspaper critically analyzed the disordered state of Iranian trade and, through numerous articles, not only criticized existing conditions but also proposed solutions for reform. This study has been conducted using a descriptive–analytical approach, based on content analysis of the articles published in Akhter. The central question of the research is: what major obstacles to the development of Iranian trade during the Qajar era were identified by the newspaper, and what solutions did it propose for overcoming them? The findings reveal that Akhter regarded government passivity and negligence, the lack of economic organization, fraud in domestic production, an unfavorable trade balance, and the absence of modern commercial regulations and frameworks as the principal barriers to trade development in Iran. In addition to its critiques, Akhter emphasized the necessity of establishing modern economic institutions such as trading companies, banks, insurance firms, and international exhibitions, considering them as prerequisites for Iran’s entry into the sphere of global commerce. Accordingly, it can be argued that Akhter, inspired by Western economic models and adopting a reformist perspective, strongly advocated for the modernization of Iran’s traditional trade structures and their adaptation to global transformations.
jafarniya, F. and Aziznejad, M. (2026). The Akhtar Newspaper’s Approach to Challenges and Solutions in Qajar Era Trade. Tārīkh-i Īrān, (), -. doi: 10.48308/irhj.2026.241133.1449
MLA
jafarniya, F. , and Aziznejad, M. . "The Akhtar Newspaper’s Approach to Challenges and Solutions in Qajar Era Trade", Tārīkh-i Īrān, , , 2026, -. doi: 10.48308/irhj.2026.241133.1449
HARVARD
jafarniya, F., Aziznejad, M. (2026). 'The Akhtar Newspaper’s Approach to Challenges and Solutions in Qajar Era Trade', Tārīkh-i Īrān, (), pp. -. doi: 10.48308/irhj.2026.241133.1449
CHICAGO
F. jafarniya and M. Aziznejad, "The Akhtar Newspaper’s Approach to Challenges and Solutions in Qajar Era Trade," Tārīkh-i Īrān, (2026): -, doi: 10.48308/irhj.2026.241133.1449
VANCOUVER
jafarniya, F., Aziznejad, M. The Akhtar Newspaper’s Approach to Challenges and Solutions in Qajar Era Trade. Tārīkh-i Īrān, 2026; (): -. doi: 10.48308/irhj.2026.241133.1449
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