As Iran hurtles toward welcoming the Twelfth Mahdi with its planned nuclear Armageddon, the New York Times is cheerily sponsoring guided tours of the Islamic Republic, in the company of its own Elaine Sciolino.  Ira Stoll reports in Smartertimes:

For the price of $6,995, the New York Times is offering 13-day tours of Iran guided by Times journalist Elaine Sciolino. Promotional material for the tour on the Times website promises "luxurious hotels" and describes Tehran as a city where "the young and fashionable adopt a new trendy joie de vivre." Also on the itinerary: "a pleasant evening stroll around the colorful bazaars," along with insights into the "accomplishments" of the late Ayatollah Khomeini.

No mention of joining the festivities at public executions of homosexuals. But hey, the Times group could get lucky.

The Times promotional language says participants will "Enjoy some time haggling over spices, textiles, antiques and copper handicrafts" at the Vakil Bazaar in Shiraz before retiring to their "five-star hotel boasting stunning Persian soft furnishings." Another day is said to feature a "relaxing evening and dinner."

There's no mention at all in the Times promotional language about the tour of Iran's status as a state supporter of terrorism, of its pursuit of nuclear weapons, or of its human rights abuses. For information about those abuses, anyone considering plunking down nearly $7,000 for the pleasure of accompanying a Times journalist on a "relaxing evening and dinner" after antique shopping in Iran may want to consider, first, browsing the State Department's latest human rights report on Iran. It reports that under Iranian law, "a woman who appears in public without an appropriate headscarf (hijab) may be sentenced to lashings and fined." It also says that "The law criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual activity, which may be punishable by death or flogging."

Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit points out that during the Cold War the Times also touted Intourist, the Soviet official tour agency.