Available on the Internet or by e-mail for a $25 per yeartax-deductible contribution at http://www.iran.org/ Tel: 1+ (301)946-2910. Fax: 1+(310) 942-5341
• CIA spy networks "dismantled," MOIS official says
• Southern Afghanistan Connected To Iran By A Bridge
• Cyrus the Great "invented" human rights, official says
• AIPAC behind anti-Iranian activities
• Nategh Nouri says Iran "will not change"
• Nearly 60 million Iranians
• Khamenei: We May Close Our Oil Wells To The World
• The First Iranian Propaganda Magazine in Russian
• Skyrocketing prices
• Clinton Policies toward Iran are "Silly and Aggressive",U.S. journalist says
• Urgent revision of electoral laws demanded by seniorclergyman
• Iran proposes"Islamic" Satellite
CIA spy networks "dismantled," MOIS official says
A Deputy Minister of Information & Security, identified onlyas Mr. Eslamian, said that "tens of subversive groups send to Iran byWorld Arrogance have been dismantled before they could do anything."
In a recent speech before provincial officials in Orumieh ( WestAzarbayjan ), Eslamian claimed that in current [Iranian] year58 bombs had been sent to Iran from abroad to be placed in crowdedpublic places. "All of them were discovered before they exploded,except for two," Eslamian said. He gave no futher details on thearrests or the identities of the individuals involved, nor did hespecifically point to any particular foreign power as havingorganized the networks. However, the term "World Arrogance" is widelyused by Iranian officials to designate the United States.
"We have no security problems, in spite of different internationaland western plots," Eslamian added. [Keyhan, 3/16/96]
Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahian upped the ante in his officialpresentation of spy arrests in April. According to Fallahinan, theMOIS arrested 118 foreign spies last year, just in two provincesbordering Iraqr. 89 of those arrested were taken in Khuzestan, while29 were captured in Western Azerbaijan. [Iran Times,4/19/96]
Southern Afghanistan Connected To Iran By A Bridge
A major bridge connecting southern Afghanistan to central Iranwas inaugurated by Iranian Roads and Transportation Minister, IsaKalantari. Because of the geography of the region, it turns out to beshorter to travel between the western Iranian cities of Zahedan andMashad by passing through Afghanistan. When the new Zahedan-Nahrbandan road using the 125 meter long range becomes operationalnext year, it will shorten travel between the two cities by 130 km.[Kayhan daily, 3/16/96]
Cyrus the Great "invented" human rights, official says
For the first time in the history of Islamic Republic, an Iraniangovernment official has referred to Kourosh-e Kabir (Cyrus theGreat), a popular symbol of Iran's pre-Islamic past. The 5th centuryBC King, who rescued the Jews from Babylon, was "the author of thefirst human-rights charter," said Hossein Mehrpour, the IslamicRepublic's official representative on human rights to internationalconferences. Mehrpour also called Cyrus the great "the man whoendorsed freedom, religious tolerance and people's rights."
Mehrpour made this unpresedented remark at a UN-sponsored humanrights conference in Manila on Feb.26-28. [Ettelaat,3/17/96]
AIPAC behind anti-Iranian activities
The conservative daily Resalat, which generally reflects thepositions of Parliament speaker Nateq-Nouri and his majority faction,has blamed the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) forthe Clinton administration's "anti-Iranian policies" over the pastyear.
"Last year Iran was the target of unprecedented negative diplomacyfrom Washington," the daily said in an editorial published on March18. "As always in the past, the American-Israeli Public RelationsCommittee [sic], the main instrument of the Zionist regime inAmerica ,was not only alongside White House, but even ahead ofit."
"Two anti-Iranian bills were voted in the U.S. Congress andSenate: First, a bill banning American and foreign companies fromdoing business with Iran, which was only approved by Tel Aviv anddidn't work at all," the editorial stated. "The second bill wasGingrich's plan to spend $20 million for spying and acts to overthrowIranian regime."
"In retaliation, Parliament speaker Nategh-Noury presented a $16million bill to [Iran's] Majlis to counter the CIA spyingplots, which was approved and welcomed by Muslims worldwide."
The paper also revealed that despite the moves on Capitol Hill,the Clinton administration had "tried to reconcile with Iran severaltimes" during the same year.
"Parallel to these negative acts, Washington officially asked Iranseveral times to start diplomatic dialogue and reconciliation, whichwas rejected as always in the past," Resalat concluded.
U.S. officials, queried about possible U.S. overtures to theTehran government over the past 18 months, told the Washington,DC-based newsletter, The Iran Brief, that "all our contacts with thegovernment of Iran have been carried out through the intermediary ofthe Swiss embassy in Tehran. There were overtures. Period."
Nategh Nouri says Iran "will not change"
Parliament speaker Hojjatoleslam Nategh Nouri told reporters inTehran that Iranian government policy "will not change" after theMajlis elections, because current policies have already beenpresented to the parliament "and we have voted them. So these[policies] will not change."
The leader of the Conservative faction ruled out diplomaticrelations with US or Israel in the future, but suggested that hecould become a candidate in next year's Presidential elections.[Resalat, 3/18/96]
Nearly 60 million Iranians
According to the most recent statistics released the official"Iran Statistics Center," Iranians numbered reached 59,648,144in1995. The latest government estimate said that 58.1% of Iranianswere living in urban areas, while 41.9% lived in rural areas.
This latest official study, while not apparently based on a fullcensus, claimed for the first time since the Revolution that thebirth rate had declined, reaching on 1.86% in 1995 (as compared to3.9% in earlier years). Similarly, the study reports that the numberof young people under 14 years of age was in decline, accounting for41.7% of the population in1995 as compared to %44.3 three yearsearlier. The average Iranian family counted 4.94 members in 1995.[Resalat, 3/18/96]
Khamenei: We May Close Our Oil Wells To The World
In a speech in Mashad on March 23, Ayatollah Khamene'i revealedthat he ordered the government to prepare practical plans for cuttingoff Iranian oil exports, if such a decision were made by theleadership.
"In today's world, the oil question is attached to internationalpolitics of oil companies, powerful plunderers, imperialists andoppressors. In fact, oil is in their hands. Whenever they want, theybring prices down, increase or decrease production. They bring in ortopple anyone. Oil is ours, but its politics is in the hands ofothers. Such a wealth is the source of trouble," Iran's SupremeLeader said.
"We should be ready to announce to the world one day that as oftoday, or in six months, one year, or four years later, we will closeour oil wells, and will not export one drop of oil anywhere,"Khamene'i said. "When we were at war [with Iraq] these kindof acts were not possible. But fortunately, it is possible today.Recently we asked the government to start planning [for theeventual closure of the wells], and these preparations are underway." [Resalat, 3/25/96]
Khamene'i's suggestion, which marks a strong departure fromprevious Iranian policy, was picked up in various editorials in theofficial Iranian press. And on April 8, Commerce Minister All-eEshagh stated at a public ceremony that the government was preparingan "oil-free" economic plan for the country that it was "bound to putinto operation." [Hamshahri, 4/9/96]
The First Iranian Propaganda Magazine in Russian
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) has begunpublishing the first Islamic propaganda magazine to appear in theRussian language. IRIB officials say the new "Cultural-Idealogical"publication, called "Golschin," was intended to satisfy "repeatedrequests from listeners of Islamic Republic Radio programs inRussian. The first issue, published in March, offers a comprehensivebiography of Khomeini, news on developments in Iran, the situation ofIslam in today's world, women in Islam, and a feature article onZionism as the "source of world terrorism." [Kayhan,3/25/96]
Skyrocketing prices
Prices of many public services have increased dramatically inrecent weeks, by order of the government.
Mail service increased by an average of 15%, telephone serviceincreased by 11%, electricity was up 20%, while gasoline and fuel oilrose from 30% to 50%. This in turn effected a broad range of consumerprices, from milk, potatoes, onions, and other basic commodities.
Most of the price rises were included in the annual budget, butsome of them were not previously announced to the public. In somecases, the prospect of price increases was simply denied before theywent into effect, as when the General Manager of Iran Air toldResalat in April there would be "no increase" in the price ofdomestic flights for the new years. [Kayhan/Resalat/Jomhuri-eEslami, 4/1/96]
Popular protest to the price hikes were partly reflected instate-controlled controlled press. In Salam's popular "Hello Salam"column, one reader complained he could no longer feed his children,who were subsisting on bread and potatoes. Another reader accused thegovernment of deceiving people by keeping quiet on the priceincreases until after the first round of elections. [Salam,4/7/96].
Clinton Policies toward Iran are "Silly and Aggressive", U.S.journalist says
An American journalist, Eric Hogland, called American policytowards Iran "foolish" and "aggressive," and claimed it was intended"to overthrow Iran's government."
Speaking at a conference sponsored by the Center for IranianResearch and Analysis (CIRA) in Coventry, England recently, Hoglandblamed U.S. policy on the weakness of the Clinton administration andpressure from American Jewish groups.
"I have no doubt that the real aim of the policy of containmenttowards Iran is to overthrow Iran's government... Iran is being usedas a scapegoat for the US and Israel," Hogland reportedly said.
Hogland's remarks were reproduced inside Iran by the IslamicRepublic News Agency and picked up by the Iranian press. He travelledto Iran last year on behalf of theWashington-based Middle EastInsight magazine, which produced an entire issue devoted to theIslamic Republic which featured an exclusive interview with PresidentAli Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani. [Salam 4/2/96]
Urgent revision of electoral laws demanded by senior clergyman
The leader of Tehran's Friday prayer ceremony, Ayatollah EmamiKashani, has asked for the "urgent revision" of Iran's electorallaws, following the first round of the Parliamentary (Majlis)elections on March 8.
Emami-Kashani argued that among the criteria the Council ofGuardians use for approving potential candidates should be their"good reputation," and that the Council needed "at least six monthsto to research the background of any potential candidate."
Commenting on the Council's decision to annul first round electionresults in some cities, Emami Kashani said they showed "a respect for[the] true goals" of the people.
Accusations of election rigging, ballot stuffing, and theannulment of election results in as many of 11 cities, have led toincreased tension and periodic violent protest by the population, inparticular in Isfahan and Bonab. [Jomhouri Islami,4/2/96]
Iran proposes"Islamic" Satellite
Returning from an Islamic Conference Organization [ICO]meeting in Dakar, Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance,Mostafa Mirsalim, said the organization's Information and CulturalAffairs Committee had decided to launch an "Islamic" communicationssatellite, to share a data base called "Islam Vision" carryinginformation provided by Islamic countries. Mirsalim expressed hopethat an "Islamic" news service would help decrease the dependence onforeign news sources.
He claimed that the ICO had approved a text calling for theexpansion of the Islamic News Agency and the Islamic RadioOrganization, new international organizations, intended to "counter"the dominance of western news agencies. Other decisions of the ICOmeeting included the financing of a documentary film on "Holy Ghods"(Jerusalem), and the creation of Islamic universities in Uganda andNiger."
In a press conference in Tehran, where he addressed the IslamicRepublic's death threats to Salman Rushdie, Mirsalim said that Iranwill present a text to the United Nations on safeguarding religiousbeliefs, which Iran hopes to get recognized by different human rightsorganizations.
The English-language Tehran Times remarked shortly before thevisit of United Nations Human Rights Commission's SpecialRepresentative for Iran, Maurice Copithorne of Canada, that the UN"should consider a country's cultural and religious traditions"before making any judgements regarding its respect for human rights.[Jomhuri-e Eslami, 4/2/96; Tehran Times, 2/6/96]