FDI's Weekly Newswire

The life and [troubled] times of the IslamicRepublic of Iran

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FDI WEEKLY NEWSWIRE NO 6

May 27, 1996

On Friday evening, 145 of the newly-elected members of Parliamentgathered at the residence of Ayatollah Khomeini in the north ofTehran, to declare their support to Rafsanjani. Mohammad Hashemi, thePresident's brother, and Abdallah Nouri, a former Interior Ministercondemned Nateq Nouri and his followers, saying that "people whoaccuse the Rafsanjani faction of being "liberal" are mistaken.

Mohammad Reyshari, a former Intelligence Minister andlong-considered a "radical" cleric, also made speech in support ofRafsanjani. "If anybody makes an attack against Rafsanjani, this isalso an attack against the Revolution. The person and character ofRafsanjani should be defended by all revolutionaries."

The meeting was reported in the ultra-conservative Jomhouri-eEslami daily, which is owned by Supreme Leader Ali Khamene'i,suggesting that Rafsanjani has found a new ally. Reyshari serves as asenior advisor to Khamene'i and favored strong anti-Western policiesin the 1980s, including of Westerners in Lebanon and terroristattacks against the United States. [5/24].

Unprecedented clashes between LEF and Ansar-e Hezbollah

In a statement issued in Tehran Friday, May 24, the oppositionIran Nation's Party reported that "unprecedented physical clashes"had occurred during the week between the LEF and Ansar-eHezbollah.

The clashes began on Wednesday, when Ansar-e Hezbollah elementsstaged an anti-Karbaschi demonstration in front of the Tehranmunicipality offices and were dispersed by the LEF. A second clashoccurred on Thursday, when LEF units intervened after an attack byAnsar-e Hezbollah units on the Azadi theater in downtown Tehran.

Ansar-e Hezbollah is a unit of the Rev. Guards Land Force, whichreports to Ayatollah Jannati and is allied with Nateq Nouri, whilethe LEF is controlled by the Ministry of Interior. The clashesbetween these two government security forces would appear to be yetanother example of the serious nature of the infighting between theruling factions of the IRI.

The INP reported "at least" ten AH personnel were injured in theclashes, although no shots were fired. [INP statement5/24]s

Radical Weekly Banned After Attack on Corruption

The radical weekly "Payam-e Daneshjou" ("The Message of BasijiStudent") was closed last week, following accusations that it was"scattering the seeds of sedition and hypocrisy." [IranDaily/5/12]. It was the second time in 8 months the weekly, whichpublishes investigative pieces, was closed.

In recent issues, Payam-e Daneshjou has targeted corruption insidethe Bonyad-e Mostazafan, the huge multi-billion dollar conglomeratecreated out of the former Pahlavi Foundation and the assets seizedfor Iranian expatriates [5/1 issue]. The weekly has also runa scathing attack on President Rafsanjani, called "The rulers ofRafsanjan," accusing him and his family of taking multi-milliondollar commissions from U.S. and other companies for their pistachiobusiness [5/14 issue]

In its last issue [5/21], the weekly asked Supreme LeaderAyatollah Khamene'i questions which may have further contributed toits demise, including these: "How many clerics were killed in[the Iran-Iraq] war? How many of them are among the hundredsof thousands of war invalids? And how many of them, now occupy keypositions of power in our country?"

Students Protest In Balouchistan, Gilan and IsfahanUniversities

Students in the faculties of Engineering, Arts and Sciences, andHumanities of Sistan va Balouchistan University in Zahedan haveprotested on-campus conditions, and asked for greater representationon the University Council and various disciplinary committees.

Meanwhile, students at Gilan University in Rasht, have also stageda protest, demanding the removal of the University president.[Iran Daily 5/2, 5/12]

And at Isfahan University, students reportedly clashed withAnsar-e Hezbollah elements last week, after the students hadprotested the closure of the radically weekly Payam-e Daneshjou.[Jomhouri-e Eslami, 5/24].

Campus unrest has gotten the attention of the authorities, whoapparently fear a "hot summer" this year. In a recent speech,Ayatollah Khamene'i has threatened to remove "liberal" and"counter-revolutionary" faculty members, not only at the secularuniversities but at the Qom seminaries, as we reported in last week'snewswire ["Major demonstrations in Tabriz lead to securitycrackdown"]

"There are rumors in the universities about defending freedoms,social and individual rights, and opening to Western culture andcivilization," said a representative of Azad university, a privatecollege owned by the Rafsanjani clan. ":But for us, freedom is onlyacceptable in the framework of Islam," he hastened to add.[Resalat, 5/9]

Bribing Basijis

A special bank was opened in south Tehran which will awardinterest- free loans to Basijis, the para- military groups used as anauxiliary force to impose Islamic laws on the country.

Rev. Guards Brig. General Alireza Afshar, commander of the BasijForce, said the establishment of the bank was voted last winter bythe government, but must now be approved by the Majlis. [Ettelaat5/11]

Creation of the Basij Bank is just one of the many privilegesrecently was granted to the Basijis. In Tehran alone, the governmenthas estimated there are currently 230.000 Basijis, who in theory atleast are part of the "20 Million-strong Army" of IslamicRevolutionaries.

The Rev. Guards and the Basijis have been upping the ante inrecent months, asking for more privileges. Rev. Guards commanderMohsen Rezai criticized government "liberals" at a May Day gatheringof Basiji factory workers in Tehran for failing to take care of theBasijis. "Long ago, the fourth Majlis voted a bill to distribute apart of the shares of factories to Hezbollahis. But one and a halfyears later, there is no significant action in this direction."

"If Hezbollahi forces become the actors in the scene of country'saffairs, the fake inflation will disappear and the countriesconstruction will accelerate ten times," Rezai claimed.

Rezai asked all Basijis to follow the Supreme Leader in the fightwith World Arrogance [the U.S.] and liberals[Rafsanjani]. [Kayhan 4/30]

Rezai is said to still bear a grudge against the President for hisrole in ending the war with Iraq in 1988.

Nateq Nouri, candidate

For the first time a major conservative paper has referred to"Ayatollah" Nateq Nouri, Rafsanjani's main rival, as the bestcandidate for president of the Islamic Republic.

Until recently, Nateq Nouri has been referred to as a Hojjat-oleslam, a lower rank in the clerical pecking order.

Resalat, which reflects the ideas of the influential conservativecircles, including wealthy Bazaar merchants, quoted Mr. NasrEsfahani, the Secretary General of the Fars province Students IslamicCommunity, as saying: "We have reached the conclusion that Hojjat-oleslam [sic] Nateq Nouri, has all necessary credentials to bePresident of Republic and can be the promoter of many reforms."

Speaking in the National Students Islamic Communities in Shiraz,Nasr Esfahani said he felt Nateq Nouri's best qualification to bepresident was "his total obedience to The Leader, and his eagernessto consult with Islamic experts."

In a clear reference to Rafsanjani, he said: "Hojjat-ol eslamNateq Nouri's record as the Majlis Speaker is excellent. If he hadrelied solely on government experts and had not taken into accountthe Leader's guidance, inflation would be twice what it is today,"Nasr Esfahani said. [Resalat 4/30]

Next year's presidential campaign has already begun...

Basij Military ranks based on ideology

The military ranks of Basiji militia members will be based ontheir "ideological commitment," said Hojjat-ol eslam Abbas Baba'ian,the Ideological-Political Deputy of the Basij Force in MazandaranProvince.

"Last year in Mazandaran province, 200,000 Basijis attendedideological and political programs with the Revolutionary GuardsCorps," Baba'ian said.

Of these, some 32,600 Basijis were selected for promotion on thebasis of their ideological commitment and religious background,"Baba'ian added. [Kayhan5/6]

New Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

The Islamic Republic has appointed a new "ExtraordinaryAmbassador" to Saudi Arabia, Hojjat-ol eslam Mohamad Reza Nouri-eShahroudi. The new ambassador to Saudi had been serving as Iran's topenvoy to Libya for the past six years. [Jomhouri-e Eslami,5/9]

Scarcely a week after his arrival in Riyadh, the U.S. StateDepartment statement, warned Americans in Saudi Arabia to "exercisecaution" and "keep a low profile." The statement said the U.S.Embassy in Riyadh, "has received an anonymous phone call threateningretaliation against Americans in Saudi Arabia if four Saudi citizenscharged in a car bombing six month ago are punished." [AssociatedPress, 5/17]

A powerful car bomb at a U.S. run training facility in Riyadhkilled five Americans and two Indians in November.

The State Department warning coincided with a public warning byAyatollah Ahmad Jannati that "the ruling dynasty in Saudi Arabia willsoon be toppled by an Islamic Revolution." [see last week'sNewswire]

University Professor Fired Following Newspaper Attack

A university professor was fired after he was attacked in theradical Sobh weekly, in an anonymous article from a "Group ofStudents." The professor, referred to as "Dr. Ahmad Z.,", wasteaching at the College of Communication of Tehran's Shahid BeheshtiUniversity.

Sobh gloated after his dismissal that he had been fired "followingpublication of an article in our paper exposing his repeated assaultson religious values." [Sobh 5/7]

More Executions

Two men, identified only as "Gholamali" and "Jome'e," wereexecuted recently in Birjand on charge of drug smuggling, accordingto a brief announcement in the "accidents" column of the dailyHamshahri

A local revolutionary court in Birjand sentenced the pair todeath, then their sentences were approved by the Supreme Court inTehran. No other information on the conditions of their trial, theirright to legal defense, or the exact date of executions, wereprovided. [Hamshahri 5/11]

On May 10, a man identified as Abbas Mahmoudi was hanged inKerman, after being convicted of homicide. The parents of the victimwere reportedly present at the hanging. the papers employed the sameformula frequently used to announce the execution of non-politicalprisoners, saying Mahmoudi had been "hanged after being sentenced bycourt, and following the approval of the Supreme Court." [IranDaily 5/13]

Since the beginning of the current Iranian year, the regime hasannounced the execution of 17 men, on charges of homicide, drugsmuggling, rape, and for political reasons (the five hanged in Tabrizon May 14 during the demonstrations we reported in last week'sNewswire). Eight others were reportedly killed "during clashes" withthe Law Enforcement Forces (see related item below). Last year, theregime announced it had executed 307 persons on various charges,including "belonging to an outlawed political organization,""espionnage," and "anti-government activities." [FDI database].

Four Killed In Clash With Revolutionary Guards

Four "armed bandits" were killed in a clash with RevolutionaryGuards troops in mountains of near Kerman in southern Iran, while twoothers were reportedly injured. The men were accused of "several actsof armed robbery and killings," Hamshahri alleged, although itprovided no other source that newspaper's local reporter in Kerman.Interestingly, the paper reported that "arms, communicationsequipment, cars and other items" were confiscated from the "bandits,"suggesting that the group may have been more than common criminals.[Hamshahri 5/14]

Adding to these suspicions was the fact the clash reportedlyoccurred with Pasdaran troops, and not with Law Enforcement Forces.The regime has been fighting a low level insurgency in the southernand eastern provinces for several years, against Balouch and othertribal elements.

Hanged man, revived, faces renewed prosecution

A hanged man was pardoned by the parents of the victim , twominutes after he was hanged for murder. He was taken to hospital, andbrought back to life. But judiciary authorities said he will beprosecuted again after recovery.

Gholam Sakhi was arrested by the LEF in Varamin (south of Tehran)for the murder of Hassan Heydari, and condemned to death. But whenrelatives of the victim saw him hang, they decided to forgive him."The relatives and the killer hugged each other when the man wasbrought down" from the scaffold, said the local Justice Departmentdeputy, identified as Mr. Bashiri. Sakhi was immediately taken to theprison hospital and brought back to life. "But despite the pardon ofthe victim's parents, the killer will be prosecuted for homicideaccording to the rule of law," Bashiri added.

In a similar case, a man was recently executed for raping hissecretary, even after she had publicly pardoned him. [Ettelaat,5/11]

IRI furious with new VOA transmitter

The Islamic Republic has reacted angrily to inauguration of a new600 KW medium-wave transmitter in Kuwait by the Voice of America,which will be used for the Farsi-language service.

The new transmitter is believed to be powerful enough to reachtaxi radios in Iran's eastern and southern provinces. Inauguratingthe new transmitter at a ceremony in Washington, DC on May 17, VOADirector Geoffrey Cowan said: "Information is a powerful weapon. Soif getting information to people in Iran about democracy and humanrights and about what's happening inside their country and in theworld makes a difference politically, then this will be a transmitterof tremendous importance."

The official reaction in Tehran was furious.

Majlis speaker Nateq Nouri railed: "We cannot tolerate that theU.S. use this transmitter against us, and we are sure the Kuwaitiauthorities won't tolerate these kind of acts, which damage our goodrelations," Tehran radio reported [5/20]

Nateq Nouri had the tact to address these words to his Kuwaiticounterpart as he was leaving Iran after a three day officialvisit.

When asked why Kuwait was allowing the U.S. to set up the newtransmitter, the Kuwaiti parliament speaker, Ahmed Abdul-Azizal-Sadoun, said that "Radio Kuwait accorded the transmitter to theAmericans through a bilateral agreement signed several years ago,"Tehran radio reported. "But I don't have any idea about the contentsof the programs of VOA," al-Sadoun added.

Prior to al-Sadoun's departure, the radical Jomhouri-e Eslamidaily attacked Kuwaiti ruler Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabahfor allowing VOA to operate from his country. In an article titled"Emir's Ungratefulness," the paper said: "The least thing we can donow, is to install a radio station in southern Iran, and let theEmir's opponents run it. Sheikh Jabir's behavior is a sign of hiscontinued hostility toward our revolution and the Islamic Republicorder." [5/20]

Meanwhile, IRNA reported that the Islamic Republic did not reallywait for al-Sadoun's departure from Iran to launch the counterattack.On May 17, the Voice of the Islamic Republic began broadcasting froma new transmitter located in Sirjan, in the south of Iran, which IRNAcalled "the most powerful short wave radio transmitter in theworld."

The new station uses five 500 KW transmitters, with rotatingantennas, which enables the Voice of Islamic Republic to cover theglobe entirely.

"As of May 20, the antenna of one of these transmitters will beaimed at the U.S., so the Voice of the Islamic Republic can be heardclearly in that country," IRNA added [5/20].

Top bank director changed after corruption scandal

The general manager of an important state-owned bank wasdismissed just prior to the release of a Majlis investigation thatalleged wide-scale embezzlement and fraud in Iran's state-ownedbanking sector. But it was unclear whether this and other changeswere more than a shell game.

Minister of Economic and Financial affairs Morteza Mohamad Khandismissed the Director General of Bank Sepah, Kazemi Namin, replacinghim with Valiolah Seif, his counterpart at the Bank Saderat. Themusical chairs appointment raised eyebrows with editors of theconservative daily Jomhouri-e Eslami, who called it "fishy" since"both banks have been famous for well-publicized embezzlementcases."

Replacing Seif at Bank Saderat was Mohammad Reza Moghadasi.

The intention of Economics Minister Khan may have been to avoidparliamentary questioning of his bank directors, since under currentlaw a "former" bank director cannot be questioned by the Majlis.

Last week, the Majlis committee investigating the bank scandalsreleased its report which alleged that 241 cases of embezzlementcosting the bank a total of $19.9 million had occurred at the BankMelli Iran in the seven year period ending last November. Other caseswere uncovered at Bank Saderat and Bank Sepah. [Iran daily,5/13]

Kayhan attacks The Iran Brief

Kayhan daily, which is published by the Ministry of Informationand Security (MOIS), recently published an item criticizing The IranBrief, a Washington based monthly investigative newsletter. Thenewsletter had carried an item alleging that Iranian intelligenceagents were carrying out surveillance in the Washington, DC area, tospot potential targets for a terrorist attack. "The Iran Briefcontinues that for several months, Iranian intelligence agents wholive near Washington, were busy watching strategic Air Forces nearWashington," Kayhan wrote. "Now it is clear how the famous $20million budget that U.S. government has allocated to fight theIslamic Republic is being spent. But probably the U.S. governmentshould spend this budget to buy drugs to calm the nervousness of theanti- revolutionaries they have gathered around themselves."[Kayhan 5/14/96]

Iran Brief story on Iranian surveillance

Here is the full text of the article that appeared in The IranBrief, as quoted by Kayhan (see above).

The following material first appeared in The Iran Brief

Issue Number 21, dated 4/1/96

Available by e-mail at medp@erols.com

Serial 2117

Iran preparing new terrorist attacks

An Argentinean counter-terrorist expert, Julio Cirino, said lastweek he believes that Iran has a whole series of terrorist "attackson the shelf," which can be activated on short notice "once thepolitical decision has been taken."

Intelligence networks operating out of Iranian embassies overseas,and through local cultural and social organizations with ties toIran, have done all the preliminary work, he said. "The primary andsecondary targets are already designated, to reduce the time neededto execute them once the political decision is taken." Previously,most intelligence analysts have worked under the assumption thatsuccessful terrorist attacks require extensive planning and time.With this unique strategy of contingency attacks, Iran can respondmuch more quickly and catch counter-intelligence servicesunawares.

Cirino's discoveries come from a detailed analysis of the way inwhich Iran used its embassy in Buenos Aires and contacts in theIranian community in Argentina (especially, among Buenos Aires taxidrivers) to plot the bombings of the Israeli embassy and the AMIAJewish Center in Buenos Aires. Cirino is one of his nation's topcounter-terrorism analysts.

He notes that while Iran tends to use a large number of"expendable assets" locally for the execution of terrorist attacks,the attacks themselves "are quite professionally planned andexecuted." This is because Iran uses "two levels of operatives,"Cirino contends: the expendable local assets, and a cadre ofwell-trained professionals. "Iran maintains more than 30 trainingcamps in Iran," Cirino said, "and has achieved a high degree ofspecialization inside these camps that produces very good specialistsin different terrorist techniques."

Iran's penetration of Islamic communities worldwide and its use ofseemingly-innocuous religious and social institutions in countries asfar apart as Japan and the United States, shows "a long term buildupin capabilities, making Iran capable of operating simultaneously allover the world, with a well-established support structure" in variouscountries.

Cirino warned that just because Iran has not launched terroristattacks in the United States does not mean they do not have plans todo so or the means to carry them out.

The Iran Brief has learned from intelligence sources that anIranian reconnaissance team has been casing out U.S. Air Force basesin the Washington, DC area in recent months, possibility inpreparation for a terrorist attack. As in the cases evoked by Cirino,the reconnaissance work has been done by local residents, responsiblefor determining which sites are most vulnerable to attack. In theevent Iran decides to actually launch an attack, a special hit teamwill come in at the last moment to actually carry out the attack. Inaddition to surveillance of the targets, the local support network isalso responsible for preparing safe houses, transportation, andescape plans for the professional hit team, making it highly unlikelythey will get caught.

The FBI has several Washington, DC coffee houses and restaurantscurrently under surveillance which are known hang-outs forindividuals believed to be working with Iranian intelligence agentsoperating out of the Interests Section in Washington and Iran's UNMission in New York.

Swan song of the 4th Majlis

The outgoing Majlis passed a flurry of new legislation and heldoften controversial debates in its final days, which are likely toset the tone for the new legislature when it takes office on June 1.The debates focused attention on corruption scandals, and were oftenhighly critical of President Rafsanjani. We present a runningchronicle below.

April 23. Only three days after the second round of theparliamentary elections, 30 deputies of the outgoing Majlis presenteda "most urgent" bill to change the electoral law. New restrictionswould make it more difficult to run for office. "The candidate shouldhave a good reputation in his electoral district, and should be knownto be obedient to the Supreme Leader." [Salam 4/24]

April 24: A deputy from Damavand and Firooz-Kooh, AhmadRasuli-Nejad, told Resalat daily: "Now it is clear that the TehranTown Hall has been the main culprit in election fraud. The people askthat the Tehran mayor... be dealt with severely." [Resalat4/25].

April 30: A bill was passed changing the status of employees ofthe Islamic Propagation Organization, making them full-fledged civilservants. [Hamshahri, 5/1]. As a result, their salaries andbenefits will be improved. Before the change, they were considered a"revolutionary" organization, similar to the para-statal foundations,which receive funds from the government but are not directly undergovernment control.

May 4: A deputy from Damavand and Firooz-Kooh, Ahmad Rasuli-Nejad,criticized Rafsanjani for "nepotism, putting incompetent officialsand relatives in key positions, inviting industrial tycoons from theShah's era, and distancing himself from the poor." He askedRafsanjani: "Have you ever punished or dismissed a corrupt official,or denounced a fraud or a plunder?" He denounced the government for"liberalism", and claimed that some of its members believe in theseparation of religion from politics. (Ettelaat, 5/4)

May 5: 13 deputies officially asked for the interpellation ofInterior Minister, Ali Mohammed Besharati, on the charge of electionirregularities. On the same day, Minister of Post and CommunicationsMohammad Gharazi was criticized for secretly seeking an illegal loanof DM 1 Billion from the German company Siemens and the BHE bankfourteen months ago. At the same session, the Ministers of Industryand Interior were questioned about alleged wrongdoings. by somedeputies on their wrongdoings.

A female deputy from Tabriz, Mrs. Fatemeh Homayoun Moghadam,praised south Tehran dwellers for beating the Tehran Mayor recently,when he wanted to address some of his supporters in a mosque.

Abolfazle Ardakani, a deputy from Sepidan, threatened toinvestigate the Bonyad-e Mostazafan. "I seriously ask the Majlisinvestigation commission to investigate the thieves of theFoundation, and report their shameless scandals and great treasons tothe Majlis and the people." [Salam, 5/6]

Also on May 5, the Majlis urgently added an article to the IslamicPunishments Law, which sets the capital punishment for those whoreveal classified information to foreigners and Iranian oppositiongroups. [Jomhouri-e Eslami, 5/6]

May 6: The results of the Majlis investigation into alleged fraudat the state-owned Bank Markazi, Bank Saderat, Bank Melli, and BankSepah, were released. The main personality accused by the Majlis inthe fraud schemes of the Central Bank was the Central Bank director,Mr. Hossein Adeli, the architect of the free market policy andeconomic opening to the west. [Resalat, 5/6]

May 7: The Commission of Economic and Financial Affairs of Majlis,revealed the results of its investigation on the sale of governmentcars. Tens of millions of dollars were lost to mismanagement andcorruption by government agencies, the report concluded.[Resalat, 5/8]

May 8: Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi, Tehran's Mayor, asked Nateq Nourito let him answer repeated criticisms from Majlis deputies. Karbaschi sent copies of his letter to newspapers and some MajlisDeputies. [Salam, 5/8] [Nateq-Nouri neverreplied].

As we reported in last week's Newswire [Eternal' AdvantagesFor Majlis Deputies], deputies voted a "most urgent" procedure toconsider a bill that would preserve their "rights" - defined assalaries plus immunity from civil prosecution - for the rest of theirlives. [Salam, Jomhouri-e Eslami, 5/9]

May 9: In an editorial on the government car sale fiasco, Salamwrote: "In less than one year, at least 24,000 cars belonging togovernment were sold to high ranking officials in Ministries andgovernment offices on credit, for one fourth of their real value.These cars were then sold on the market. In many cases, thegovernment leased the same cars back from its directors, at higherthan the monthly payments paid by their owners. Then because of ashortage of government vehicles, the government had to buy new cars.Many government branches and revolutionary foundations did not followlegal procedures and rules of selling government properties."[Salam 5/9]

May 12: Several articles of the Islamic Punishment Law werechanged to increase punishment (up to the death penalty) for thosewho insult "Islamic holy concepts." Women who do not observe full"Islamic dress" in public places will be punished by "ten days totwo months imprisonment, and a fine up to 500,000 Rials.

May 14: The fourth Majlis is scheduled to close on May 26, andwith the 5th Majlis starting its legislative term on June 9[Kayhan 5/14].

May 15: The results of an investigation into the finances of theTehran municipality was submitted to the Majlis, alleging widespreadcorruption involving Tehran Mayor Karbaschi.

May 25: Majlis speaker Nateq Nouri was criticized by Jomhouri-eEslami for failing to release to the public a 215 page Majlisinvestigation into corruption at the largest para-statal foundation,the Bonyad-e Mostazafan, run by Khamene'i crony, MohsenRafic-doust.[Jomhouri-e Eslami 5/25]

FDI's Weekly Newswire

FDI WEEKLY NEWSWIRE NO 6

May 27, 1996

CONTENTS: