FDI's Weekly Newswire

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

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FDI WEEKLY NEWSWIRE NO 17

Aug. 12, 1996

Commenting an official complaint lodged by the Islamic Republic tothe United Nations last Wednesday concerning alleged violations ofIranian airspace by U.S. military aircraft on Aug. 3, Forouharscoffed that if the allegations are true, then the leadership "hasnot done anything to prepare the Iranian armed forces to defend thefatherland." [INP statement 8/11]

The complaint, lodged by Iran's UN Ambassador Kamal Kharazi,claimed that U.S. F-14s and F-15s flew over Busheir and Abu Musaisland on Aug.. 3. [Radio Tehran 8/7]. The Pentagon deniedthere were any U.S. violations of Iranian airspace, but didacknowledge that U.S. aircraft have been flying sorties in the Gulfin support of the month-long military exercise, Rugged Nautilus.[Reuters 8/8]

In his statement, released on Sunday by the INP's internationaldepartment, Forouhar said that "in these crucial moments in Iranianhistory the leaders of the regime should resign, or they will beforced aside by the Iranian nation." He called on the Iranian armedforces "to understand their role in the political future of thecountry," and to "move and seize power so that our nation can riditself of this dictatorial regime which is trying to involve ourcountry in foreign adventures."

"The leaders of the Islamic Republic say that they want to createanother Vietnam in the region. Who would suffer in this Vietnam?Naturally, the ordinary Iranian citizen and the Iranian armed forces.I believe that the Iranian armed forces under the leadership of theofficer corps of the regular army must and seize power."

Velayati says U.S. is "insane."

In one of the many reactions from Tehran on the U.S. sanctionsbill, Foreign Minister Velayati said the Clinton administration hasgone "insane."

The Tehran leadership has apparently equated the sanctionslegislation, which is now law, to a declaration of war. "Iran willteach the United States a lesson it will never forget if it attacksIran," Velayati said an Arabic newspaper. "Iran is not weaker thanVietnam," Velayati said. "the Islamic Republic will teach a historiclesson to the United States." [Al Hayat, 8/8]

Joining the "insane" chorus was Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati. "Lookingaround us, it seems that America has gone absolutely insane, and thisstate of mind has been brought about by the Zionists,'' he toldTehran Radio [8/9]

"I do not think that throughout the history of America there hasbeen a president who has surrendered himself to the Zionists soblindly and unconditionally'' as Bill Clinton who is seeking tosecure Jewish votes in the November presidential election, headded.

Iran to go to World court

Iran will submit a case against the United States at theInternational Court of Justice for Washington's alleged funding ofcovert action against Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali AkbarVelayati said on Aug. 8

"We have prepared the preliminary grounds for our intendedcomplaint to The Hague court, in particular our complaint againstAmerica's decision to allocate $20 million to undermine and sabotagethe Iranian state,'' Velayati said on Iranian Television [IRIB8/8]

U.S. officials have acknowledged that Congress earmarked $18million out of the $30 billion intelligence community budget forfiscal year 1996 for covert action aimed at supporting democracy inIran, although none of the money is believed to have been spent sofar..

"In the next few days, we will submit our case to that court, andthen we will assess carefully the Islamic Republic of Iran's legalfight against the unwise decisions adopted by America,'' Velayatisaid

The International Court of Justice, based in the Hague, has beenarbitrating U.S.-Iran disputes since 1981 as part of the resolutionof the Tehran hostage crisis negotiated by Warren Christopher duringthe final days of the Carter administration.

Amir-Rahimi says Iranians "love America"

Asked about his reaction to the U.S. sanctions bill and thefurious reaction of the Islamic Republic, General Amir-Rahimi told24-hour radio in Los Angeles on Aug. 8 that the Iranian people "lovedAmerica" and were dismayed by the current hostility between the twocountries. The Iranian officers he is in contact with are "well awarethey cannot challenge the United States" militarily. And in the longrun, he said, they are well aware that "the United States has alwaysbeen a strategic ally of Iran."

The former head of military police, who was jailed in 1994 for hisoutspoken criticism of the regime, praised President Truman for hishelp in combating the Soviet incursion in 1946-47, and said Iran'spresent leaders were "stupid" for isolating the country. "Thepatriots in Iran are hoping that a military clash between the twocountries does not occur... It would be a terrible blow toU.S.-Iranian relations." [Radio Sedaye Iran 8/8]

IRI accuses US of rejecting athletes' visas

The Islamic Republic has accused the United States of violatingits international obligations, for having rejected the visaapplications of two athletes and four trainers who were scheduled toarrive in the United States on Saturday, Aug. 10, to take part in theOlympics for the Disabled. [IRNA 8/9]

The U.S. move appears to have come in response to informationdisclosed by an Iranian trainer, Taghi Jahani, 43, on 24 hour radioin Los Angeles several days earlier. Jahani phoned in to the popularpolitical talk show hosted by Ali Reza Mehbodi to boast that despitehis background as a member of the group of Students of the Imam'sLine who seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979, he had managed toenter the United States to attend the Olympics in Atlanta.

Jahani's testimony was authenticated by a sports specialist at theradio, who claimed to have known him for several years and wasfamiliar with his revolutionary background.

Jahani explained that the IRI had instructed Olympic team membersto go to U.S. consulate in Frankfurt, Germany to obtain their visas.After attending the Olympics, he traveled on to visit friends in theLos Angeles area, he said.

Recalling the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, he said that"Only Imam Khomeini was informed of that action, as was Hojjat-olEslam Mussavi Khoiniha, who was the leader of the Students of theImam's Line."

He identified Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, publisher of therecently-banned Payam-e Daneshjou weekly, as another member of thehostage-taking team.

Prior to the revolution, Jahani said he had been jailed in 1976,where he met Ayatollah Taleghani and Ayatollah Montazeri and "manyother fellow students." Interestingly, he denied that MohsenRafiqdoust took part in the U.S. embassy hostage-taking.

Following the release of the U.S. hostages in Tehran, many of thehostage-takers were appointed to important jobs. However, Jahanicomplained, today many of them were down and out. "One of them is nowin jail charged with 15 cases of theft." Jahani said that personallyhe also was in a serious financial situation. [Radio Sedaye Iran8/5]

Kurds executed

The KDPI has reported several more executions of KDPI prisoners inIranian jails.

In June, three KDPI supporters were executed in Urmieh prison.They were identified as Kazim Mirzaie, who had been jailed two yearsearlier; Azgin Jahanghiri, a native of Balolan, a village in theUrmieh region; and Mohammad Saleh, a native of Germen, also in theUrmieh region. There were no known reports of public trials.[KDPI statements 7/1 and 7/17]

KDPI reports clashes

In a statement issued in Paris on Aug. 2, the KDPI says that 30Pasdars have been wounded in clashes near Urumieh city on July 30,and that Sunni Kurds have been expelled from Sanandaj, the capitalcity of Iranian Kurdistan. They also claimed to have shot down one ofthree Pasdaran helicopters that had been sent in to attack theirforces during the Urumieh clashes.

The KDPI has reported "numerous clashes" over the past two weeksbetween KDPI fighters and Iranian Revolutionary guards in the areasof Sanandaj, Boukan, Urmiah, Rabat, and Baneh in northern Iran.[KDPI statement 8/2]

Contrary to the claims of the Iranian government (See ActionMemorandum 017), the KDPI denies that it uses its bases in northernIraq to launch cross border raids into Iran. Instead, a KDPIspokesman said, the organization sets up temporary bases insideIranian Kurdistan for these attacks.

Germans want Bani Sadr to testify

German prosecutors said on Aug. 5 that they wanted former IranianPresident Abolhassan Banisadr to testify about allegations thatTehran was linked to the 1992 murder of three Kurdish oppositionleaders in Berlin.

A motion submitted to the Berlin court by prosecutors and lawyersfor the victims' families said Banisadr told federal prosecutors inJune that "the plan for killing the Kurds in the Mykonos Restaurantwas approved by the president and the religious leader of Iran aroundthree months before the assassination.''

"Without their agreement, carrying out the attack was just asunlikely as it would have been without massive support from thestate, for example through passports, plane tickets, money, specialtelephone numbers,'' it added.

Contacted at his home near Paris, Banisadr confirmed he had toldprosecutors in June that the assassination plan had been approvedpersonally by President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ali Khamene'i,Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. [Reuters 8/5]

Demonstration in Tehran

Hundreds of angry Tehran citizens staged a demonstration on Mondaymorning, Aug. 5, to protest increased registration fees at publicschools, the opposition Iran Nation's Party reported[8/6]

According to eyewitnesses at the scene, handicapped veterans fromthe Iran-Iraq war took part in the demonstration, and one veteranthreatened to set fire to himself if the Ministry of Education didnot reconsider its policy of requiring registration fees of studentsat public schools.

The demonstration was broken up by the Law Enforcement Forces, whoreportedly beat dozens of demonstrators but made no arrests.

The INP also reported that the regime has organized a new lawenforcement unit called "Ansarol Mohammad" (Friends of the ProphetMohammad), specifically trained to put down street demonstrations andriots. Units of the motorized brigade were first seen on Tehranstreets on July 31. The INP claims that elements from this new unithave "arrested hundreds of young boys and girls" in Tehran in recentdays.

Iranian students "ungrateful"

A left-wing Iranian daily, Salam, has complained that Iranianstudents who have benefited from state subsidies for overseas studyare "ungrateful."

"Of the 200 Iranian students who graduated from foreignuniversities last year, only 90 returned to Iran," Salam wrote,"while the others chose to remain abroad." Salam complained thattheir choice was a misuse of Ministry of Education funds. [Salam8/10]

Two journalists convicted by press court

Ahmad Safayfard, owner of the daily Akhbar and a close advisor toPresident Rafsanjani, was convicted on Aug. 8 for having published"lies" about domestic Iranian affairs. In addition to a 5 millionrial fine, Safayfard was banned for 6 months from journalism

The press court also condemned Rahim Saed Danesh, who publishesAzarmehr, a monthly news and cultural magazine, for publishing"lies" about the recent Majlis elections. Danesh must pay a 1 millionrial fine. [Kayhan 8/8]

Iranian "spy" expelled

Not all is well between Turkey and Iran, despite the love festsurrounding Prime Minister Erbakan's visit. According to the Turkishdaily Sabah, an Iranian diplomat in Turkey, Bijan Seyfani, wasexpelled in late July for activities incompatible with his diplomaticstatus. Seyfani was allegedly involved with a network of Islamicfundamentalists implicated in the murder of five secular Turkishwriters and several Iranian dissidents over the past six years.[Sabah 7/31]

Intellectuals oppose Velayat-e faghi, official says

If anyone thought intellectuals had a bad name in the UnitedStates, think again. In Iran, they have become worse thanlawyers.

"The adjective "intellectual" is given to someone who feels freeto give his opinion on any subject without restriction," saidMohammad Rajabi, head of the state-run Farabi Cinema Foundation, themain promoter of Iranian films around the world, including in theU.S. "This is in complete contrast with the essence of our religioussystem of think which puts limits on human wisdom."

"Intellectuals, from right to left, are people who do not acceptrevelation as a source of thought, and who therefore arefundamentally opposed to the concept of Velayat-e faghi," thecultural affairs official said.

Perhaps having dissident philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush in mind,Rajabi went on: "Due to their fundamental opposition to the Velayat-eFaghi, we cannot divide intellectuals into Moslems and non-Moslems.All of them are opposed to our values. The entire class of Iranianintellectuals now takes advantage of our cultural weakness and isabusing society."

The real problem, Rajabi thought, was that "the real face ofso-called right-wing Moslem intellectuals is still not understood byour society." [Iran daily, 7/29]

Banking system under fire

Ali Abdol-Alizadeh, Governor of East Azerbaijan province, hasincreasingly come under fire from the Tehran authorities for hisoutspoken criticism of many abuses of the regime. Our readers willrecall his condemnation of the repression of the demonstrations inTabriz, the capital of his province, in May [see Newswire 5].Now, the outspoken Abdol-Alizadeh has taken on the nationalizedbanking system.

"Our nation's banking system is incompatible with the realities oftoday's life," he said in an interview with Resalat on July 18.

"The banking system is falling apart... Instead of establishingthe nation's monetary and fiscal policies, our banking system isengaged in a process of reward and revenge."

"The banking system has been granted huge loans and unsecuredcredits," he said, "that have led to astronomical losses. That is whythe banking system is incapable of any real investment in thecountry, and that is why we in our province cannot let ourselves bedestroyed along with them. We should save our province from thefinancial dangers imposed by our continued linkage to the centralbanking system. Instead, we should find alternatives ourselves."

Abdol-Alizadeh announced that he intended to create a separateAzerbaijan Investment Trust in order to fund local projects, as afirst step toward cutting the province's links to the state bankingsystem. "The problem of our country is not the lack of money, but itsmanagement," he said. "Today, a bunch of gigolos are running ourbanks. They are more fit for sweeping the streets than banking."[Resalat 7/18]

Demonstration in Los Angeles draws 5,000

A demonstration organized by rival monarchist groups in LosAngeles on Aug. 4, drew some 5,000 participants in front of theFederal Building in the Westwood district of Los Angeles. August 4,the anniversary of the 1906 victory of the Constitutional forces overthe Qajar dynasty tyranny, has become the rallying date of theConstitutional Monarchist movement.

At the demonstration, monarchists "pledged allegiance" to RezaShah II as "the righteous constitutional monarch of Iran," andexpressed their belief "in a pluralistic political system in Iran"based on the 1906 Constitution. "We believe that all Iraniansregardless of their sex, religion, creed, and ethnicity are equal andthe basic laws of the land should treat them equally," a jointstatement by the groups said.

"We ask all opposition elements to unite and we believe that allgroups who believe in non-violent struggle against the IslamicRepublic and who do not get orders from foreign powers or governmentscan join this struggle to establish democracy in Iran," the statementread. [UMICR statement 8/4]

FDI's Weekly Newswire

FDI WEEKLY NEWSWIRE NO 17

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