A Majority in Norway’s Parliament Call for Economic, Political Sanctions Against Mullahs, Support for Iranian Resistance, Iran Zamin News Agency, June 30

For the first time, a majority in Norway’s Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament (85 out of 165 deputies) issued a statement, calling on the international community to exert pressure on the repressive regime ruling Iran.

They also called for the institution of an economic and political embargo against the regime and stated their support for Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the Iranian Resistance’s President-elect as the symbol of national unity, who enjoys the backing of the majority of the Iranian people. They declared their support for the program of the National Council of Resistance of Iran for democracy, and the establishment of a secular and pluralist government.

"In backing the declaration by 1,750 parliamentarians in Europe and North America in 1995, we believe that the adoption of a decisive policy, including an economic and diplomatic boycott of the Iranian regime, is imperative. Moreover, support for Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance, who as a symbol of unity is backed by the majority of the Iranian people, will contribute to the establishment of democracy in Iran and peace and stability in the region. This Resistance and its 580-member parliament, which has committed itself to holding free elections and the creation of a secular and pluralist government, is the best answer to the ominous specter of fundamentalism as the new global threat," the statement by the majority of Norwegian Deputies said.

Mullahs' Commander Wages a Campaign of Intimidation and Provocation, Associated Press, June 30

TEHRAN - Iran's top military commander has said his country does not intend to start a war with the United States, but promised to turn the Persian Gulf into a slaughterhouse if attacked.

"If the Americans one day decide to attack Iran, then they will have committed suicide because the Iranians will turn the region into a slaughterhouse for them," said Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaie, commander of the 120,000-strong Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Iran's main fighting force.

His comments, published Sunday in the English-language Kayhan International daily, coincided with the start of four days of Iranian amphibious military exercises in the Persian Gulf….

Open Trial for Iran Writer Urged, Associated Press, June 27  

CAIRO, Egypt - A human rights group on Friday called on Iran to hold a public trial for a dissident Iranian journalist, saying the spying charges against him are only to punish his outspokenness.

In a letter to the Iranian head of judiciary, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, Human Rights Watch/Middle East said Faraj Sarkuhi should be provided with all safeguards established in international law for a fair trial.''

The group joins a growing international clamor for a fair trial for Sarkuhi, 50, the editor of Adineh magazine and a well known critic of Iran's ruling clergy. He faces the death penalty if convicted of espionage.

Earlier Friday, the German government also demanded that Iran hold a public trial and provide Sarkuhi a lawyer of his choice. In Paris, a press watchdog group demonstrated Friday outside the Iranian cultural center to protest Sarkuhi's arrest….

Segregated Swimming Claims Many Lives, Associated Press, June 29

TEHRAN, Iran - Twenty-two swimmers drowned in the Caspian Sea last week while swimming in unauthorized areas where men and women can mix, Tehran radio reported Sunday.

The state-run radio urged vacationers only to swim in authorized zones that have lifeguards and are segregated by sex.

Under Iran's Islamic government it is illegal for men and women to swim in the same areas. Beaches are separated by tall canvas screens that extend far into the water.

The radio did not say whether the victims were men and women who were swimming together.

Last year, 252 people drowned while swimming in unauthorized zones.

Back to Brief on Iran