Iran MPs Call for Corruption Probe of Officials, Reuter, July 1  

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A majority of Iran's parliamentary deputies Tuesday called for an investigation into the assets of top officials of outgoing President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's administration and their families, Tehran radio said.

The move followed calls by Iranian leaders to redouble efforts against corruption in state bodies and media reports of arrests of officials accused of misappropriating public funds.

The radio said 156 deputies in the 270-seat parliament issued a letter urging the judiciary to launch "a careful probe into the assets of vice-presidents, ministers, their spouses and children before and after their assuming office."

"The public announcement of the results of the investigation will no doubt lead to the people's increased trust in the Islamic system," the radio quoted the letter as saying.

… "Today a group of people intend, indiscriminately and violently, to undermine regulations to gather large sums," [Supreme Spiritual Leader Ali] Khamenei said. "Therefore, the judiciary should find those people and confront that dangerous phenomenon."

An Iranian court last week sentenced a state official and 12 accomplices to up to 30 years in jail each for misappropriating large state sums allocated for rebuilding earthquake-hit areas, official media said.

The media also reported that a former Revolutionary Guards commander was being tried on treason and embezzlement charges.

Rafsanjani Says Protesting Workers Must Be Put Down, Iran Zamin News Agency, June 30  

The mullahs' regime convened a meeting of the agencies which suppress dissent in government offices to discuss ways to curb the rising tide of protests by employees. According to a report by the regime's radio on June 18, the session in Mashad was entitled the "4^th Nationwide Convention To Attend to Office Protests by Government Employees."

Rafsanjani sent a message to the conference, in which he referred to the harm done to the ruling regime by labor strikes and protests. Rafsanjani called for increased suppression of dissident workers who "cause material and morale harm to the office and administrative branch of the country." He referred to these employees as "offenders."

The regime's radio reported that roughly 500 committees had been set up in government institutions to deal with the problem of employee protests. The figure reflects the extent of discontent in government offices.

Arms Dealers Say Their Goods Ended Up in Iran, Associated Press, July 1  

MIAMI -- Two Lithuanians started out talking with undercover U.S. Customs agents about smuggling vehicles, then got around to nuclear weapons and antiaircraft missiles.

… Customs affidavits said the negotiations broke into two phases: smuggling the hand-held missiles with legitimate-looking export papers and a black market shipping route, then talk about smuggling tactical nuclear weapons…

The case shows "there are people out there who have the ability to move weapons -- strategic weapons -- around the world," said Dennis Fagan, agent in charge of the Customs Service in Miami.

… According to the affidavit, the Lithuanians said that, after two years of negotiations, all but one of the Igla anti-aircraft missiles intended for sale to the agents wound up in Iran instead.

458-Year-Old Persian Rug Returned, Associated Press, July 1

TEHRAN, Iran -- A 16th century Persian rug worth more than $4 million has been returned to Iran three years after it was smuggled out of the country, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Iranian authorities began a campaign two years ago to retrieve the Ardabil Rug, woven in 1539.

The precious rug was smuggled out by a 35-member gang, the English-language Tehran Times reported. It did not say where the carpet ended up or how it was retrieved.

320,000 College Students Lack Dormitory Facilities, Iran Zamin News Agency, June 17

According to the Deputy for University Students at the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, 320,000 students in Iran currently lack living facilities. Abrar newspaper reported on June 16 that there was dormitory space available, in very crowded conditions, for only 90,000 students.

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