Cautiously Chafing Under Clerics' Rule, The Baltimore Sun, July 13 

TEHRAN… Eighteen years since Islamic militants took U.S. hostages in a crisis that doomed the presidency of Jimmy Carter and helped turn Iran into a pariah state.

Others trade with the oil-rich land. But the ostracism and an eight-year war with Iraq that cost hundreds of thousands of lives have hurt this country deeply. Inflation and unemployment are high….

Yet, the country's rich Persian culture, the enterprising spirit of its people and their resilience in the face of social and political constraints make for a lively paradox….

While walking home one evening an engineering student runs into supporters of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards. They accuse the long-haired student of being a "rapper," the code name for a lover of all things Western. They chop his hair and bloody his scalp.

A brother and sister's day of skiing outside Tehran ends at a police station. In Iran, unrelated men and women are forbidden to socialize. Before the siblings can produce identification to show that they are related, the woman is punched in the face. Her brother rises to defend her and is beaten with batons.

Driving home from a party, an engineer and his girlfriend are stopped by the police. There is liquor on his breath, a bottle in the car. The engineer admits his crime. And he receives lashes across the back.

"I love my country," the woman says sincerely, but randomness of the harassment leaves the woman feeling unsafe….

U.S. Weighs Sanctions on German Bank, United Press International, July 14 

WASHINGTON - The Clinton administration may apply economic sanctions against a German bank, Westdeutche LandesBank, and its officers for agreeing to make a $90 million loan so Iran can develop an offshore oil field….

American firms are barred from investing in either nation due to their government's alleged support for international terrorism and attempts to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Congress passed the law to choke off funds to Iran and Libya from firms in other nations that do not share the Clinton administration's point of view.

Although State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns says the Clinton administration is still seeking more information about the deal, "we may have to impose sanctions" if the transaction violates U.S. law….

Symptoms of an Ill Economy, State-controlled Daily Iran, July 10 

… Lack of a rational relationship between a household's income and basic expenses,… uncontrolled increase in rents, transportation fares… and dozens of other issues, have forced many parents to struggle for balancing their income with expenses…

Pedram Bozorgi, a junior high school student says: "My father is a [government] employee. His salary is 45,000 tomans per month [approximately $1,000]. By selling cars he earns up to one hundred twenty thousand tomans [approx. 3,000]. But we are still struggling. " He says: "45,000 tomans goes for rent. The rest is for food and we have no savings."

Razieh Safavi, a homemaker says: "How can we afford our 35,000 tomans monthly rent and daily expenses with an income of 50,000 tomans per month. We have to support ourselves with a second job!"…

Mohammad Reza Kaviani, an economic expert, says: "People with two or more jobs, are symptoms of an ill economy. When government employees make up a significant percent of the society and their salary does not match the inflation rate, then there is no other choice but getting a second job…"

Force 4.2 Quake Jolts Eastern Iran, Reuter, July 14

DUBAI - An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale jolted the cities of Birjand and Qaen in eastern Iran on Monday, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported….

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Birjand and Qaen, in Khorasan province, in May killing more than 1,500 people and causing massive damage.

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