[Excerpts from an essay by William Safire]

… We already knew that Iran was developing nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. What we did not know was this: "Massive Russian assistance and close cooperation with Iran are enabling the Iranian regime to develop independent capabilities to produce medium-range ballistic missile systems within a very short time."

Every nation in the Near East uses a simple test to determine Iran's military intentions: the range of the missiles it seeks to build. As long as that range stayed short of 700 miles, Saudis, Turks and Israelis did not become unduly alarmed. But technical and humint sources revealed Shahab-3 and -4, missiles ranging up to 1,240 miles and threatening many capitals (not to mention 20,000 U.S. military personnel in the vicinity). Thus did Iran signal aggressive intentions.

In addition to the secret missile help, hundreds of Russian scientists are openly in Iran building its Bushehr "civilian" reactor. But Iran sits on a sea of cheap oil energy; its only reason for a nuclear reactor is to produce plutonium isotopes for bombs.

U.S. Seeks Canadian for Selling Iran Parts, The Washington Times, September 27

  Federal authorities yesterday sought the extradition of a Canadian indicted in August by a federal grand jury in Washington on 27 counts of conspiracy and illegally exporting U.S. aircraft parts to Iran.

Mehdi Hobby Moghadam, president of Avitor Corp., is being sought to face charges of conspiracy to export the parts… from Canada to Germany, then to Iran over a five year period, beginning in July 1991…

The inducement alleges that Mr. Moghadam solicited price and delivery terms on behalf of Iran Air, made false statements to U.S. suppliers to ship the aircraft parts to Canada and later shipped those parts through Germany to Iran.

War Games to Confront "Potential Threat" 120 km South of Tehran! Reuter, September 28

  TEHRAN - Iranian troops on Sunday concluded a week-long war-games that displayed Iran's ability "to destroy potential threats" and announced new naval exercises in the Gulf next month, Iranian television said.

It said Iranian-built jets and tanks took part in the major air and ground assaults involving some 200,000 troops.

Iran's supreme leader and overall commander-in-chief of the armed forces Ayatollah Ali Khamenei watched the assaults.

"The exercises were a success," Major-General Ali Shahbazi, commander-in-chief of the army told Iranian television after the live-fire exercises ended on Sunday evening.

"These war-games showed Iran's power to destroy any potential threat," he said.

The official news agency IRNA said troops turned the desert, some 120 km (75 miles) south of the capital Tehran, into a scene of a full-fledged war.

Elf in Talks With Iran on Doroud Oilfield, Reuter, September 26

  PARIS - France's Elf Aquitaine is talking to Iran about investing in its Doroud oilfield, but is having to tread cautiously to avoid a backlash in the United States, an Elf executive was quoted on Friday as saying.

Jean-Luc Vermeulen, executive vice-president for exploration and production, told the specialist publication Arab Oil and Gas there was no law to prevent Elf from working inside Iran…

"However, we have considerable interests in the United States, in exploration and production but also in chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and we need to be extremely cautious about the attitude of the U.S. administration regarding the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act," he added.

Mullahs' False Claims, Iran Zamin News Agency, September 28

  The mullahs' Intelligence Ministry announced that 25 members of the Mojahedin had surrendered themselves to the regime's officials in Kermanshah over the past four weeks.

A spokesman for the Mojahedin said "these fabrications are aimed at boosting the sagging morale of the regime's forces who have received heavy blows from the Iranian Resistance particularly in recent months."

In recent months, in reaction to extensive public enthusiasm towards the Mojahedin and the Iranian Resistance, the clerical regime has arrested many groups of youths and former political prisoners.

Back to Brief on Iran