TEHRAN - A court in the holy city of Mashhad in eastern Iran has ordered the amputation of the right hands of two thieves and the fingers of another repeat offender, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Two of the thieves, convicted of 10 counts of theft, were sentenced to imprisonment and lashes of whip, in addition to having their hands cut off, the newspaper Qods (Jerusalem) reported.

The third, having committed half the number of crimes, will have the four fingers of his right hand chopped off. He was also sentenced to three years in jail, three years in exile in a remote region and lashes.

 
Nearly Half of Hopefuls Rejected For Iran Election, Agence France Prersse, March 3

TEHRAN - An Iranian constitutional watchdog council has rejected nearly half of the people who had signed up to run for legislative by-elections this month.

Of the total 229 hopefuls, only 118 have been declared qualified to run for the March 13 polls in Tehran and four other districts.

In the capital alone, 82 people were rejected after tight screening by the Council of the Guardians, which seeks to ensure candidates meet political, moral and ideological requirements of the Islamic regime.

According to newspaper reports, the council, run by conservative clerics, has rejected several supporters of President Mohammad Khatami, provoking angry reactions from their supporters.

Violence erupted Monday when Islamic fundamentalists attacked around 3,000 left-wing students staging a rally here to protest the council's decision.

 
Iran Poses New Spy Threat to Russia's Weapon Industries, Reuter, March 3

MOSCOW - Post-Soviet Russia is facing a new espionage threat from countries like Iran, China and North Korea in addition to its traditional Cold War rivals, a senior counter-intelligence official was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

The warning from the deputy head of the Federal Security Service (FSB) coincided with an appeal to Moscow from Israel's Trade and Industry Minister, former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, to help stop Iran developing ballistic missiles.

The expulsion last year of an Iranian diplomat caught trying to steal missile plans was ample proof of activity by agents representing Russia's new rivals, Tsarenko said.

The former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan last week also launched an investigation into the arrest of three Iranians who had allegedly received sensitive documents from a Kazakh national.

 
Man Accused Of Selling Missile Part, Associated Press, March 3

NEWARK, N.J. - An aviation vendor tried to sell Iran about 20 batteries for long-range missiles used by its fighter jets, federal authorities said.

Daniel Malloy planned to buy the batteries from their U.S. manufacturer in Missouri, then export them to an ally in Singapore, who was to send them to Iran, according to a complaint filed by the U.S. Customs Service that was unsealed Tuesday.

The batteries, which are specifically for the AIM-54 Phoenix missile used only on F-14A Tomcat fighter jets, require a military export license from the State Department, which does not allow such products to go to Iran.

Malloy, 40, president and owner of International Helicopter Inc. of Northvale, was arrested Monday….

 
Iran Faces Challenge to Cut Gasoline Subsidies, Reuter, March 3

 TEHRAN - Iranian media sounded the alarm bells on Tuesday that the country, a major oil exporter, has become increasingly dependent on imports of gasoline and heating fuel to meet rapid demand growth.

The English-language Iran News said in an editorial the country's oil consumption was too high because of heavy state price subsidies and widespread smuggling in border provinces.

Motorists queuing at Tehran's petrol stations were mostly oblivious to the problem, preferring instead to complain that petrol prices were likely to be raised by the government in the new Iranian year starting on March 21.

But behind the drivers' complaints lies a daunting economic problem that seriously drains government coffers and could threaten Iran's capacity to export oil.

Tehran has forecast earnings of $16.2 billion from its oil exports in the next Iranian year, which is not guaranteed as world oil prices slumber at their lowest levels in four years.
 

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