Back to Brief on Iran
ALMATY—Kazakhstan said on Thursday it was expelling three Iranians arrested last month for alleged spying.
"Unlawful activities by the Iranian
citizens involving the collection of intelligence information directly
affecting the security interests of Kazakhstan were confirmed in the course
of investigations," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Iran Economy Knocked by Oil Price Slump, Reuter, March 18
A slump in world oil prices is putting an increasing squeeze on Iran's economy, forcing officials to seriously consider revising the coming year's budget for the second time.
"To say the price is worrying is an under-estimate," said one oil official in Tehran.
But crude prices have since slumped even further because of oversupply, Asia's economic crisis and a mild northern hemisphere winter.
The impact of lower oil prices has been compounded by reports that Iran's crude oil exports are falling because of a rise in domestic petroleum demand and problems in sustaining output at its aging main onshore oil fields.
Iranian petroleum officials have also conceded that Iran has not been able to produce to its higher Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota.
Iran was likely to repeat a harsh clampdown on imports last seen in 1995-1996 and draw down foreign exchange reserves.
The head of Iran's state inspectorate
organization said this week that next year's budget would have a deficit
of eight trillion rials ($2.7 billion) due to the fall in the oil prices.
Cancellation of By-Elections' Second Round Marks Extreme Isolation of Mullahs, Iran Zamin News Agency, March 19
The National Council of Resistance of Iran issued a statement today indicating that the clerical regime's Majlis adopted a bill on Wednesday according to which "the Majlis by-elections will be carried out in one stage and with relative majority."
It is stipulated that once the Council of Guardians approves it, the bill will immediately be implemented. In an unusual move, the Majlis has made this law retroactive and it will affect the by-elections of March 13.
The statement added that the decision by Majlis is in reaction to the widespread boycott of the by-elections last week. Fearing even a more extensive boycott of the second round of the sham by-elections, and to thwart a worse political scandal, the regime ratified this bill.
Iran's Missile Threat, The Associated
Press, March 17
Citing military threats worldwide, a House committee on Tuesday approved legislation authorizing $147 million in new Pentagon spending for accelerated testing of regional missile defense systems.
Sponsors said existing theater missile defense programs aren't sophisticated enough to counter threats from a new generation of ballistic missiles that Iran and North Korea are developing, according to various intelligence reports.
With a range of up to 800 miles, the new Iranian missiles due for testing in 18 month would put Israel, other U.S. allies in the Middle East and American soldiers stationed in the Persian Gulf at risk, the bill sponsors said.
Another Bus Crash Kills 19 Iranian Women,
Reuter, March 18
Nineteen Iranian women, including 16 medical students, were killed when their bus collided with a trailer in southern Iran, the official news agency said on Wednesday.
Three of the victims were described as companions of the medical students who died in the road accident on the Ahvaz-Khorammabad highway on Tuesday night.
The students, who attended medical school in the northeastern city of Mashad, were on an inspection tour of several southern cities.
The accident was the second on the same road in two days. On Monday night a bus overturned killing eight male math students returning to Tehran from a math conference in Ahvaz, located in Iran's Khuzestan province.