Following the claim by the reports of assassination of an Iranian cleric in Najaf (Iraq), the Iraqi government announced in a detailed statement that the assassination of Sheikh Morteza Boroujerdi was perpetrated by Intelligence Ministry agents of a foreign country.

A statement by the Mojahedin said: "This, in our view, is a direct reference to the clerical regime in Iran."

"The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, itself the target of 62 terrorist attacks in Iraq since 1993 by the mullahs' regime and the terrorist diplomats at the regime's embassy in Baghdad, vehemently condemns the assassination of Sheikh Morteza Boroujerdi, the Iranian religious scholar who lived in Najaf," the statement added.

 
Renewed Strike Over Cleric's Treatment, Reuter, April 26

TEHRAN - Shopkeepers shut down the bazaar in a central Iranian city for the second time this month to protest against government-backed restrictions on dissident cleric Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, newspapers said on Sunday.

The bazaar in Najafabad, where Montazeri hails from, was closed all of Saturday and several shopkeepers reported threats if they opened for business, the daily Kar va Kargar newspaper said.

Montazeri has been put under virtual house arrest in the holy city of Qom since he questioned the authority of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a speech in November.

Montazeri's speech, a rare public challenge to Khamenei's paramount power, prompted violent demonstrations last year by hardliners in which Montazeri's offices in the holy city of Qom were attacked.

 
Khatami Calls for Islamic Cooperation Against Israel, Agence France Presse, April 26

TEHRAN - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Sunday called for greater Islamic cooperation against Israel in a meeting here with Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam.

"Islamic and Arab countries should emphasize their common views to benefit more from the difficult situation Israel finds itself in," Khatami told state radio.

He said Tehran and Damascus had "identical views" on issues raised in talks in Tehran, and submitted a message from President Hafez al-Assad inviting Khatami to visit Syria.

The two countries have enjoyed close relations ever since the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war when Syria was virtually the only Arab country to side with Iran.

 
Missile-Quality Steel at Iran Border, The New York Times, April 25

MOSCOW - A truck laden with 22 tons of stainless steel that could be used to make missiles has been intercepted on its way to Tehran, raising new questions about Russia's determination to end assistance to Iran's missile program.

American officials warned the Russian authorities several days in advance that a shipment of steel….

But the Russians say that the American information was not detailed enough and that they were unable to stop the truck in time. It was impounded late last month after leaving Russia when customs officials in Azerbaijan stopped it from crossing the border to Iran.

Russia's failure to stop the shipment has become an issue in a broader debate about Moscow's promise to clamp down on the sale of missile technology to Iran….

Iran has begun a program to build a missile dubbed the Shahab 3, which has a range of about 800 miles - more than twice the range of a scud missile and long enough to reach Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey….

Officials of Azerbaijan say the shipping document misrepresented the type of steel….

A sample of the steel was sent for analysis to the Americans, who determined that it could be used to make scud missiles….

 
British Secret Services Thwart Iranian Efforts to Get Nuclear Technology, Agence France Presse, April 24

LONDON - Britain's foreign espionage service, MI6, has thwarted Iranian attempts to procure British nuclear technology, Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has revealed in an unprecedented break with traditional secrecy.

In a speech late Thursday, Cook said that MI6 and the GCHQ communications monitoring agency had "tracked Iran's nuclear weapons program, and have enabled us to disrupt Iranian attempts to procure British technology."
 

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