BRIEF ON IRAN
No. 920
Friday, June 12, 1998
Representative Office of
The National Council of Resistance of Iran
Washington, DC

Khamenei Expresses Alarm Over "Big Enemy", Blackmails Foreign Governments into Issuing Statements Against the Resistance, Iran Zamin News Agency, June 11

The National Council of Resistance of Iran issued a statement on Thursday, indicating that in a speech in the north Iranian city of Amol, the clerical regime's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said: "When you have a big enemy outside the border waiting for its chance, you don't preoccupy yourself with small enemies, hypothetical enemies, factional enemies."

Khamenei's reference to "the big enemy outside the border waiting for its chance" was a clear acknowledgment by the regime's highest authority of how effective the Mojahedin operations were against three major centers of repression and terrorism in Tehran last week. His remarks also showed the mullahs' fear of being overthrown by the National Liberation Army of Iran.

According to the NCR, the mullahs' leader also warned the regime about the aggravating internal crisis which has become uncontrollable and which paves the way for the overthrow of the entire regime by the National Liberation Army.

Quoting reports from Iran, the NCR said in another statement that following the Mojahedin's attacks on three key centers of repression and terrorism in Tehran last week, the clerical regime has ordered its Ministry of Foreign Affairs to use every possible means to induce foreign governments to issue statements against the Iranian Resistance.

The reports quoted a senior Iranian government official as saying that the U.S. State Department's statement against the Mojahedin operations came in response to a request by the clerical regime. The State Department's statement surprised observers and was seen as yet another "goodwill" gesture to the mullahs' terrorist dictatorship.

The NCR said that the clerical regime is also trying to blackmail and exert pressure on European governments to force them to issue statements against the Resistance. In the past two days, the official media in Tehran have been repeatedly demanding the German government to issue a statement against the Iranian Resistance, blatantly reminding Bonn of its huge trade volume with Tehran.

The state radio sharply criticized the European Union yesterday for its "silence on the operations" in Tehran, adding that "Europe's stance on terrorism is ambivalent." By pointedly stating that "terrorism will not be contained with such hypocritical approach," the radio commentary threatened European governments with more terrorist attacks in Europe.

 

Tehran Mayor's Trial Demonstrates Intensifying Internal Crisis Among Regime's Factions, Reuter, June 11

The embattled mayor of Tehran denied corruption charges on Thursday in a court case pitting a key political ally of President Mohammad Khatami against Iran's conservative judiciary.

After more than three hours of heated exchanges, the trial of Gholamhossein Karbaschi was adjourned until Tuesday.

Karbaschi's allies say the charges, covering his nine years as mayor of the crowded capital of 10 million people, are politically motivated.

About 50 hardliners marched outside the court chanting "Death to Karbaschi" and "Looter of the public property should be executed." There were no clashes with other factions or security forces….

The political temperature in Iran has risen in recent days with the start of the trial on Sunday, moves in the conservative-dominated parliament to impeach moderate Interior Minister Abdollah Nouri and the forced closure of a daily newspaper sympathetic to the president….
 

Mullahs' Censors Cannot Even Tolerate "Friendly" Publications, Iran Zamin News Agency, June 11

The National Council of Resistance of Iran issued a statement today indicating that the clerical regime's judiciary ordered two Tehran journals - Jame'eh and Gozaresh-e Ruz (Daily Report) - to cease publication. Journals such as Jame'eh have stated time and again that while they publish certain articles critical of some aspects of the mullahs' rule, their ultimate goal is to preserve the mullahs' regime. Some of the principal publishers of Jame'eh were in fact among the founders of the Revolutionary Guards, the NCR said.

The judicial authorities' move had the blessing of Khatami's cabinet, for the court verdict came after a committee set up by the Ministry of Guidance declared these publications to be in breach of the regime's press rules.

The statement added that three other publications, Panjshanbeha (Thursdays), Kayhan Varzeshi, and Kayhan Hava'i were also condemned to pay fines and face press restrictions.

The closure of the regime's own publications shows once again that any talk of reform in the Iranian regime is absurd and totally removed from reality, the NCR said.

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