In an interview about the Mojahedin with the state television on the occasion of June 28, anniversary of an explosion at the headquarters of the now-defunct Islamic Republican Party, ex-President Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the clerical regime's Council for Discernment of Exigencies of State, said: "Their (the Mojahedin's) ideas are still present in society. During this period they have not been idle, they have been doing a lot of cultural work. They have done a lot and, naturally, inside the country a number of people support them. With these roots from the past and their present assets, they have found a new momentum."

"The same ideological germs sprout up in new circumstances," Rafsanjani said with reference to the Mojahedin. He added: "From the outset, they were opposed to an Islamic state and said we want a democratic state."

Rafsanjani recalled that the Mojahedin "were so strong that they used to hold armed demonstrations with several thousand people in Tehran."

He added: "We have always expected, and expect now, that ideological currents that have roots in society, however weak or scant, cannot be completely routed. They survive for a long time and then grow in strength and, when they feel the situation is ripe, they make their move... They (the Mojahedin) had roots. After all, they are a current and an ideology in society. As long as they exist, they can gain currency."
 

Iran Tells EU to Stop Quizzing It About Human Rights and Terrorism, Agence France Presse, June 28

TEHRAN - Iran called on the European Union Sunday to stop raising issues such as human rights and terrorism which it said did not help to improve relations between Tehran and Brussels.

"Bringing up issues such as international terrorism, capitulation in the Middle East (the Islamic republic's term for the peace process with Israel) or human rights does nothing to help improve ties between Iran and the EU," said a commentary carried by state radio.

"The European side must refrain from raising preposterous allegations," the radio said of the three issues which normally top Western government lists of concerns about Tehran.

The broadcast came just two days before the arrival of Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi on the first official visit here by a Western head of government since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

[In a statement issued in Paris, NCR said: This proves once again that Western governments' policy of appeasement of the religious, terrorist dictatorship in Iran is counter-productive: it only encourages the ruling mullahs to continue their brutal repression at home and export of terrorism abroad.]
 

Ousted Minister Attacks Rival Faction, Agence France Presse, June 29

TEHRAN - Former Iranian interior minister Abdollah Nuri, ousted after a parliamentary censure motion last week, accused the regime's powerful conservative faction on Monday of trying to limit the powers of President Mohammad Khatami.

"They (the conservatives) organized themselves after Khatami's election. They want to limit his powers and fight his program with ever more strength and determination," Nuri said.

Nuri, one of Khatami's key supporters, said he was concerned about the possible departure of Khatami, warning that the conservatives wanted to "throw a spoke into the wheels of the executive."
 

Khamenei Calls for More Corruption Probes of Rafsanjani Years, Agence France Presse, June 29

TEHRAN - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for more investigations into corruption during the administration of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, newspapers reported.

While this period was "one of the best" in recent Iranian history, he said, "some profited illegally from the reconstruction, at the expense of society's weakest members."

The fight against those who made money illegally during Rafsanjani's presidency is a common theme of the regime's conservative wing, which is closely associated with the judiciary.
 

Under Khatami Barbaric Punishments Continue, Agence France Presse, June 28

TEHRAN - A convicted thief has had the fingers of one hand cut off in public in the town of Najafabad in central Iran, Kayhan newspaper reported Sunday.
 

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