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BAGHDAD - A Baghdad-based Iranian opposition group said on Thursday one of its convoys had come under fire in southern Iraq.
Mujahideen Khalq said in a statement faxed to Reuters in the Iraqi capital that Iranian "terrorists" fired rocket-propelled grenades on the convoy at 7.10 p.m. (1510 GMT) on Wednesday as it drove on a highway between the cities of Kut and Basra.
The group, which opposes the Tehran government, said armed bodyguards in the convoy returned fire, forcing the assailants to flee. It said there were no casualties among its members.
The statement said the Mujahideen "reiterates its legitimate right to response and self-defense when and where it deems appropriate."
It said the attack was the 63rd "terrorist and military operation by the Mullah's regime since 1993" against their bases inside Iraq.
Mujahideen bases have been the target
of air and rocket attacks by Iran and their office in Baghdad, now ringed
with concrete wall, has weathered several mortar and bomb attacks.
Corruption and "Reminders of the Last Days of Monarchy Rule," Radio France Internationale, July 6
Ja'fari, Deputy District Attorney of Tehran province, on July 6 said: "In issue 15 of daily Gozaresh Rouz [Daily Report], a big title reading 'Iranian authorities send money abroad', below which there was a picture of a moving plane in size of a dollar bill, was published."
"This title and report are big lies. Particularly, that it was citing a foreign paper as reference… Such title and picture, are reminders of the last days of monarchy rule [in Iran]," the deputy said.
In a related news, the Board of Press Jury convicted Seyed Morteza Nabavi, the director of daily Resalat, for publishing false news. But, granted reduced sentence."
According to IRNA [Iran's official news agency], Daily Resalat, on its November 10 issue wrote 70 percent of a Canadian company belonged to those who claim to be supporters of poor including Behzad Nabavi [former director of Iran's Heavy Industries]… and he receives a monthly salary of $10,000 as the representative of a Chinese company.
Tehran Mayor's Trial Nears End, Reuter,
July 9
TEHRAN - A court in Iran decided on Thursday to hold its final session on Saturday in the graft trial of Tehran's mayor.
Islamic judge Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, who under Iranian laws also acts as prosecutor, accused the mayor of misusing city property and of approving questionable financial dealings by firms affiliated with the capital's municipality.
"My client is a top-level state manager… How is it that he is being tried... According to what scenario is this trial being staged?" Haeri said in Karbaschi's defense.
Judge Mohseni Ejei interrupted Haeri and warned that he could be ejected for contempt of court.
Karbaschi and his lawyers have sparred with the judge and said the charges were based on confessions alleged to have been obtained under pressure and torture from top city officials.
The torture allegations -- raised by the city officials who said they were beaten, flogged during questioning and held in long solitary confinement -- have surfaced repeatedly at the trial.
The case has been at the center of the factional row, in which the conservative-dominated parliament last month forced out Interior Minister Abdollah Nouri with a vote of no-confidence.
Many Iranians have stayed up late into the night to watch the proceedings rebroadcast on state television.
Quake Jolts Iran, No Casualties Reported, Reuter, July 9
TEHRAN - A relatively strong earthquake hit Iran's northwestern Caspian port city of Astara on Thursday, but an Iranian official said there were no reports of casualties or damage.
Iran's official news agency IRNA said the quake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, had its epicenter about 400 km (250) northwest of Tehran in an area near the border with Azerbaijan. The earthquake occurred at 6:50 p.m. (1420 GMT), it said.
Force 5 earthquakes are powerful enough to cause heavy damage in a populated area.
Iran is often hit by earthquakes. In April, a quake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale killed 12 people in the east of the country.
There is currently a public scare in Tehran over rumors that a seer had predicted a massive earthquake in the capital over the next few days.