Back to Brief on Iran
LONDON - World oil markets hobbled lower on Monday, as a report of rising Iranian output aggravated doubts over producers' determination to cut back.
Doubts over producers' determination were exacerbated by a report from the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) that Iranian output had shot well above its supposed OPEC strictures.
The respected industry newsletter said Iranian production had risen to 3.832 million bpd in June -- up 230,000 bpd from May and almost at par with the April figure of 3.833 million bpd.
This is 350,000 bpd more than Iran agreed to in March's producer pact, and over 800,000 bpd above its the output it pledged from July 1 at last month's OPEC meeting.
Iranian production has been under particular scrutiny since Luis Guisti, head of Venezuela's state oil firm PDVSA, last week publicly berated Iran for cheating on its cutback commitments.
World Cup Memories, The New York Times, July 14
… The week of the U.S.-Iran match, sports played a broader political role as President Clinton called for steps toward a reconciliation between the two countries that have experienced two decades of enmity. During the match, thousands of Iranian spectators displayed T-shirts honoring exiled leaders in a protest that had to embarrass the Islamic regime in Tehran….
Man Kills "Dishonored" Daughter, Agence France Presse, July 14
TEHRAN - An Iranian man killed his 14-year-old daughter at her request because she suffered from guilt feelings since her abduction by two young men a year ago, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
The girl, who was not identified, was abducted in Ilam, a conservative and provincial town west of Iran, last year and freed a month later in Tehran, Jomhuri Islami said.
When she returned home she asked her father to kill her to "relieve her from a pained conscience and emotional problems," and he heeded her request, it said without giving the date of her murder.
It also said the victim had been imprisoned for one year after her release, but did not give details.
There is widespread violence against women in Iranian tribal families, including what they call "honor killing."
[Since 1993, despite occasional sham denunciation by clerics, according to the laws in Iran the fine for killing a so-called "dishonored" woman is as low as $6.20]
As Regime's Own Media See It, Iran Zamin News Agency, July 13
The state-controlled English-language daily Iran News, in its "Press Review" section had the following:
Resalat - In its 'Margin' column this newspaper said Ali Bektash, manager of the Municipality Special Inspectorate, has fled to Singapore along with his family. It must be noted that Bektash was recently appointed to that post which was formerly occupied by Ahmad Reza Khademi whose doing is under question in the municipality's file. Khademi is presently in London acting as the representative of Oil Company in its branch office.
25 Killed in Iran Vehicle Crash, Agence France Presse, July 14
TEHRAN - Twenty-five people were killed and four others severely injured in a collision between a tanker truck and two other vehicles on a road in northeastern Iran, newspapers reported Tuesday.
The accident occurred Monday when the tanker carrying gasoline first hit a car and then a van transporting pilgrims to a shrine in Mashhad, a holy city in Khorasan province.
Khatami Wants Moslems to Back Sanction-Hit Pakistan, Blasts West, Reuter, July 14
TEHRAN - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Tuesday backed a call by Pakistan for a meeting of Islamic states to discuss Western sanctions against Islamabad over its nuclear tests, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported.
Khatami was speaking at a meeting with Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Raja Zafarul Haq, who handed him a message from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif urging Iran to help Pakistan counter the economic sanctions, the agency reported.
Iran has previously said Pakistan's nuclear capability would counter Israel's nuclear arsenal and make Moslems more confident.