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TEHRAN - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has re-appointed three conservative senior clerics to a powerful state body that has featured prominently in recent political rows between two rival faction.
Khamenei issued an order renaming Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, Ayatollah Abolqassem Khazali and Ayatollah Gholamreza Rezvani to the Guardian Council which oversees elections and can veto laws, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.
The conservative-led council has been often accused by moderates of misusing its wide powers for factional gains.
Jannati has been the most outspoken member of the Guardian Council, by openly backing attacks by hardliners on meetings of opposition groups or bookshops selling books deemed un-Islamic.
In a rare open attack, Khazali warned in May the president would "get a slap in the face by God and by the people" if he did not change his ways.
Majlis Deputies Criticize Interior Minister-Designate, Agence France Presse, July 16
TEHRAN - Iran's interior minister-designate, Abdol-Vahed Mussavi-Lari, pledged Thursday to continue the policies of his ousted predecessor, Abdollah Nuri, if parliament approves his appointment next week.
Iran's parliament is to put candidacy of Mussavi-Lari to the vote on Wednesday as is required under the constitution for all ministerial appointments.
His approval however is far from certain as several conservatives MPs have voiced their opposition to his nomination, complaining that parliament had not been consulted before its announcement.
"Mussavi-Lari is not a suitable choice for the post," said Morteza Nabavi, an outspoken conservative deputy from Tehran. "We have to have someone who brings calm to the country and have a balanced approach, exactly the qualities that he lacks."
Another MP, Ahmad Nejabat, charged that the nominee "lacked strong administrative credentials" and suggested he lacked the qualifications to serve as a commander of the police force, a position interior ministers have traditionally been entitled to in the past.
"The interior minister should also be obedient to the leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) so he will not have problems with the police force," Nejabat told newspapers.
44 Arrested for $27 Million Trade Fraud, Reuters, July 15
TEHRAN - Iran has arrested 44 people for allegedly pocketing nearly $27 million through illegal trade operations, Iranian state television said on Wednesday.
It quoted the head of a court at Tehran airport as saying the group had been charged with economic sabotage, that can carry a death sentence, for illegal import/export dealings. They were charged with pocketing 80 billion rials ($26.7 million), said the official, identified only as Mr Seraj.
In May, the court sentenced three airport customs officials and a businessman to death for economic sabotage.
Report Cites Missile Attack Dangers, Associated Press, July 16
WASHINGTON -- A report to Congress that ballistic missiles from rogue nations could strike U.S. cities with "little or no warning" has lawmakers pressing for a review of intelligence assessments that conclude there is no immediate danger.
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, chairman of the commission, said his panel concluded that nations such as Iran and North Korea are developing long-range missiles -- partly thanks to technology from Russia and China -- that have intercontinental weapons.
The commission report said Iran is seeking missile components that could result in weapons with similar range, capable of hitting Pennsylvania or Minnesota.
Waste, Smuggling to Blame for Oil-rich Iran's $460 Mln in Oil-Product Imports, Reuters, July 16
TEHRAN - Oil giant Iran is expected to import $460 million worth of refined petroleum products in the year to March 1999 due to high domestic demand, a newspaper reported on Thursday.
The daily Hamshahri quoted a director at the National Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC) as saying the imports would include four million liters per day of petrol to cover domestic demand, which was rising at about 6 percent annually.
The unnamed NIOC official blamed the high demand on waste and smuggling of fuel to neighboring countries due to Iran's low subsidized prices, the newspaper said.