TEHRAN - Iran's clerical conservatives, emboldened by parliament's approval of tough new press restrictions, have struck a blow at Mohammad Khatami with the closure of the newspaper that helped his rise to power.

The Special Court for Clergy banned indefinitely on Wednesday the daily Salam, organ of old guard leftist clerics, after it printed details of what it said was a secret plan by hardliners to muzzle the press.

By a vote of 125 to 90, MPs approved in principle a major overhaul of Iran's press law, first drafted by Khatami when he was minister of culture in the 1980s.

Final details of the measure must still be worked out but most editors said they had little hope that the new restrictions would be watered down substantially.

Proposed changes in the law include compelling journalists to reveal their sources, barring journalists and editors linked to certain opposition groups from engaging in any form of press activity, and increasing conservative influence over the media.
 
 

Iran Drought Ruins 27 Pct Of Wheat Crop, Reuter, July 5

TEHRAN - Iran's worst drought in 30 years has destroyed more than a quarter of the country's wheat crop and a quarter of its rice, Agriculture Minister Issa Kalantari said.

Iran consumes 14-15 million tones of wheat a year, with the balance made up by imports. Kalantari said other crops have also suffered, with the barley crop down by a projected 700,000 tones. The drought has severely hit major rice fields in northern provinces bordering the Caspian Sea. One dam complex is totally dry and water from another has been diverted to offset a shortage of drinking water for the 10 million residents of Tehran.
 
 

Two Paintings Attributed to Hitler Turn up In Tehran, Agence France Presse, July 5

TEHRAN - Two water-colors attributed to Adolf Hitler which turned up in a cellar in Tehran were presented to the press here Monday.

The two small pictures were painted in Vienna in 1911 or 1912 when the future head of the Nazi regime, who was in his early 20s at the time, was dreaming of a career as an artist.

Close to 55 years after Hitler's death and the collapse of the Nazi regime, Iran is considering putting his paintings on public show. The two water-colors could be hung in a museum of western art.
 
 

Slowly But Surely Iran's Clerical Regime is Collapsing, The Washington Post, July 8

[Excerpts from an article by Reuel Marc Gerecht]

Slowly but surely Iran's clerical regime is collapsing. The recent arrest of 13 Iranian Jews on charges of espionage is an ugly reminder that the fall will likely be neither pretty nor peaceful. By attacking their own helpless Jews, the ruling mullahs vicariously strike at larger, more dangerous targets -- Israel, the United States and secular democracy, the most pernicious Western idea gaining ground in the Islamic Republic.

These arrests ought to encourage us to reassess the moderation and mission of Iranian President Mohammed Khatemi. Many Iran-watchers have tried to give Khatemi the benefit of the doubt. This espionage case has generally been depicted as a byproduct of the power struggle between Khatemi and the hard-line revolutionary leader Ali Khamenei. Alternately seen as powerless or judiciously playing a long-term game against the leader's stronger forces, Khatemi has so far escaped severe criticism for Iran's increasing internal repression.

Though serious differences divide the president and the revolutionary leader, this Western generosity toward the Iranian president is increasingly misplaced. Concerning the "Jewish menace," Iran's radical clergy certainly isn't divided. Though Martin Indyk, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, may "find it hard to reconcile . . . Khatemi's words [about the rule of law]" with the espionage charges, Khatemi isn't likely so conflicted.

… In public, President Khatemi has referred to Israel as a "racist, terrorist regime." In private, where Iranians often mercifully ignore their public utterances, he is reputed to be no less adamant in his attacks against the Jewish state and its ability to control the United States…

Much has been made of Khatemi's call for a "dialogue of civilizations." Some observers have seen Khatemi's words presaging a thaw in the U.S.-Iranian confrontation… But Khatemi's curiosity has limits and an ulterior purpose. Freedom for him must have a divine mission, to avoid the West's spiritual misery and rot… Probably no less than Khamenei, Khatemi views Western culture -- especially the American cutting edge -- as a cancer on the Muslim politic…

As more liberal dissidents, minorities and disenchanted clerics find themselves harassed and jailed by Iran's hard-liners, we in the West should be cautious in seeing Khatemi as a good man who would do better if he could. Such consideration on our part -- particularly if effected through quiet diplomacy -- could be lethal to Iranians who simply want to enjoy the freedoms that Americans consider their birthright.

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