Back to Brief on Iran
[Excerpts form an article by Behzad Alavi]
The weeklong demonstrations for democracy in Iran have put an end to ''moderate'' President Mohammad Khatami's two-year honeymoon.…
The US State Department has been attempting to duplicate the failed policy of ''critical dialogue'' abandoned long ago by the European countries who justified their lucrative trade with the religious mullahs who rule Iran. Appeasement of criminals and terrorists will not produce ''moderates.''…
In another good-will gesture, the State Department included the Mujahedin-e Khalq, the main group opposed to the mullahs, in its annual list of terrorist organizations… Subsequently, in a bipartisan statement, a majority of US representatives expressed dismay against the State Department's decision and cited the Mujahedin as ''a legitimate opposition against the mullahs' regime.''
Contrary to the State Department's allegations, Mujahedin-e Khalq represent the most popular grass-roots movement in Iran's history. Its relentless struggle for a free and democratic Iran has cost it dearly. During the last two decades the mullahs' atrocities against the Mujahedin have included the execution of 120,000 political prisoners and the systematic detention and torture of a larger number of sympathizers. In the absence of bonding with the Iranian people, the violence committed against Mujahedin would have rendered survival impossible. Iranians abroad have also consistently and publicly expressed loyalty toward the Mujahedin: 10,000 demonstrated against Khatami's presence at the United Nations and in favor of Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
The council, which includes the Mujahedin and the National Liberation Army, represents a democratic platform committed to rid Iran of the mullahs' oppressive regime. Its members are so confident the Iranian people will choose them that they are willing to lay down arms and participate in a fair election under the supervision of the United Nations….
The downfall of the mullahs' regime
is certain. A free and democratic Iran will offer prosperity for its citizens
and stability and peace for the region.
"These Are The Last Days of This Regime," The New York Times, July 15
TEHRAN, Iran -- After six days of nationwide pro-democracy protests… crowds staged counter-demonstrations …
The Government blocked all mobile telephone communication in Teheran in an effort to prevent speedy conversations among students, journalists and would-be saboteurs, officials said…
The television did not show the people who left the rally here long before it ended or the Popsicle-licking marchers who preferred window-shopping to chanting… Plainclothes security officers carrying walkie-talkies carefully followed people who did not blend in, even following them into shops…
… along the fringes of the counter-demonstration,
there was a quiet chorus of dissent… An elderly man watching the demonstration
from a side street, said over and over: "Have patience. Have patience."
He said he had seen many things in his long life. "These are the last days
of this regime," he said. "I'm old and experienced. I know what I'm talking
about."…
Regime's Daily Admits to Support for Mojahedin Among Students, Prepares Ground For Further Suppression, Iran Zamin News Agency, July 15
The state-run daily Tehran Times, today reported that "Security forces yesterday discovered a bomb concealed by terrorists on Mullah Sadra Avenue, in northwestern Tehran, to injure innocent civilians, an informed source said."
"The same source said that the security forces yesterday discovered a hideout of terrorists on Vali-Asr Avenue, near Qods Department Store. According to the source, the hideout was being used for terrorist activities in Tehran," the daily said.
Tehran Times again admitted today to support for the Mojahedin among the protesting students and said: "The Supreme National Security Council on Tuesday confirmed that the pro-Mujahideen elements had joined the ranks of students to launch terrorist activities in the country."