Tehran - Iran said on Tuesday it was mass-producing anti-armor guided missiles with a range of 13,000 feet.

State television quoted Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani as saying the Tosan-1 missiles "complete the chain of our defense capability."

The missile had an "effective range" of 4,000 meters and was designed to destroy tanks, armored vehicles, and concrete structures such as dams, the television said.

It could be fitted with night vision devices and accurately hit targets in the dark up to 2,500 meters away, it quoted another defense official as saying.

Last week, Iran began producing optical electronic components which it said could be used in manufacturing smart weapons.

Israel and the United States have voiced concern over Iran's weapons programs.
 

Factional Infighting Escalates Ahead of February Poll, Agence France Presse, December 4

TEHRAN - Iran's conservative clergy are trying to win over their opponents ahead of February's elections which they fear will lose them control of parliament, informed sources said.

The sources said the conservative Association of Combatant Clergy had held several meetings at its instigation with the similarly-named Association of Combatant Clerics, the main religious faction backing Mohammad Khatami.

The first meeting was held on November 18 in the holy city of Qom, when Combatant Clergy leader Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani called for "unity and understanding" among Iran's powerful clergy.

Mahdavi-Khani said the clergy must unite "to bar the way to the intruders".

Sources said the conservatives are seeking agreement on a "code of conduct" for the polls, but they added that the atmosphere had been soured by the November 27 conviction of Abdollah Nuri by the Special Clerical Court (SCC) for alleged anti-Islamic propaganda.

The conviction of Nuri was a blow to the Khatami's faction, whose front is far from united, whereas the conservatives are a solid bloc.

Meanwhile the interior minister, Abdolvahed Mussavi-Lari, admitted that Khatami's government faced economic and political problems.
 

Regime's Parliament Speaker Warns about "Infiltration" into Universities, Agence France Presse, December 7

Tehran - Iran's parliament speaker on Tuesday charged that the country's liberals and nationalists are seeking to infiltrate the universities, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"For the first time in the history of Iran's universities, we can hear whispers in defense of the United States," said Ali Akbar Nateq-Nuri.

The top official who was speaking to a group of students on the occasion of the "day of the student," affirmed that the "US wants to infiltrate our universities with the help of liberals and nationalists."

"This is a threat and we must remain vigilant," Nateq-Nuri said

Mohammad Khatami was also scheduled to meet with students from Tehran's technical Elm-va-Sanat University Tuesday, but postponed the meeting until next week because he was suffering from flu!
 

Albright Seeks Saudis' Help to Counter Mullahs' Support for Terrorism, Reuters, December 7

RIYADH - U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah on Monday and thanked them for helping Palestinians prepare for peace but also expressed concern about Iran's alleged support for opponents of the peace process, her spokesman James Rubin told reporters at a briefing.

"They talked about the concern that we have that the Iranian government has sent out very dangerous signals," Rubin said.

These included opposition to Middle East peace moves and supporting guerrilla groups "determined to kill the peace process," Rubin added.

Washington believes Iran is trying to derail the peace process by shipping arms to the Palestinian group Hamas.
 

Drug Use Escalates in Iran Under Cleric's Rule, The Christian Science Monitor, December 7

Illegal drug use has escalated in the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent years, despite harsh penalties for use… Moreover, the number of addicts has grown because the economy is depressed, and job prospects are dim…
 

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