The clerical regime in Iran has stepped up its jamming of Mojahedin's radio station, Voice of Mojahed, and has launched a nation-wide "dish-hunt" to confiscate satellite receivers and antennas.

This campaign is a part of the mullahs' latest efforts to prevent the people from hearing the Iranian Resistance's calls for a total boycott of the sham parliamentary elections.

In addition, the mullahs' regime has recently started strong jamming of Persian-language radio broadcasts by foreign governments into Iran

The state-subsidized Akhbar-e Eqtesad on September 25 warned that "television broadcasts belonging to political groups opposed to the Iranian regime enjoy a viewership which is several times higher than the number of people who read the '2nd Khordad' (pro-Khatami) dailies. These satellite programs are within easy reach and in them, the worst types of insults are made against clerical and political figures (of the regime) and the people are incited to overthrow the regime."
 

Mortar Attacks Exacerbate Mullahs' Internal Crisis, Iran Zamin News Agency, February 10

The mortar attacks on the palaces of Khamenei and Rafsanjani in Tehran have exacerbated the strife among factions within Iran's ruling establishment, as faction leaders rush to blame each other for the Mojahedin's operations.

The state-run daily, Ressalat wrote on Feb. 7: "Beside causing instability, this attack is designed to create discord [among the ruling factions]." Ressalat revealed that a "government agency" had contacted the news media and the press after the attack, telling them not to mention the locations where the mortars fell, namely the Expediency Council.

Pointing to the extensive coverage of this operation, Fat'h daily wrote on Feb. 7: "Those who are concerned about Iran's economy are aware of the extent to which this incident [mortar attack on the offices of Khamenei and Rafsanjani] damages Iran's international credibility. The efforts by the Minister of Mines and Metals in the past few days to convince the European Union to remove Iran from the list of high-risk countries have been rendered futile."
 

5 Million Identity Cards of Dead or Missing For Voting, Tehran Times, February 10

TEHRAN - A lawmaker yesterday warned officials that he had authentic information that there are five million identity cards of those who have either died or listed missing for one or other reasons.

Deputy Mohammadreza Taraqi in an interview with the Tehran Times said, "The official responsible for holding the elections, should be vigilant and should not allow violators of the election laws to misuse these identity cards."

Commenting on other issues he said that the Executives of Construction Party (ECP) must answer the questions related to the period of the so-called reconstruction.' Taraqi from Mashhad on the phone yesterday said, "with the arrival of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in the race, the 2nd Khordad groups got a political shock."
 

Mullahs' "Muscle-Flexing" Across Iran, Iran Zamin News Agency, February 10

The mullahs' regime has been conducting an unprecedented number of military maneuvers and exercises in cities and regions across the country in the run-up to the February 18 farce elections.

The Wednesday issue of the state-run daily Ressalat, quoting Brig. Gen. Hedayatollah Lotfian, the commander of the State Security Forces, wrote with regard to the Saturday mortar attack on the palaces of Khamenei and Rafsanjani in Tehran's top-security zone: "Tehran is afflicted with acute security problems."

In Tehran, the Guards' Sarollah HQ, assigned to the suppression of antigovernment protests and upheavals in the capital, staged extensive maneuvers with the aim of "countering any act of rioting of a political or social nature."
 

Poll Coalition Split in Tehran, The Financial Times, February 10

Divisions within the… coalition backing… Khatami have been exposed, on the eve of Iran's week-long parliamentary election campaign, by its failure to agree on a common list of candidates for the key Tehran constituency.

Members of the coalition, known as the May 23 Front, admitted that after weeks of wrangling the 18 parties could not find enough common candidates, and that each would present a separate list.

A profusion of reformist candidates will divide the vote, to the benefit of the rival conservative bloc that currently controls a parliamentary majority.

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