TEHRAN - Members of Iran's new parliament paid their respects Saturday at the tomb of Ruhollah Khomeini, in a ceremony closely watched for indicators of the country's political future.

Kept apart from around 100 other visitors to the mausoleum, they moved slowly toward the grave, reciting Koranic verses in memory of the father of the Islamic revolution as solemn music played in the background.

Afterward, the new MPs said prayers led by Khomeini's grandson, the senior cleric Hassan Khomeini.
 

Pro-Khatami Party Rallies Behind "Radical" Mullah for Speaker, Agence France Presse, May 29

TEHRAN - The reformist political party that holds half the seats in Iran's new parliament announced Monday it would not put up its own candidate for the powerful post of speaker.

The Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) party believes the umbrella group of all pro-Khatami parties, of which it is a member, should agree on a single name, said IIPF leader Mohammad-Reza Khatami, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Most leading figures in the IIPF and the press have rallied behind Mehdi Karubi, a former radical speaker now allied with the president, for Tuesday's election.
 

Assassination Attempt on Khatami's Life by His Bodyguard, Reuters, May 29

TEHRAN - Intelligence officers of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards recently foiled an attempt on the life of Mohammad Khatami by one of his bodyguards, according to a prominent conservative politician.

The daily Bayan on Monday quoted Ahmad Tavakoli, a former presidential candidate and newspaper publisher, as telling students the incident showed that future attempts should not be ruled out.

"Recently, the intelligence unit of the Revolutionary Guards arrested a presidential bodyguard who wanted to assassinate the president. Thus, the probability of such things happening cannot be ruled out," Tavakoli said.

Conservative circles say the would-be assassin was a member of the Guards' unit assigned to protect political leaders.

The attempted assassination in March of a close Khatami ally, Saeed Hajjarian, also prompted speculation the president himself could be the next target.

Several of those arrested for gravely wounding Hajjarian, a former deputy intelligence minister and reformist strategist, were said to have had connections to the presidential guards service.
 

Top Conservative Named Advisor to Mullahs' Leader, Agence France Presse, May 28

TEHRAN - The outgoing speaker of parliament, Ali Akbar Nateq Nuri, was appointed advisor to Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Sunday and named to an important state panel, television reported.

Nateq Nuri was appointed a member of the Expediency Council, it said.

The appointments were announced in a letter by Khamenei, in which he paid tribute to Nateq Nuri's "legislative experience."

Nateq Nuri is a close associate of Khamenei and a leading conservative.
 

Rafsanjani More Threat to Reformers Outside than Inside Parliament, Agence France Presse, May 26

TEHRAN - Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who announced Thursday he would not be taking up his seat in the new parliament, is more of a threat to the assembly's reformist majority outside than inside, an analyst said Friday.

"This is a dramatic turn of events, and also a declaration of war on the reformists," said Daryush Abdali.

Rafsanjani has decided "finally to choose his true camp and distance himself from his opponents," Abdali added.

And as chairman of the powerful Expediency Council, which arbitrates on disputes between different branches of the Islamic regime, including the parliament and conservative-dominated institutions, Rafsanjani wields enormous influence, he noted.

The reformists might see Rafsanjani's move as a victory, Abdali said, "but they will be wrong, because Rafsanjani is an extremely powerful man who will be more formidable outside parliament."

Back to Brief on Iran