The Iraqi state television broadcast last night a film revealing a thwarted terrorist plan by the mullahs' Ministry of Intelligence in Iraq.

The documents recovered from the terrorists sent from Iran showed that Hossein Karamati, an Iraq-based Iranian Intelligence Ministry official, was in charge of the terrorists. The terrorists had planned an operation in which they would fire six 107-mm rockets which were concealed in a Peugeot ambulance with a fake Iraqi number plate (Baghdad-172324). Also concealed in the ambulance were 30 pounds of C4 explosives and four anti-tank mines, placed under the seats.

Four terrorists, including Hossein Karamati, were killed when the explosives hidden in the car exploded prematurely and the plan they were about to carry out fell through.

The terrorists had filmed the various stages of their preparations on six successive days, from May 29 through June 3, in order to sent the footage to the Intelligence Ministry and receive a handsome reward. After the death of Karamati, the video-tape was seized by the Iraqi authorities and parts of it was shown on the Iraqi television. The footage contains verbatim explanations by Hossein Karamati in Persian about the progress of the preparations for the terrorist attack.

The footage also shows some of the targets reconnoitered by the terrorists in Baghdad and two Mojahedin security patrols that the terrorists had secretly filmed.

[Reuters: Iraq has all pieces of evidence to prove that the Iranian intelligence agencies are involved in the planning and preparation for this disgraceful act," a statement by Iraqi security authorities said.]
 

Miscalculations in The West, Al-Majalla Weekly (Saudi Arabia), June 11

Some analysts in the U.S. seem to have concluded that the mullahs' regime in Iran can guarantee the region's security, as did the Shah in the old days. This comparison makes a number of dangerous presumptions. The first mistake is that the assertion is based on the assumption that it is Khatami who determines Iran's foreign policy, while everyone knows that Khatami and his followers are facing momentous problems and the man is up against a monster.

The second mistake is that the analysis is built on the erroneous perception that liberal domestic policies mean liberal foreign policy, as may be the case in the West. But things don't work that way in the Middle East.

Yet another mistake in this analysis is that the seat of power in Iran does not rest in the Presidential Palace. The religious establishment is the one that wields real power. No matter how much Iran's President may change the color of his turban, and take of moderation, Iran will continue to pursue its ambitious arms projects in various fields.
 

Open Letter to Khatami, Seda [State-Controlled Weekly], June 11

Mr. President, Your excellency always emphasized on the freedom of speech and political activities. But we are astonished that a government institution such as Intelligence Ministry, which operates under your own supervision, detains freedom-lovers, orders the closure of 18 newspapers and your never utter a single word of protest. While the conservatives know what they are doing is illegal and regarded illegitimate by the public, they are, nonetheless, pursuing a policy to close down universities and imprison the freedom-seeking people…

The reality is that people are concerned about the current economic, political and social problems. The students as well as the youths are humiliated by the conservatives. In July uprising last year, thousands of students were beaten up, arrested and tortured. Some of them are still in prison and have received heavy sentences.

Mr. President! Under such circumstances do the young people and the students not have a cause to stage protests? Is it not better to focus on the roots of the problem instead of labeling them as rebellions or attacking offices of the political circles and students are detaining political activists and the students?

If people are disappointed in what you meant as reforms and the sixth Majlis (parliament) headed by a traditional cleric, will they have no chance to recourse?
 

News Bites

IRNA (State News Agency), June 23 - In its final judgment on the election results of Iran's sixth majlis (Parliament), the Guardians Council (GC) Thursday… cancelled polls counts for Saqqez and Baneh constituency.

The GC argued that reported irregularities in those constituencies were sufficient cause to suspect the soundness of polls counts there.

Earlier on, the GC had cancelled polls counts in another seven constituencies in the first round of elections, and three more in the second round, totally voiding some two million votes.

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