DOMESTIC

Earthquake in northwestern Iran

NCR secretariat, Mar. 1 - Friday afternoon, February 28, a strong earthquake shook Ardebil (northwestern Iran) and a large number of people residing in that region were killed or wounded.

The mullahs' regime, whose main preoccupation is to control the stricken areas and prevent any leakage of news outside, first tried to play down the dimensions of the casualties and damages. [International news agencies have set the number of death at atleast 3,000.]

Mr. Massoud Rajavi, President of the National Council of Resistance, extended his condolences on this regretful incident to all the people of Iran and especially the afflicted people of Ardebil. He wished patience and strength for the bereaved families of the victims.

The NCR President urged every one, especially those residing in Ardebil's nearby regions to rush to the aid of the victims of the earthquake and the villagers who have lost their home and property in the cold of winter. Due to deprivation of the minimum resources, Iranian cities and villages have become doubly vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquake.

Isfahan's textile workers go on strike in Shahreza

NCR secretariat, Feb. 27 - In the afternoon of Tuesday, February 25, all three shifts of the workers at Isfahan's textile (Nassajji) factory in Shahreza went on strike, reports from Iran say.

Workers' salaries in this factory have not paid for more two months and major parts of the textile plant are shut down due to shortages of raw material. The Khomeini regime sent a large number of revolutionary guards and agents of the Intelligence Ministry to the factory site to prevent striking workers from leaving the factory and spreading their protest outside the plant.

A new security threat

Voice of Mojahed, Feb. 28 - Following the general public's extensive support for the Resistance's satelile program Simaye Moghavemat, the mullah regime's Minister of Guidance described this "cultural offensive" as "unprecedented and relentless". He added: "This cultural offensive is a serious move, the combat of which requires much planning.

Iran daily, affiliated with the mullahs' news agency quoted this minister as saying: "The task of combatting this cultural offensive, both in Iran and abroad, is constant and non-stop, and we can not wait even one day in this respect." The daily broadcasts of Simaye Moghavemat on two satellites have extremely terrified the leaders of the clerical regime and their repeated calls against the cultural offensive have not stopped since the Resistance's programs began beaming into the country three weeks ago. Last week, one of the Guards Corps commanders, Rahim Safavi, warned that the satellite has turned into a security threat for the regime.

Executions

Kayhan, Feb. 25 - Upon the verdict of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Mashhad and confirmation of the Supreme Court of Justice, five bandits and drug smugglers were hanged in front of a large group of people in Fariman. [Voice of Mojahed commented on February 27 that the discovery of over 150 tons of drugs in less than one year, which is 20 times the amount discovered in the last year of the shah's rule, indicates the extensive use of drugs throughout Iran. According to various reports, the mullahs' regime advocates use of drugs specially among the youths, as a criminal means of preventing them from joining the Resistance.]

Extensive clampdown

Jomhouri Islami, Feb. 24 - The urban defense manuevers of the Bassij began in the afternoon of Sunday in 14 cities of southern Khorassan. 33 Ashura [men] and Azahra [women] battalions participated. The Deputy Commander of the Guards Corps said these maneuvers aim to prepare the Bassij forces for confrontation with the conspiracies of the world Arrogance and possible crises in the cities.

Kayhan, Feb. 26 - Some 15,000 members of the Bassij took part in a maneuver in Eastern Isfahan. They were organized into 28 Ashura and 5 Azahra battalions. The Bassij forces used new tactics and techniques to provide security for predetermined sites and inspection checkpoints were set up at city entrances. The first stage of this maneuver was held last week in the western half of the province.

Elections

Radio France International, Feb. 25 - The Interior Minister Ali Mohammad Besharati, announced that the presidential elections would be held on May 23. Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has already declared that he would endorse the outcome of the elections and support the President-elect. Presently, four candidates representing different factions within the Tehran government have been nominated for the presidential race. Ali Akbar Nateq Noori, from the Society of Militant Clergy (Jame'ey-e Rohaniat Mobarez), Mohammad Rayshahri, from the Association for the defense of Islamic values (Jam'iat-e Defa as Arzesh'hay-e Eslami), Mohammad Khatami, from the Assembly of Combatant Clergy (Majma'e Ruhanion-e Mobarez), and Reza Zavare'ii, deputy to the Chief Justice Mohammad Yazdi and close to the conservatives. Ibrahim Yazdi, Mohammad Mo'einfar and Ezatollah Sahabi are also running from organs outside the government.

Kayhan, Mar. 2 - Sa'eid Raja'i Khorassani today appeared in the gathering of parliamentary journalists and in an interview announced his readiness to run for the presidency.

FOREIGN

International Women's Day

ANSA, Mar. 1 - A call by the Iranian Resistance's President-elect, Maryam Rajavi, for the formation of a united front of democratic forces against fundamentalism has been welcomed in many European cities, including Rome where the Democratic Association of Iranian Women has helped sponsor a gathering; 'Women's Solidarity against Fundamentalism', hosted by the City Hall and the boards of the provinces of Lazio and Marké. Parliamentarians and representatives of various women's organizations and movements will participate.

The speakers include Franca Chiaramonte, advisor to the Ministry of Equality between Men and Women, Gabriella Pistone, member of Parliament from the PDS, Franca Cipriani, from the women's department of the Democratic Left Party, and Rossana Marcodoppido, president of the Italian women's union. Mitra Bagheri spoke on behalf of Maryam Rajavi. She recalled that the mullahs' regime in Iran has committed many ruthless crimes against women under the banner of Islam. [The Iranian Resistance] movement is represented at the highest level by a woman, and 52% of the members of the its Parliament in exile are women as well.

Franca Chiaramonte said: The exchanges and relations among women must be encouraged. There are countries in which lack of freedom for women is a law. This must be very painful for any woman or man, in any part of the world, whose heart beats for progress and development.

Export of fundamentalism

BBC radio, Feb. 27 - Four ranking members of the Islamic Party in the Republic of Azerbaijan, arrested last summer, had been accused of espionage for Iran from 1994 to 1996. They are convicted of acting as infiltrators for Iran. They had tried to influence the public opinion and the trend of developments in Azerbaijan in a way as to benefit the Iranian government.

Tehran-Ankara diplomatic row

ANSA, Ankara, Feb. 27 - The Turkish Anatoli news agency announced that Saeed Zare, the Iranian chief consul in Erzeroom, Turkey, was declared personna non-grata by the Turkish govenrment. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has asked Zare to leave Turkey's soil within 48 hours.

Zare had criticized the Turkish Deputy Commander of Armed Forces, Cevik Bir who had accused Iran of supporting terrorism during his visit to the U.S. Zare described the remarks by the General as "irresponsible."

The diplomatic tension between the two countries began when Alireza Baqeri, the Iranian ambassador in Turkey, called for the enforcement of Quranic laws in Turkey in a ceremony in Sinjan, a city near Ankara whose city hall is run by Islamists.

Baqeri as well as an Iranian Consul in Istanbul who had supported the call, were forced to leave Turkey last week.

ANALYSIS

Rafsanjani's removal aggravates internal crises

The upcoming presidential elections' farce, which is to remove Rafsanjani as the head of the executive branch, has aggravated the crises within the mullahs' regime.

Ali Khamenei, the Vali-e Faqih, or supreme jurisconsult, had previously supported the candidacy of Ali Akbar Nateq Noori, the speaker of the clerical parliament. Last week, however, he backed down from his position and claimed to be impartial, recognizing anyone who wins the majority vote. These ridiculous remarks in a regime whose elections are but a worthless theatrics, more than any thing else indicate Khamenei's concern over the heightening of hostilities among the regime's internal factions during the elections farce. It is for this reason that he warned the government officials on February 15 to "beware of the seductions of the enemy and watch for its conspiracies."

It is already determined that Nateq Noori's name is the one to emerge from the ballot boxes. In the crisis-riddled regime of the mullahs, however, this theatrics has itself become the subject of an intense tug of war. Each of the three clergies running for presidency is making various efforts.

Nateq Noori believes that he will definitely be Rafsanjani's successor. He enjoys the backing of 170 members of Majlis, and this has very much reinforced his position.

The rival faction, Mohammad Khatami is not sitting idle either. He has also collected the support of 170 present and former members of Majlis and makes repeated use of documents in which he has been praised by Khomeini. He also enjoys the support of the Assembly of Clergies (former Imam's line) and the supporters of Rafsanjani. According to a report from within the regime, however, the supporters of Rafsanjani do not have any consensus in supporting Khatami. Mohammad Hashemi, Rafsanjani's brother, is still making efforts to get himself nominated for presidency, and therefore the issue of supporting Khatami has turned into a subject for argument among the two factions mentioned above. Mohammad Rayshahri, the third clergy running for presidency, has a smaller chance compared to Nateq Noori and Khatami but believes his greatest service to the nation was preparing the grounds for the revision of the Constitution, thereby deposing Montazeri as Khomeini's designate successor in 1988. He says, had he not done this, the regime's future would have definitely been in question. By making such remarks, the ruling mullahs try to play down the impact of the crisis caused by the elimination of Rafsanjani from the executive branch. Experts agree, however, that in the time of the escalation and growth of the activities of the forces of the Iranian Resistance in Iran, Rafsanjani's removal would even further weaken the decadent regime.

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