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RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 12, 3 April 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
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HEADLINES:
* U.S. TALKS UNLIKELY TO END TEHRAN'S 'SOFT POWER' IN IRAQ
* IRAQI PRESIDENT MEETS WITH IRANIAN ENVOY
* IRAN IS IRAQ'S NO. 1 TRADING PARTNER
* AHMADINEJAD MEETS WITH TURKISH ENVOY, REJECTS U.A.E. CLAIMS TO ISLANDS
* IRAN TO HOLD GULF NAVAL MANEUVERS
* IS IRAN CLOSER TO URANIUM ENRICHMENT THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT?
* AHMADINEJAD SAYS IRAN IS FEARLESS ABOUT NUCLEAR PROGRAM
* UN SECURITY COUNCIL GIVES IRAN 30 DAYS TO END NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES
* RUSSIA SENDS MIXED MESSAGES ON IRAN
* IRAN REITERATES CLAIM ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS ONLY PEACEFUL
* FOREIGN MINISTER CRITICIZES 'HASTY' MOVES ON IRAN DOSSIER
* 'ENEMIES' ALLEGEDLY SEEK TO BREAK IRAN THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
* SUPREME LEADER PRAISES IRAN'S VIGILANCE AGAINST WEST
* DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS IRAN AIMING FOR 'INTELLIGENT' WEAPONRY
* OFFICIAL SAYS IRAN MAY CURB FUEL CONSUMPTION
* JUDICIARY HEAD CRITICIZES CORRUPTION WITHIN STATE SECTOR
* HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER TO GO ON TRIAL
* POOR IRANIAN REPORTEDLY KILLS HIS FAMILY, HANGS HIMSELF
* RIGHTS GROUP CONCERNED ABOUT IRANIANS FACING EXECUTION
* POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE HITS WESTERN IRAN
********************************************* ***************
U.S. TALKS UNLIKELY TO END TEHRAN'S 'SOFT POWER' IN IRAQ.
The much-heralded Iran-U.S. talks on Iraq, to which Tehran agreed in
mid-March, may result in an end to direct Iranian involvement in
Iraqi affairs. But even if Iran ends its use of direct means -- such
as the provision of arms and money to militias -- its use of indirect
means, or "soft power," to influence Iraqi affairs seems likely to
continue.
The Iran-U.S. talks have not begun yet but already they seem
to be dead in the water. One reason for this is that all Iraqis do
not support the talks. They were called for by the leader of one of
the country's main Shi'ite parties -- Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim of
the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the
United Iraqi Alliance -- but another Shi'ite leader, Muqtada
al-Sadr, has spoken out against them. In addition, Iraqi Sunnis
oppose the talks because they resent marginalization in their
country's affairs and fear that official Iranian involvement will
contribute to this process.
"The Guardian" commented from London on March 27 that
following complaints from Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the talks
must wait. The Iraqis are demanding that representatives from their
government participate, and this cannot happen until a new Iraqi
government is formed. It has been more than three months since
Iraq's parliamentary elections, but the various factions have so
far been unable to come up with a broadly acceptable government list.
A particular sticking point is whether Prime Minister Ibrahim
al-Ja'fari, a Shi'ite, should continue in office.
When U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice first called
for U.S.-Iran talks on Iraq in October 2005, she made it clear that
the objective was to discuss alleged Iranian interference in Iraqi
affairs. U.S. officials since then have charged repeatedly that this
interference has not subsided.
"Iran seeks a Shi'a-dominated and unified Iraq but also
wants the U.S. to experience continued setbacks in our efforts to
promote democracy and stability," U.S. National Intelligence Director
John Negroponte said in late February in Congressional testimony.
"Accordingly, Iran provides guidance and training to select Iraqi
Shi'ite political groups and weapons and training to Shi'ite
militant groups to enable anti-coalition attacks."
The same day, U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Director
Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples said: "Money, weapons, and
foreign fighters supporting terrorism move into Iraq, primarily
through Syria and Iran. We believe Iran has provided lethal aid to
Iraqi Shi'ite insurgents
Tehran rejects such accusations and attributes violence in
Iraq to U.S.-led coalition forces. After the late February bombing of
the Golden Mosque in Samarra, for example, Iranian Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the occupation forces and "the Zionists
deployed in Iraq" are responsible.
The next week, Expediency Council Chairman Ali Akbar
Hashemi-Rafsanjani delivered a sermon about the bombers' desires.
"Perhaps their most important aim is to weaken the solidarity
that is gradually shaping in the world of Islam," Hashemi-Rafsanjani
said. "Because the Muslims feel that global arrogance, America in
particular, intends to create problems for the Muslims by promoting a
Greater Middle East plan.... The main objective of the Greater Middle
East plan is to create a rift among Muslims, weaken the Islamic
world, and force it to surrender."
Some outside observers disbelieve U.S. statements and doubt
media reports of Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs. Some Iraqis
also reject claims of an Iranian hand in the violence. Abd al-Aziz
al-Hakim, for example, told CNN on January 26 that such claims are
unsubstantiated.
"They always accuse Iran of such things, and they told us
about such things even from the first month that we've been here
until now," he said. "And we were always asking for evidence, but
nobody came with evidence."
It is difficult to verify most of the accusations,
counteraccusations, and denials. However, one significant aspect of
Iran's effort to influence Iraqi affairs is information
operations using broadcast media, and this can be verified by anybody
with satellite television reception. Two Iranian Arabic-language
television stations can be viewed in Iraq terrestrially and by
satellite -- Al-Alam and Al-Kawthar.
Al-Alam is an official Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
channel that went on the air in March 2003. It portrays U.S.-led
coalition forces and their activities in a negative light, comparing
them to Israeli activities in Palestine. It is an important means by
which Iranian views are conveyed to the Iraqi people. Al-Kawthar is
the new name for Al-Sahar, another official Iranian station that went
on the air in 1997. Al-Kawthar's news reporting is fairly neutral
on Iraqi affairs, but it is as hostile to Israel as Al-Alam is,
referring to Israel as "the usurping entity" and discussing "the
Palestinians' usurped rights." Al-Kawthar's programming on
the United States is negative, too, and it is supportive of Lebanese
Hizballah and Hamas.
The Iran-U.S. talks on Iraq may eventually get under way, and
there is a remote possibility that direct Iranian involvement in
Iraqi politics will end. However, it is very unlikely that Iran will
end its effort to influence Iraqi affairs through broadcasting and
other applications of "soft power." Tehran's interest in shaping
developments to its west and its desire to undermine the United
States indirectly and at a relatively low cost to itself preclude it
from adopting a disinterested approach to what happens in Iraq. (Bill
Samii)
IRAQI PRESIDENT MEETS WITH IRANIAN ENVOY. Iranian Foreign Minister
Manuchehr Mottaki said in Geneva on March 30 that "we have accepted
the proposal of Iraqi officials for talks" between Iran and the U.S.
concerning Iraq, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
"These talks will only be about Iraq," he said.
Separately, Jalal Talabani met on March 30 with Iran's
charge d'affaires in Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, who asked for
the release of hundreds of Iranian detainees in Iraq, IRNA reported.
The two discussed bilateral ties, and Talabani thanked Iran for the
support it has given to Iraq's political process. Kazemi said
Iran is ready to participate in Iraq's reconstruction and general
development, and respects Iraqi elections and their results, hoping
they will help bring peace to Iraq. He asked for the release of
"about 250 Iranian nationals who are mostly pilgrims" to Iraq's
Muslim Shi'a shrines, "arrested for allegedly entering Iraq
illegally." Talabani said he hopes they will be released after
relevant coordination between Iraq's justice and interior
ministries. (Vahid Sepehri)
IRAN IS IRAQ'S NO. 1 TRADING PARTNER. Iran is now Iraq's No.
1 trading partner, according to Industry and Minerals Minister Usama
al-Najafi, azzaman.com reported on March 24. Al-Najafi said that
while other regional states are weary of engaging with Iraq because
of the insurgency, Iran has pressed ahead to expand bilateral trade
ties. Iran has become the biggest exporter to Iraq and has recently
provided financial incentives to set up large-scale heavy industries,
he added, saying some $60 billion is needed to revive the industrial
sector. Al-Najafi claimed that much of the foreign aid for the sector
has been diverted to security. (Kathleen Ridolfo)
AHMADINEJAD MEETS WITH TURKISH ENVOY, REJECTS U.A.E. CLAIMS TO
ISLANDS. President Mahmud Ahmadinejad told Hasanu Gurkan, the new
Turkish ambassador in Tehran, on March 28 that Iran and Turkey must
rely on "the Islamic world's immense, latent power" to work
together and play a more active international role, and criticized
the "imposition of incorrect conditions" on Turkey for entry into the
EU, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on March 29.
These conditions are a "denigration of [Turkish] culture and
customs," and "Turkey must maintain its power and dignity," he said.
Ahmadinejad welcomed Turkey's "new approach" in playing a
"greater role" in Islamic world affairs, and said Iran will place its
"advances" at the service of neighbors, including Turkey.
The same day in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza
Assefi rejected claims by the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) to three
islands in the Persian Gulf held by Iran, ISNA reported on March 29.
At a summit in Khartoum on March 29, foreign ministers of the Arab
League affirmed the sovereignty of the U.A.E. over the islands of
Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa. Assefi said the islands are an
"inseparable" part of Iran, and dismissed the resolution as meddling
in Iran's internal affairs. He added that the "irresponsible
interference of other parties" in Iran's ongoing talks with the
U.A.E. on the matter "will not help this process," ISNA reported.
(Vahid Sepehri)
IRAN TO HOLD GULF NAVAL MANEUVERS. Iran is to hold large-scale naval
maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea from March 31, IRNA
quoted navy chief Morteza Saffari-Natanzi as saying in Tehran on
March 29. Saffari said naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) will carry out the maneuvers together with the regular
navy and air force, unspecified "air and missile forces," the
IRGC-affiliated Basij militia, and the police. The exercises will
involve more than 17,000 personnel, and about 1,500 vessels. The war
games, to be carried out along the coast from "the northern Persian
Gulf to Chabahar," an Iranian port close to Pakistan, and as far as
40 kilometers from the coast, are designed to raise defensive
capacities, test weaponry produced in Iran, enhance the experience of
military personnel, and show Iran's defensive capacity, but also
to "send a message of peace and friendship" to neighboring states,
Saffari said. They are to last until April 6, he added. (Vahid
Sepehri)
IS IRAN CLOSER TO URANIUM ENRICHMENT THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT?
Unidentified diplomats from UN Security Council member states have
told the "Los Angeles Times" that Iran is closer than previously
thought to enriching uranium, the paper reported on March 27. The
initial estimate was that it would take Iran five to 10 years to
produce enough highly enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb;
officials now believe that Iran could build a bomb within three
years, said the diplomats, who were recently briefed by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The diplomats said Iran
has bypassed the usual testing periods for centrifuges in an attempt
to assemble as many as possible, as quickly as possible. (Kathleen
Ridolfo)
AHMADINEJAD SAYS IRAN IS FEARLESS ABOUT NUCLEAR PROGRAM. President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad told a crowd on March 27 in the town of Gachsaran
in the southwestern province of Kohkiluyeh va Boir Ahmad that Iran is
a peaceful country but will not be deterred from its nuclear program
by Western "psychological warfare," ISNA reported the same day. "They
do not know that the right to use peaceful nuclear technology is the
wish of the entire Iranian nation," and Iranians will defend this
right "in unison." He was presumably referring to the United States
and to EU states, which fear Iran's program may be used to
develop bombs. "They think that by holding meetings, making
statements, and issuing resolutions, they can prevent our
people's progress," ISNA quoted him as saying. Iranians and their
government will not "retreat one bit" over the nuclear program, he
stated.
Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said
in Tehran the same day that Iran has agreed to talk to U.S. officials
about Iraqi affairs because of "our increasing concern over
America's mistaken conduct in Iraq," ISNA reported. While "we
distrust America's motives," discussions are intended to help
bring security to Iraq, he said. (Vahid Sepehri)
UN SECURITY COUNCIL GIVES IRAN 30 DAYS TO END NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES. The
highest body in the United Nations late on March 29 unanimously
approved a statement calling on Iran to fully suspend all
uranium-enrichment activities. The statement requests that the
UN's nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy
Agency, report back in 30 days on Iran's compliance with demands
to stop enriching uranium, a process that can lead to the development
of a nuclear weapon. The statement offers no indication of what the
Security Council might do if Iran fails to halt such work. John
Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, told reporters the
council's statement sends a clear message to Iran that "we want a
response from the government of Iran. And the response we want is
full compliance with the obligations it voluntarily undertook under
the [Nuclear] Nonproliferation Treaty." Iran's UN ambassador,
Javad Zarif, who was denied a chance to address the Security Council,
told reporters that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons but will not
abandon its right to nuclear energy and will "not accept pressure or
intimidation." (Vahid Sepehri)
RUSSIA SENDS MIXED MESSAGES ON IRAN. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said in Berlin on March 30 that his country insists on a diplomatic
solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute, news agencies reported. He
added that "there is no doubt that [the problem should be resolved]
exclusively by political and diplomatic means, as many of our
European colleagues and our Chinese friends have said many times. Any
ideas of resolving the matter by compulsion and force are extremely
counterproductive and cannot be supported." Lavrov argued that "the
last report of the [International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA)]
says that it cannot assert that there is a military aspect to the
Iranian nuclear program. So, before we call any situation a threat,
we need facts, especially in the region like the Middle East, where
so many things are happening." But in Moscow, the Foreign Ministry
issued a statement calling on Tehran to "heed with great attention
the common opinion of the UN Security Council members." Teheran
should "ensure full-fledged cooperation with the IAEA on all
remaining issues," the statement added. (Patrick Moore)
IRAN REITERATES CLAIM ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS ONLY PEACEFUL.
Iran's ranking nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani told the French
weekly "Le Point" on March 27 in Tehran that Iran is pursuing an
"entirely clear" and peaceful nuclear program and has done nothing to
deserve referral to the UN Security Council, IRNA reported on March
30. He said Iran wants two things: to pursue nuclear technology
research, and to assure a supply of fuel for the power stations it
intends to build. Larijani said Western powers have not honored
commitments they made to Iran's pre-1979, pro-Western regime,
which also had a nuclear program. Larijani suggested the formation of
a multinational consortium in Iran to enrich uranium, with partners
such as France, Germany, or Russia.
He dismissed a suggestion that Iran would use its know-how to
carry out secret enrichment work elsewhere in Iran, but also deplored
as a breach of confidence reports -- apparently sent by sources close
to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) -- that Iran will
soon operate a cascade of 164 centrifuges at its Natanz plant. These
operate as part of the uranium-enrichment process, he said, and
added: "We have done nothing against international norms and laws to
deserve [referral to] the Security Council. In my opinion, the
referral of Iran's dossier from the [IAEA] governing board to the
Security Council is a professional embarrassment for the agency,
showing how politics dominate [its] professional work," IRNA
reported. (Vahid Sepehri)
FOREIGN MINISTER CRITICIZES 'HASTY' MOVES ON IRAN DOSSIER.
Manuchehr Mottaki said in Geneva on March 30 that "reporting
Iran's dossier to the Security Council was a mistaken move," and
he expressed the hope that the issue will be solved through
"negotiation and dialogue" at the IAEA, IRNA reported. Giving Iran a
30-day deadline to suspend its enrichment activities indicates "hasty
decisions," he said, though unspecified parties "are seeking
pretexts, and have openly said they are pursuing other aims." Mottaki
said after the Conference on Disarmament that the situation will only
become more complicated "if certain other people are pursuing other
aims." He said he does not believe sanctions are a likely option "for
now," and dismissed the possibility of Israeli strikes on Iranian
installations, adding that Iran has readied itself for "different
conditions." Iran prefers "finding an agreement, but we have in the
past increased our potential and capabilities in various areas" as
the country came to terms with "existing sanctions," IRNA reported.
(Vahid Sepehri)
'ENEMIES' ALLEGEDLY SEEK TO BREAK IRAN THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL
WARFARE. Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said on March 26 that
the enemies of Iran are trying to gain concessions through a program
of psychological warfare and misinformation, IRNA reported the same
day. "Our nation will respond to the enemies and the mischievous ones
resolutely," Ahmadinejad said in a public address in the province of
Kohkiluyeh va Boir Ahmad. The president called on Iran's enemies
to apologize for accusing his country of "warmongering," calling such
accusations a huge insult to the Islamic republic. Ahmadinejad said
that Iran will continue its path to acquiring nuclear energy, adding
that Iran will seek reparations for the 2 1/2-year delay in carrying
out its nuclear activities; he did not say from whom he would seek
the reparations.
Ahmadinejad claimed in a March 25 meeting with Syrian Vice
President Faruq al-Shar'a that the United States intends to
create discord among Muslim countries in order to control them and
make them dependent on it, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA)
reported the same day. Ahmadinejad claimed that the United States and
the West are facing a crisis in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine and
"therefore are trying to transmit their problems to others through
creating discord and division." Regarding possible talks with the
United States on Iraq, Ahmadinejad said that though Iran does not
trust the United States, it cannot ignore requests by Iraqi officials
that a meeting be held. (Kathleen Ridolfo)
SUPREME LEADER PRAISES IRAN'S VIGILANCE AGAINST WEST. Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Iranian nation in a March
26 speech for its vigilance against the enemies of Iran, saying the
country's resilience has earned it the respect of both its
friends and enemies, the Iranian state television channel Voice and
Vision of the Islamic Republic reported. Speaking about the ongoing
nuclear standoff between Iran and the West, Khamenei told a gathering
of thousands of Basij militia in Tehran: "There is a possibility that
these threats [from the West] will be realized, in which case only a
nation that can stand up to its enemy without retreating from its
position will maintain its respect, greatness, identity, and
interests." Calling the United States and Israel Iran's greatest
enemies, Khamenei said the West is trying to create a global
consensus against Iran. He maintained that the true global consensus
is against "America's arrogance and its warmongering...and not
against the Iranian nation."
Basij Resistance Force commander Mohammad Hejazi told the
same gathering that the Basij plans to expand its military and
defense capabilities this year in order to fulfill its revolutionary
and religious duties to defend national interests, the state-run
television reported. (Kathleen Ridolfo)
DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS IRAN AIMING FOR 'INTELLIGENT' WEAPONRY.
Defense Minister Mustafa Mohammad Najjar told a gathering of officers
in the Basij militia in the Kohkiluyeh va Boir Ahmad province on 27
March that the Defense Ministry will seek to make defense-industry
equipment "intelligent," and raise the quality of products in the new
Persian year, which runs until March 2007. This would be one of a
series of moves to raise defensive capabilities, assure "greater
flexibility," and use "advanced technologies," ISNA reported the same
day. Najjar said Iran has made "very good" progress in "the
production of electronic technologies" that will help raise the
intelligence of defensive equipment. "We are now able to produce
intelligent weaponry to precisely identify and target the aims of the
enemy," he said. "We shall expand this advanced technology in the
armored, air, aerospace, marine, automobile, missile, and other
determined industries," he said. He added that, "as we have declared
many times," the armed forces' response to any enemy aggression
will be "decisive and crushing, so the enemy will regret its move,"
ISNA reported. (Vahid Sepehri)
OFFICIAL SAYS IRAN MAY CURB FUEL CONSUMPTION. The head of the
Management and Planning Organization, Farhad Rahbar, said Iran may
restrict the use of car fuel for a six-month period before March 2007
to cut costly fuel imports caused by Iranians' excessive fuel
consumption, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported on March 28. Economist
Fereidun Khavand says Iran spent about $4.5 billion importing about
30 million liters of gasoline in the Persian year ending in March
2006. Rahbar's reported comment, he said, is a response to the
fact that parliament has allocated no more than $2.5 billion to cover
fuel imports in the Persian year ending in March 2007. ISNA quoted
the head of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution
Company, Hassan Zia-Kashani, as saying on March 18 that Iranians used
66.9 million liters of gasoline in the year to March 2006, and are
expected to use about 74 million liters in the year ahead. He said
the government has not yet issued directives restricting fuel, ISNA
added. (Vahid Sepehri)
JUDICIARY HEAD CRITICIZES CORRUPTION WITHIN STATE SECTOR. Ayatollah
Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi, the head of Iran's judiciary, told
members of northeastern Khorasan Province's chamber of commerce
on March 28 that "judicial officials today see support for the
country's economic progress as one of their main duties," ISNA
reported. He said that "those who have doubts over the private sector
should know that most cases of corruption and abuse are in the state
sector, and one must trust the private sector." He said Iran's
economy had suffered due to the distrust between the state and
private sectors in the past, and the private sector should consider
itself part of the state apparatus -- since it shares the aim of
making Iran prosperous -- "and help the government in its executive
activities," ISNA reported. He urged the formation of a central body
that would include representatives of the private sector, government
officials, and members of the judiciary to discuss related issues and
maintain dialogue. He dismissed the idea that Iran's polity
opposes private enterprise: "All this comes from enemy propaganda,
which wants to create divisions among social institutions." (Vahid
Sepehri)
HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER TO GO ON TRIAL. Abdolfattah Soltani, a lawyer
released in early March after seven months in detention, is to be
tried on April 5 by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran, Radio Farda
reported on March 28. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, one of a team of lawyers
representing Soltani, told Radio Farda that "the sum of his charges
indicates some form of political crime." Soltani, he added, is to be
tried in a court specially formed for this case, and "there is no
sign of any jury, and so far we do not know if it will be an open
trial or not." Dadkhah told Radio Farda that Soltani is charged with
disclosing nuclear secrets, apparently while defending suspects
charged with nuclear espionage. Dadkhah added, however, that one of
the interrogators who will be involved in the trial believes the
dossier and the evidence available do not warrant the charges brought
against Soltani. Dadkhah argued that, in any case, neither legal
officials nor attorneys have access to top-secret material in trials.
(Vahid Sepehri)
POOR IRANIAN REPORTEDLY KILLS HIS FAMILY, HANGS HIMSELF. A man
reportedly killed his six children and wife before killing himself
because he could no longer pay the rent for his apartment in Tabriz,
northwestern Iran, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported on March 29,
citing neighbors and local journalist Payman Pakmehr. The rent was a
little over $50 a month, Pakmehr told Radio Farda. Neighbors told
Pakmehr the man left a note saying he could no longer afford living
expenses and rent, and that the family had been evicted before for
not paying rent. It is not clear when the killings happened.
Neighbors called in the police when alerted by the stench of
decomposed bodies, Pakmehr said. Police are investigating, Radio
Farda reported. (Vahid Sepehri)
RIGHTS GROUP CONCERNED ABOUT IRANIANS FACING EXECUTION. Amnesty
International (AI) has expressed concern over the imminent execution
of 28-year-old Valiollah Feyz Mahdavi, currently in prison in Karaj,
near Tehran, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported on March 30. AI stated
on its website on March 29 that prison authorities forced Mahdavi,
reportedly a supporter of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization, an armed
opposition group based in Iraq, to sign a paper on March 24 stating
May 16 as the date of his execution. Amnesty said Iran executed
another man at that prison in February 2005 after informing him of
his execution in a similar manner. Mahdavi was tried in a
revolutionary court without a defense attorney, Amnesty stated. AI
also reported on March 28 that Iran is to execute Fatemeh
Haqiqat-Pajuh, who was convicted of murdering her husband, by April
1. The Supreme Court has cancelled a stay of execution granted her
last October. (Vahid Sepehri)
POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE HITS WESTERN IRAN. Three earthquakes rocked
western Iran early on March 31, killing dozens and injuring more than
1,000 others, international media reported. The quake's epicenter
was in Luristan Province. The hardest hit areas are villages between
the towns of Dorud and Borujerd. Hospitals in those two towns are
full to capacity with the wounded. Emergency officials have put out
an urgent call for medical supplies and assistance.
************************************* ********************
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
The "RFE/RL Iran Report" is a weekly prepared by A. William Samii on
the basis of materials from RFE/RL broadcast services, RFE/RL
Newsline, and other news services. It is distributed every Monday.
Direct comments to A. William Samii at [email protected].
For information on reprints, see:
http://www.rferl.org/about/content/request.as p
Back issues are online at http://www.rferl.org/reports/iran-report/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 12, 3 April 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
******************************************** ****************
HEADLINES:
* U.S. TALKS UNLIKELY TO END TEHRAN'S 'SOFT POWER' IN IRAQ
* IRAQI PRESIDENT MEETS WITH IRANIAN ENVOY
* IRAN IS IRAQ'S NO. 1 TRADING PARTNER
* AHMADINEJAD MEETS WITH TURKISH ENVOY, REJECTS U.A.E. CLAIMS TO ISLANDS
* IRAN TO HOLD GULF NAVAL MANEUVERS
* IS IRAN CLOSER TO URANIUM ENRICHMENT THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT?
* AHMADINEJAD SAYS IRAN IS FEARLESS ABOUT NUCLEAR PROGRAM
* UN SECURITY COUNCIL GIVES IRAN 30 DAYS TO END NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES
* RUSSIA SENDS MIXED MESSAGES ON IRAN
* IRAN REITERATES CLAIM ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS ONLY PEACEFUL
* FOREIGN MINISTER CRITICIZES 'HASTY' MOVES ON IRAN DOSSIER
* 'ENEMIES' ALLEGEDLY SEEK TO BREAK IRAN THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
* SUPREME LEADER PRAISES IRAN'S VIGILANCE AGAINST WEST
* DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS IRAN AIMING FOR 'INTELLIGENT' WEAPONRY
* OFFICIAL SAYS IRAN MAY CURB FUEL CONSUMPTION
* JUDICIARY HEAD CRITICIZES CORRUPTION WITHIN STATE SECTOR
* HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER TO GO ON TRIAL
* POOR IRANIAN REPORTEDLY KILLS HIS FAMILY, HANGS HIMSELF
* RIGHTS GROUP CONCERNED ABOUT IRANIANS FACING EXECUTION
* POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE HITS WESTERN IRAN
********************************************* ***************
U.S. TALKS UNLIKELY TO END TEHRAN'S 'SOFT POWER' IN IRAQ.
The much-heralded Iran-U.S. talks on Iraq, to which Tehran agreed in
mid-March, may result in an end to direct Iranian involvement in
Iraqi affairs. But even if Iran ends its use of direct means -- such
as the provision of arms and money to militias -- its use of indirect
means, or "soft power," to influence Iraqi affairs seems likely to
continue.
The Iran-U.S. talks have not begun yet but already they seem
to be dead in the water. One reason for this is that all Iraqis do
not support the talks. They were called for by the leader of one of
the country's main Shi'ite parties -- Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim of
the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the
United Iraqi Alliance -- but another Shi'ite leader, Muqtada
al-Sadr, has spoken out against them. In addition, Iraqi Sunnis
oppose the talks because they resent marginalization in their
country's affairs and fear that official Iranian involvement will
contribute to this process.
"The Guardian" commented from London on March 27 that
following complaints from Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the talks
must wait. The Iraqis are demanding that representatives from their
government participate, and this cannot happen until a new Iraqi
government is formed. It has been more than three months since
Iraq's parliamentary elections, but the various factions have so
far been unable to come up with a broadly acceptable government list.
A particular sticking point is whether Prime Minister Ibrahim
al-Ja'fari, a Shi'ite, should continue in office.
When U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice first called
for U.S.-Iran talks on Iraq in October 2005, she made it clear that
the objective was to discuss alleged Iranian interference in Iraqi
affairs. U.S. officials since then have charged repeatedly that this
interference has not subsided.
"Iran seeks a Shi'a-dominated and unified Iraq but also
wants the U.S. to experience continued setbacks in our efforts to
promote democracy and stability," U.S. National Intelligence Director
John Negroponte said in late February in Congressional testimony.
"Accordingly, Iran provides guidance and training to select Iraqi
Shi'ite political groups and weapons and training to Shi'ite
militant groups to enable anti-coalition attacks."
The same day, U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Director
Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples said: "Money, weapons, and
foreign fighters supporting terrorism move into Iraq, primarily
through Syria and Iran. We believe Iran has provided lethal aid to
Iraqi Shi'ite insurgents
Tehran rejects such accusations and attributes violence in
Iraq to U.S.-led coalition forces. After the late February bombing of
the Golden Mosque in Samarra, for example, Iranian Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the occupation forces and "the Zionists
deployed in Iraq" are responsible.
The next week, Expediency Council Chairman Ali Akbar
Hashemi-Rafsanjani delivered a sermon about the bombers' desires.
"Perhaps their most important aim is to weaken the solidarity
that is gradually shaping in the world of Islam," Hashemi-Rafsanjani
said. "Because the Muslims feel that global arrogance, America in
particular, intends to create problems for the Muslims by promoting a
Greater Middle East plan.... The main objective of the Greater Middle
East plan is to create a rift among Muslims, weaken the Islamic
world, and force it to surrender."
Some outside observers disbelieve U.S. statements and doubt
media reports of Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs. Some Iraqis
also reject claims of an Iranian hand in the violence. Abd al-Aziz
al-Hakim, for example, told CNN on January 26 that such claims are
unsubstantiated.
"They always accuse Iran of such things, and they told us
about such things even from the first month that we've been here
until now," he said. "And we were always asking for evidence, but
nobody came with evidence."
It is difficult to verify most of the accusations,
counteraccusations, and denials. However, one significant aspect of
Iran's effort to influence Iraqi affairs is information
operations using broadcast media, and this can be verified by anybody
with satellite television reception. Two Iranian Arabic-language
television stations can be viewed in Iraq terrestrially and by
satellite -- Al-Alam and Al-Kawthar.
Al-Alam is an official Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
channel that went on the air in March 2003. It portrays U.S.-led
coalition forces and their activities in a negative light, comparing
them to Israeli activities in Palestine. It is an important means by
which Iranian views are conveyed to the Iraqi people. Al-Kawthar is
the new name for Al-Sahar, another official Iranian station that went
on the air in 1997. Al-Kawthar's news reporting is fairly neutral
on Iraqi affairs, but it is as hostile to Israel as Al-Alam is,
referring to Israel as "the usurping entity" and discussing "the
Palestinians' usurped rights." Al-Kawthar's programming on
the United States is negative, too, and it is supportive of Lebanese
Hizballah and Hamas.
The Iran-U.S. talks on Iraq may eventually get under way, and
there is a remote possibility that direct Iranian involvement in
Iraqi politics will end. However, it is very unlikely that Iran will
end its effort to influence Iraqi affairs through broadcasting and
other applications of "soft power." Tehran's interest in shaping
developments to its west and its desire to undermine the United
States indirectly and at a relatively low cost to itself preclude it
from adopting a disinterested approach to what happens in Iraq. (Bill
Samii)
IRAQI PRESIDENT MEETS WITH IRANIAN ENVOY. Iranian Foreign Minister
Manuchehr Mottaki said in Geneva on March 30 that "we have accepted
the proposal of Iraqi officials for talks" between Iran and the U.S.
concerning Iraq, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
"These talks will only be about Iraq," he said.
Separately, Jalal Talabani met on March 30 with Iran's
charge d'affaires in Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, who asked for
the release of hundreds of Iranian detainees in Iraq, IRNA reported.
The two discussed bilateral ties, and Talabani thanked Iran for the
support it has given to Iraq's political process. Kazemi said
Iran is ready to participate in Iraq's reconstruction and general
development, and respects Iraqi elections and their results, hoping
they will help bring peace to Iraq. He asked for the release of
"about 250 Iranian nationals who are mostly pilgrims" to Iraq's
Muslim Shi'a shrines, "arrested for allegedly entering Iraq
illegally." Talabani said he hopes they will be released after
relevant coordination between Iraq's justice and interior
ministries. (Vahid Sepehri)
IRAN IS IRAQ'S NO. 1 TRADING PARTNER. Iran is now Iraq's No.
1 trading partner, according to Industry and Minerals Minister Usama
al-Najafi, azzaman.com reported on March 24. Al-Najafi said that
while other regional states are weary of engaging with Iraq because
of the insurgency, Iran has pressed ahead to expand bilateral trade
ties. Iran has become the biggest exporter to Iraq and has recently
provided financial incentives to set up large-scale heavy industries,
he added, saying some $60 billion is needed to revive the industrial
sector. Al-Najafi claimed that much of the foreign aid for the sector
has been diverted to security. (Kathleen Ridolfo)
AHMADINEJAD MEETS WITH TURKISH ENVOY, REJECTS U.A.E. CLAIMS TO
ISLANDS. President Mahmud Ahmadinejad told Hasanu Gurkan, the new
Turkish ambassador in Tehran, on March 28 that Iran and Turkey must
rely on "the Islamic world's immense, latent power" to work
together and play a more active international role, and criticized
the "imposition of incorrect conditions" on Turkey for entry into the
EU, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on March 29.
These conditions are a "denigration of [Turkish] culture and
customs," and "Turkey must maintain its power and dignity," he said.
Ahmadinejad welcomed Turkey's "new approach" in playing a
"greater role" in Islamic world affairs, and said Iran will place its
"advances" at the service of neighbors, including Turkey.
The same day in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza
Assefi rejected claims by the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) to three
islands in the Persian Gulf held by Iran, ISNA reported on March 29.
At a summit in Khartoum on March 29, foreign ministers of the Arab
League affirmed the sovereignty of the U.A.E. over the islands of
Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa. Assefi said the islands are an
"inseparable" part of Iran, and dismissed the resolution as meddling
in Iran's internal affairs. He added that the "irresponsible
interference of other parties" in Iran's ongoing talks with the
U.A.E. on the matter "will not help this process," ISNA reported.
(Vahid Sepehri)
IRAN TO HOLD GULF NAVAL MANEUVERS. Iran is to hold large-scale naval
maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea from March 31, IRNA
quoted navy chief Morteza Saffari-Natanzi as saying in Tehran on
March 29. Saffari said naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) will carry out the maneuvers together with the regular
navy and air force, unspecified "air and missile forces," the
IRGC-affiliated Basij militia, and the police. The exercises will
involve more than 17,000 personnel, and about 1,500 vessels. The war
games, to be carried out along the coast from "the northern Persian
Gulf to Chabahar," an Iranian port close to Pakistan, and as far as
40 kilometers from the coast, are designed to raise defensive
capacities, test weaponry produced in Iran, enhance the experience of
military personnel, and show Iran's defensive capacity, but also
to "send a message of peace and friendship" to neighboring states,
Saffari said. They are to last until April 6, he added. (Vahid
Sepehri)
IS IRAN CLOSER TO URANIUM ENRICHMENT THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT?
Unidentified diplomats from UN Security Council member states have
told the "Los Angeles Times" that Iran is closer than previously
thought to enriching uranium, the paper reported on March 27. The
initial estimate was that it would take Iran five to 10 years to
produce enough highly enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb;
officials now believe that Iran could build a bomb within three
years, said the diplomats, who were recently briefed by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The diplomats said Iran
has bypassed the usual testing periods for centrifuges in an attempt
to assemble as many as possible, as quickly as possible. (Kathleen
Ridolfo)
AHMADINEJAD SAYS IRAN IS FEARLESS ABOUT NUCLEAR PROGRAM. President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad told a crowd on March 27 in the town of Gachsaran
in the southwestern province of Kohkiluyeh va Boir Ahmad that Iran is
a peaceful country but will not be deterred from its nuclear program
by Western "psychological warfare," ISNA reported the same day. "They
do not know that the right to use peaceful nuclear technology is the
wish of the entire Iranian nation," and Iranians will defend this
right "in unison." He was presumably referring to the United States
and to EU states, which fear Iran's program may be used to
develop bombs. "They think that by holding meetings, making
statements, and issuing resolutions, they can prevent our
people's progress," ISNA quoted him as saying. Iranians and their
government will not "retreat one bit" over the nuclear program, he
stated.
Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said
in Tehran the same day that Iran has agreed to talk to U.S. officials
about Iraqi affairs because of "our increasing concern over
America's mistaken conduct in Iraq," ISNA reported. While "we
distrust America's motives," discussions are intended to help
bring security to Iraq, he said. (Vahid Sepehri)
UN SECURITY COUNCIL GIVES IRAN 30 DAYS TO END NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES. The
highest body in the United Nations late on March 29 unanimously
approved a statement calling on Iran to fully suspend all
uranium-enrichment activities. The statement requests that the
UN's nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy
Agency, report back in 30 days on Iran's compliance with demands
to stop enriching uranium, a process that can lead to the development
of a nuclear weapon. The statement offers no indication of what the
Security Council might do if Iran fails to halt such work. John
Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, told reporters the
council's statement sends a clear message to Iran that "we want a
response from the government of Iran. And the response we want is
full compliance with the obligations it voluntarily undertook under
the [Nuclear] Nonproliferation Treaty." Iran's UN ambassador,
Javad Zarif, who was denied a chance to address the Security Council,
told reporters that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons but will not
abandon its right to nuclear energy and will "not accept pressure or
intimidation." (Vahid Sepehri)
RUSSIA SENDS MIXED MESSAGES ON IRAN. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said in Berlin on March 30 that his country insists on a diplomatic
solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute, news agencies reported. He
added that "there is no doubt that [the problem should be resolved]
exclusively by political and diplomatic means, as many of our
European colleagues and our Chinese friends have said many times. Any
ideas of resolving the matter by compulsion and force are extremely
counterproductive and cannot be supported." Lavrov argued that "the
last report of the [International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA)]
says that it cannot assert that there is a military aspect to the
Iranian nuclear program. So, before we call any situation a threat,
we need facts, especially in the region like the Middle East, where
so many things are happening." But in Moscow, the Foreign Ministry
issued a statement calling on Tehran to "heed with great attention
the common opinion of the UN Security Council members." Teheran
should "ensure full-fledged cooperation with the IAEA on all
remaining issues," the statement added. (Patrick Moore)
IRAN REITERATES CLAIM ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS ONLY PEACEFUL.
Iran's ranking nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani told the French
weekly "Le Point" on March 27 in Tehran that Iran is pursuing an
"entirely clear" and peaceful nuclear program and has done nothing to
deserve referral to the UN Security Council, IRNA reported on March
30. He said Iran wants two things: to pursue nuclear technology
research, and to assure a supply of fuel for the power stations it
intends to build. Larijani said Western powers have not honored
commitments they made to Iran's pre-1979, pro-Western regime,
which also had a nuclear program. Larijani suggested the formation of
a multinational consortium in Iran to enrich uranium, with partners
such as France, Germany, or Russia.
He dismissed a suggestion that Iran would use its know-how to
carry out secret enrichment work elsewhere in Iran, but also deplored
as a breach of confidence reports -- apparently sent by sources close
to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) -- that Iran will
soon operate a cascade of 164 centrifuges at its Natanz plant. These
operate as part of the uranium-enrichment process, he said, and
added: "We have done nothing against international norms and laws to
deserve [referral to] the Security Council. In my opinion, the
referral of Iran's dossier from the [IAEA] governing board to the
Security Council is a professional embarrassment for the agency,
showing how politics dominate [its] professional work," IRNA
reported. (Vahid Sepehri)
FOREIGN MINISTER CRITICIZES 'HASTY' MOVES ON IRAN DOSSIER.
Manuchehr Mottaki said in Geneva on March 30 that "reporting
Iran's dossier to the Security Council was a mistaken move," and
he expressed the hope that the issue will be solved through
"negotiation and dialogue" at the IAEA, IRNA reported. Giving Iran a
30-day deadline to suspend its enrichment activities indicates "hasty
decisions," he said, though unspecified parties "are seeking
pretexts, and have openly said they are pursuing other aims." Mottaki
said after the Conference on Disarmament that the situation will only
become more complicated "if certain other people are pursuing other
aims." He said he does not believe sanctions are a likely option "for
now," and dismissed the possibility of Israeli strikes on Iranian
installations, adding that Iran has readied itself for "different
conditions." Iran prefers "finding an agreement, but we have in the
past increased our potential and capabilities in various areas" as
the country came to terms with "existing sanctions," IRNA reported.
(Vahid Sepehri)
'ENEMIES' ALLEGEDLY SEEK TO BREAK IRAN THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL
WARFARE. Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said on March 26 that
the enemies of Iran are trying to gain concessions through a program
of psychological warfare and misinformation, IRNA reported the same
day. "Our nation will respond to the enemies and the mischievous ones
resolutely," Ahmadinejad said in a public address in the province of
Kohkiluyeh va Boir Ahmad. The president called on Iran's enemies
to apologize for accusing his country of "warmongering," calling such
accusations a huge insult to the Islamic republic. Ahmadinejad said
that Iran will continue its path to acquiring nuclear energy, adding
that Iran will seek reparations for the 2 1/2-year delay in carrying
out its nuclear activities; he did not say from whom he would seek
the reparations.
Ahmadinejad claimed in a March 25 meeting with Syrian Vice
President Faruq al-Shar'a that the United States intends to
create discord among Muslim countries in order to control them and
make them dependent on it, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA)
reported the same day. Ahmadinejad claimed that the United States and
the West are facing a crisis in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine and
"therefore are trying to transmit their problems to others through
creating discord and division." Regarding possible talks with the
United States on Iraq, Ahmadinejad said that though Iran does not
trust the United States, it cannot ignore requests by Iraqi officials
that a meeting be held. (Kathleen Ridolfo)
SUPREME LEADER PRAISES IRAN'S VIGILANCE AGAINST WEST. Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Iranian nation in a March
26 speech for its vigilance against the enemies of Iran, saying the
country's resilience has earned it the respect of both its
friends and enemies, the Iranian state television channel Voice and
Vision of the Islamic Republic reported. Speaking about the ongoing
nuclear standoff between Iran and the West, Khamenei told a gathering
of thousands of Basij militia in Tehran: "There is a possibility that
these threats [from the West] will be realized, in which case only a
nation that can stand up to its enemy without retreating from its
position will maintain its respect, greatness, identity, and
interests." Calling the United States and Israel Iran's greatest
enemies, Khamenei said the West is trying to create a global
consensus against Iran. He maintained that the true global consensus
is against "America's arrogance and its warmongering...and not
against the Iranian nation."
Basij Resistance Force commander Mohammad Hejazi told the
same gathering that the Basij plans to expand its military and
defense capabilities this year in order to fulfill its revolutionary
and religious duties to defend national interests, the state-run
television reported. (Kathleen Ridolfo)
DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS IRAN AIMING FOR 'INTELLIGENT' WEAPONRY.
Defense Minister Mustafa Mohammad Najjar told a gathering of officers
in the Basij militia in the Kohkiluyeh va Boir Ahmad province on 27
March that the Defense Ministry will seek to make defense-industry
equipment "intelligent," and raise the quality of products in the new
Persian year, which runs until March 2007. This would be one of a
series of moves to raise defensive capabilities, assure "greater
flexibility," and use "advanced technologies," ISNA reported the same
day. Najjar said Iran has made "very good" progress in "the
production of electronic technologies" that will help raise the
intelligence of defensive equipment. "We are now able to produce
intelligent weaponry to precisely identify and target the aims of the
enemy," he said. "We shall expand this advanced technology in the
armored, air, aerospace, marine, automobile, missile, and other
determined industries," he said. He added that, "as we have declared
many times," the armed forces' response to any enemy aggression
will be "decisive and crushing, so the enemy will regret its move,"
ISNA reported. (Vahid Sepehri)
OFFICIAL SAYS IRAN MAY CURB FUEL CONSUMPTION. The head of the
Management and Planning Organization, Farhad Rahbar, said Iran may
restrict the use of car fuel for a six-month period before March 2007
to cut costly fuel imports caused by Iranians' excessive fuel
consumption, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported on March 28. Economist
Fereidun Khavand says Iran spent about $4.5 billion importing about
30 million liters of gasoline in the Persian year ending in March
2006. Rahbar's reported comment, he said, is a response to the
fact that parliament has allocated no more than $2.5 billion to cover
fuel imports in the Persian year ending in March 2007. ISNA quoted
the head of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution
Company, Hassan Zia-Kashani, as saying on March 18 that Iranians used
66.9 million liters of gasoline in the year to March 2006, and are
expected to use about 74 million liters in the year ahead. He said
the government has not yet issued directives restricting fuel, ISNA
added. (Vahid Sepehri)
JUDICIARY HEAD CRITICIZES CORRUPTION WITHIN STATE SECTOR. Ayatollah
Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi, the head of Iran's judiciary, told
members of northeastern Khorasan Province's chamber of commerce
on March 28 that "judicial officials today see support for the
country's economic progress as one of their main duties," ISNA
reported. He said that "those who have doubts over the private sector
should know that most cases of corruption and abuse are in the state
sector, and one must trust the private sector." He said Iran's
economy had suffered due to the distrust between the state and
private sectors in the past, and the private sector should consider
itself part of the state apparatus -- since it shares the aim of
making Iran prosperous -- "and help the government in its executive
activities," ISNA reported. He urged the formation of a central body
that would include representatives of the private sector, government
officials, and members of the judiciary to discuss related issues and
maintain dialogue. He dismissed the idea that Iran's polity
opposes private enterprise: "All this comes from enemy propaganda,
which wants to create divisions among social institutions." (Vahid
Sepehri)
HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER TO GO ON TRIAL. Abdolfattah Soltani, a lawyer
released in early March after seven months in detention, is to be
tried on April 5 by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran, Radio Farda
reported on March 28. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, one of a team of lawyers
representing Soltani, told Radio Farda that "the sum of his charges
indicates some form of political crime." Soltani, he added, is to be
tried in a court specially formed for this case, and "there is no
sign of any jury, and so far we do not know if it will be an open
trial or not." Dadkhah told Radio Farda that Soltani is charged with
disclosing nuclear secrets, apparently while defending suspects
charged with nuclear espionage. Dadkhah added, however, that one of
the interrogators who will be involved in the trial believes the
dossier and the evidence available do not warrant the charges brought
against Soltani. Dadkhah argued that, in any case, neither legal
officials nor attorneys have access to top-secret material in trials.
(Vahid Sepehri)
POOR IRANIAN REPORTEDLY KILLS HIS FAMILY, HANGS HIMSELF. A man
reportedly killed his six children and wife before killing himself
because he could no longer pay the rent for his apartment in Tabriz,
northwestern Iran, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported on March 29,
citing neighbors and local journalist Payman Pakmehr. The rent was a
little over $50 a month, Pakmehr told Radio Farda. Neighbors told
Pakmehr the man left a note saying he could no longer afford living
expenses and rent, and that the family had been evicted before for
not paying rent. It is not clear when the killings happened.
Neighbors called in the police when alerted by the stench of
decomposed bodies, Pakmehr said. Police are investigating, Radio
Farda reported. (Vahid Sepehri)
RIGHTS GROUP CONCERNED ABOUT IRANIANS FACING EXECUTION. Amnesty
International (AI) has expressed concern over the imminent execution
of 28-year-old Valiollah Feyz Mahdavi, currently in prison in Karaj,
near Tehran, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reported on March 30. AI stated
on its website on March 29 that prison authorities forced Mahdavi,
reportedly a supporter of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization, an armed
opposition group based in Iraq, to sign a paper on March 24 stating
May 16 as the date of his execution. Amnesty said Iran executed
another man at that prison in February 2005 after informing him of
his execution in a similar manner. Mahdavi was tried in a
revolutionary court without a defense attorney, Amnesty stated. AI
also reported on March 28 that Iran is to execute Fatemeh
Haqiqat-Pajuh, who was convicted of murdering her husband, by April
1. The Supreme Court has cancelled a stay of execution granted her
last October. (Vahid Sepehri)
POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE HITS WESTERN IRAN. Three earthquakes rocked
western Iran early on March 31, killing dozens and injuring more than
1,000 others, international media reported. The quake's epicenter
was in Luristan Province. The hardest hit areas are villages between
the towns of Dorud and Borujerd. Hospitals in those two towns are
full to capacity with the wounded. Emergency officials have put out
an urgent call for medical supplies and assistance.
************************************* ********************
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
The "RFE/RL Iran Report" is a weekly prepared by A. William Samii on
the basis of materials from RFE/RL broadcast services, RFE/RL
Newsline, and other news services. It is distributed every Monday.
Direct comments to A. William Samii at [email protected].
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress