BRIEF ON IRAN, No. 201 Representative Office of The National Council of Resistance of Iran Friday, June 30, 1995 3421 M Street NW #1032, Washington, DC 20007 Economy Severely Threatens Mullahs, Voice of America, June 28 A major U.S. policy research group says the hold on power by Iran's Islamic government is being severely threatened by economic problems and domestic unpopularity.... The Washington-based research group [the Center for Strategic and International Studies or C.S.I.S] says the Iranian government is facing what it calls an "existential crisis" as evidenced by anti-regime disturbances over the past year in various cities -- and calls from the military and elsewhere for the ruling clerics to step down. The author of the report -- C.S.I.S. senior associate Ahmed Hashim -- says factionalism and interference by religious elements have hindered the development and formulation of consistent economic and foreign policy. Mr. Hashim says neither... Rafsanjani nor supreme leader Ali Khamene'i has the stature to dominate decision making. And with the conservative legislature, or Majlis, increasingly obstructionist, he says the result is a governmental failure to deal with Iran's pressing problems.... Brother of Powerful Iranian in Fraud Case, Reuters, June 29 NICOSIA - The trial of a brother of one of radical Iran's most powerful men on charges of massive fraud opened in Tehran on Thursday, Iranian radio reported. Morteza Rafiqdoust, brother of the head of Iran's largest economic conglomerate and a former senior commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rafiqdoust, was one of six men who were in the dock on charges of defrauding Bank Saderat in 1992. The radio, monitored by the British Broadcasting Corporation, said the charge against the accused read out in open court was "participation and involvement in a huge embezzlement, plundering of public assets and damaging the country's economy." The value of the fraud was not mentioned by the radio but previous Iranian press reports put it at 1,230 billion rials (about $400 million at official exchange rates).... Mohsen Rafiqdoust, who reports to Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been attacked by members of parliament who claim his Bonyad-e- Mostazafan-va-Janbazan (the foundation for the deprived and war-disabled) was not doing enough for its charges. Although Mohsen Rafiqdoust is not on trial with his brother, the case has generated wide interest as a challenge to the man who runs Iran's largest bonyad, an autonomous Moslem religious foundation that manages much of Iran's industry and services. His bonyad's holdings are estimated at over $10 billion. It was set up after the 1979 revolution by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on behalf of the country's poor to run the expropriated properties of the former Shah and of many rich people who fled with him. The bonyad itself is being investigated by parliament. The case, which was only publicized earlier this year amid charges of a possible coverup, is believed to be Iran's largest of misappropriation of public funds since the revolution.... Tehran to Conduct A One-Week Military Exercise, BBC Radio, June 28 The daily newspaper Keyhan reported that a week- long military maneuvers, code-named Victory, will be conducted in waters of Persian Gulf next week. Keyhan wrote that in these maneuvers the three branches of both Revolutionary Guards Corps and regular military will participate; this exercise will be the largest -in terms of area and quality of operations-after the Revolution.... Russia Will Build Nuclear Plant In Iran-Minister, Reuters, June 29 MOSCOW - Russia will press ahead with plans to build a nuclear power plant in Iran, Atomic Energy Minister Viktor Mikhailov said on Thursday. "Our position has been settled -- Russia will build the nuclear power station," Interfax news agency quoted Mikhailov as saying. The issue was due to be discussed at a two-day meeting of the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation, which opened in Moscow on Thursday. The U.S. administration has opposed the deal, saying it could help Tehran to build nuclear weapons....