BRIEF ON IRAN No. 388 Wednesday, April 10, 1996 Representative Office of The National Council of Resistance of Iran 3421 M Street NW #1032 Washington, DC 20007 Isfahan's Truckers And Shoemakers Go On Strike, from a statement by NCR, April 9 Due to astronomical price increases since the start of the new Iranian year, March 20, strikes and protest by various sectors of the society have spread to different Iranian cities. Reports say that since March 20, truckers in the central city of Isfahan have staged a strike in protest to the rise in the prices of gasoline and motor oil. They are refusing to load their trucks at the city's Amir-Kabir loading terminal. Truckers are demanding that the truckers' union specify new rates for carrying cargo because the current rates are insufficient to cover their costs. Some time ago, prices for truck tires had gone up as well.... In a related development, on April 3, shop owners in Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan shoemakers' bazaar staged a general strike to protest the closure of a number of shoe stores by the Government Punishment Organization. The move was to also show solidarity with shoemakers whose stores had been shut down.... Prices Continue to Rise, Mullahs Search for Escape Goat, Reuters, April 9 TEHRAN - Iran, fighting to contain steep price rises, warned merchants on Tuesday they faced "maximum penalties" if convicted of profiteering and hoarding. The threat followed a public outcry over spiraling consumer prices after the government raised fuel and utilities costs last week.... Potatoes, tomatoes and onions have doubled or tripled in price, prompting a newspaper to print a cartoon showing the vegetables alongside fancy pastries and fruit on a stylishly- decorated table.... The oil ministry increased the price of petrol to 130 rials a liter from 100 rials. Kerosene and diesel went up to 30 rials a liter from 20 rials, while fuel oil rose five rials to 15 rials. The largest price increase was reserved for motor oil which raised to 800 rials from the previous 225 rials.... Other increases included a 15 percent rise in postal charges, 11 percent higher phone rates and a doubling by the flag carrier Iran Air of ticket prices for domestic flights. FEATURE Iranian Dissidents Urge End to Critical Dialogue, Point to Mullahs' Terror Campaign Abroad BBC World Service, April 1, 1996 The Iranian Intelligence Minister, Ali Fallahian, has denounced last month's decision by a German court to issue a warrant for his arrest, on suspicion of four counts of murder and attempted murder, in connection with the killing of four exiled Kurdish activists in Berlin in 1992. In his first public reaction, Fallahian said the warrant was illegal and had been issued because of Israeli and American pressure.... The issuing of an arrest warrant by Germany for Iran's Intelligence Minister, Ali Fallahian, has undoubtedly soured relations between Iran and its main trading partner, despite the German government's attempts to limit the damage. Unable to prevent the independent judiciary from issuing the warrant, the foreign ministry in Bonn insists it remains keen to pursue the official European Union policy of a critical dialogue with Tehran. However, pressure on Germany to take a tougher line is growing both at home and abroad. America, in particular, is keen to isolate Iran because of its support for Hamas, the militant group behind the recent bombings in Israel. Meanwhile, exiled Iranian opposition leaders say the Iranian intelligence services are conducting a renewed campaign of violent intimidation aimed at silencing Iranian dissidents based in Europe and Turkey. According to Shahin Gobadi, a spokesman for the National Council of Resistance of Iran, at least 3,000 Iranian expatriates in Germany have been threatened in recent months. Earlier this year, an Iranian asylum-seeker was kidnapped from his home near Bonn, and tortured by four men believed to be Iranian agents. The NCR says that the Iranian embassy in Bonn in continuing to act as Iran's intelligence headquarters in Europe. Iranian dissidents in Germany, France and Britain are now urging the European Union to drop its critical dialogue with Tehran and instead impose a complete embargo.