BRIEF ON IRAN
        No. 390
        Friday, April 12, 1996


        Representative Office of
        The National Council of Resistance of Iran
        3421 M Street NW #1032
        Washington, DC 20007



Iran Starts Air, Sea Wargames at Mouth of Gulf, Reuters, April
11

        TEHRAN - Iran on Thursday launched wargames at the
mouth of the Gulf to mark the eighth anniversary of the U.S.
sinking of several Iranian ships, state-run Tehran radio said.
        It said navy ships and assault forces as well as air force
units based at Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz were
taking part in the exercises code-named "Fateh" (victorious).
        On the first day of the maneuvers, mine-sweeping units
cleared the area and air cover was provided for other forces
entering the zone, the radio said. It did not say how long the
wargames would last....


Invectives Mark Iran Run-off Election Campaign, Reuters, April
11

        TEHRAN - Campaigning in Iran's run-off parliamentary
election began on Thursday with sharp exchanges....
        The sharp antagonism between the rivals has led to many
banners being torn or defaced, prompting Salam newspaper on
Thursday to call it the "War of Banners."
        "Have you ever seen such a phenomenon in the dozens of
elections held in the country, where rivals, who were once
buddies, do not even tolerate each other's banners?" the daily
asked, calling the antagonism unprecedented since the 1979
Islamic revolution....
Crisis Of Legitimacy, Dutch NRC Handelsblad, April 2

        The Iranian regime is facing a growing crisis of
legitimacy. There is no way out of the current economic crisis
and public discontent is continuing to rise. In the last two
years, officials used the bassijis to violently suppress uprisings
and protests against the appalling economic conditions. A
number of these riots broke out in Qazvin, Islam-shahr and
Akbar-Abad. The bassijis are armed with G-3 rifles and wear a
red headband which reflects their fanaticism and cruelty. A
bassiji said: On the weekends, we either converge in
ceremonies or roam the streets to enforce observance of
"Islamic precepts." We attack women and men who walk
together. We arrest women who are improperly veiled or who
have put on make up.


More Worker's Strikes in Iran, Iran Zamin News Agency, April
11

        Reports say that on April 8 and 9, workers at Isfahan's
Aali brick factory converged on the city's governor's office and
staged a strike for the second time in the last four months. The
action was in protest to the non-payment of their wages in the
last six months.
        The new wave of strikes in various sectors of the Iranian
society, subsequent to the spiraling price increases and the
deteriorating economic conditions, particularly since the start
of the new Iranian year (March 20), are spreading across the
country.
Concern About The Future?, Tehran radio, April 5

        Speaking at Tehran's Friday prayers, Ahmad Jannati, the
secretary for the Council of Guardians warned government
authorities of the bleak prospects that loom.
        Referring to rampant bureaucratic corruption, Jannati
said: "We are not so concerned about the present juncture; our
concern is about the future. Sparks we see here and there are
warning bells. You must open your eyes. These sparks should
not spread to the heap.
        "While still at the start of the current, we can stop the
water with a shovel. But, if we fail now, we cannot stop the
flood which will drown all of us."


Mullahs' Bloody Trail, German Die Welt, April 4

        Ibrahim Zakeri, chairman of NCR's committee on counter-
terrorism finds some Western democracies' embracing of the
clerical regime with soft gloves as being preposterous.
        What France and Germany have persuaded others to
follow, namely critical dialogue which the European Union
adopted in December 1992 due to economic attachments is a
mistake, Zakeri said in Paris.
        Zakeri insisted that all of the regime's terrorist activities
are directed by Tehran's embassy in Bonn and that some action
must be taken against Iran's diplomats.
        Out of all terrorist assaults against Iranian exiles, 31%
occurred during Khomeini's reign since 61% happened when
Rafsanjani took office. For this reason, the Europeans must
pursue not critical dialogue but a decisive approach, Zakeri
said.