BRIEF ON IRAN No. 421 Tuesday, May 28, 1996 Representative Office of The National Council of Resistance of Iran 3421 M Street NW #1032 Washington, DC 20007 British Defense Minister: Iran a "Brooding Force," Iran Zamin News Agency, May 27 In his visit to United Arab Emirates, the British Minister of State for the Armed Forces referred to Iran as a "brooding force" in the Middle East. According to Reuters, Nicholas Soames told a news conference in Abu Dhabi that Tehran posed a security threat to the Gulf region. "We are anxious sitting where we sit and I know from my extensive contacts in the Middle East, quite apart from in the UAE, that Iran is a brooding force in Middle Eastern affairs... She is unpredictable, appears to be hostile to stability...We remain anxious. There is plenty of information around as to the kind of equipment the Iranians have and their military capability, which is formidable," he said.... Parliament Raises Armed Forces Salary, Associated Press, May 26 In its last session, the 270-seat parliament approved pay raises of between 35 percent and 185 percent for the armed forces, which have up to 600,000 members.... The parliament called for the pay raises only days after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for a more powerful army to confront the Islamic republic's main enemies - Israel and the United States.... Iran Says it not Holding any Iraqi POWs, Reuters, May 26 Iran reiterated on Sunday that it was not holding any Iraqi prisoners of war and said more than 10,000 Iraqi POWs had sought refuge in the Islamic republic after its 1980-88 war with Baghdad.... The POW issue is among the thorniest hindering improving ties between the former foes. Humanitarian sources in Baghdad said earlier this month that hundreds of desperate Iraqi POWs have escaped from Iran in the past year after losing hope that their freedom could be secured through diplomatic means or the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).... Iran Probe Blasts Central Bank for Mismanagement, Reuters, May 26 A parliamentary body investigating Iran's central bank has charged it with mismanaging the country's finances by allowing overspending, resulting in a foreign debt of $43 billion in 1995. The committee, in a report published in newspapers on Sunday, said the bank authorized foreign currency expenditures of $99.7 billion in a four-year period ending in March 1993, on an income of $62.3 billion.... Government Embezzling Teachers' Money, Iran Zamin News Agency, May 24 A number of teachers gathered to protest in front of Development Office of Tehran Municipally. According the to received reports from Iran, on May 21 about 300 teachers who after three years of paying for purchasing home have not received it, along with their families gathered in front of this office... 10 Year-old Worker Crushed in Bakery Machine, Iran Zamin News Agency, May 20 According to the sources inside Iran, a 10 year-old kid who was working in a bakery in northern city of Anzaly, while working fell into a dough making machine and was killed. Abusing this kid and his horrifying death cased protests from the neighborhood. Because of this incident some protests took place in front of governor's office in Rasht (capitol of the province). OnNewsLine Iran Zamin News Agency, May 27- The Council of Guardians of Constitution confirmed the so-called bill of Islamic Punishment. According to this bill, those who insult the authorities, particularly, Vali-e Faqih (supreme leader) and the President would be sentenced to death. Reuters, May 25- A strong earthquake which hit a town in southern Iran injured 20 people and damaged buildings, the Iranian news agency IRNA said on Saturday. Iran Zamin News Agency, May 24- Acceding to eyewitnesses, in the largest yet war game in Iran and the Middle East, 200 soldiers were killed due to inaccurate aiming of the artillery. Reuters, May 25- Islamic militants vowed on Saturday to defend Iran's revolution and Islamic values as they chanted "death to Israel" and "death to America" at a rally in Tehran. Radio Israel, May 26- According to a radio station in Lebanon, in last 45 days, Iran has dispatched 10 planes loaded with military equipment and other aides to forces under its protection, specifically, Hezbollah in Lebanon.