BRIEF ON IRAN	 
	Representative Office of 
	The National Council of Resistance of Iran           	
	No. 453	
	Friday, July 12, 1996 
 
  
	3421 M Street NW #1032, Washington, DC 20007	 



Tehran, Largest Customer of North Korean Missiles, 
Associated Press, July 11 
 
	SEOUL   North Korea can produce 150 Soviet-
designed Scud missiles a year and has sold 370 to Iran and 
Arab countries, the Yonhap news agency said today. 
	The national South Korean news agency, quoting an 
unidentified military source, said the North's communist 
government also is pushing to sell new missiles with a longer 
range, which it has developed with its own technology. 
	Iran was the largest customer with 200 missiles, 
Yonhap said.... 
	Iran got 100 Scud-B missiles with a 187-mile range 
in 1987-88 and 100 Scud-C missiles with a 312-mile range in 
the early 1990s, the agency said.... 
 
 
Mullahs' New Military Maneuvers, Iran Zamin News Agency, 
July 10 
 
	The state-run Tehran radio announced that the third 
maneuver to prepare the armed forces for the defense of cities 
in the Central and Qom provinces is completed. 
	During the current Persian new year [which began 
on March 21, 1996],  the regime has conducted several 
military exercises. 
	According to military experts, the combination and 
arrangement of the participating forces and the military 
equipment used in the maneuvers do not represent a 
preparation for confronting a foreign country; rather, they 
seem to indicate that the expected enemy is force that intends 
to capture Tehran by popular support. 
 
 
After New Law, 15 Arrested for Spying, Reuters, July 11
 
	TEHRAN   Security agents in central Iran have 
arrested 15 people on charges of spying after breaking up 
three espionage rings, the Hamshahri newspaper said on 
Thursday.... 
	Iran on Tuesday started enforcing a new Islamic 
penal code which requires the death sentence for anyone 
providing confidential information to foreigners, especially 
the United States and Israel, or to opposition groups fighting 
to overthrow the government.  
	The law covers spying in military, political, security, 
economic, social, and scientific fields, and is considerably 
tougher than a previous law which only imposed the death 
sentence for military and security espionage. 
 
 
Iran's Intolerance of Baha'is, Editorial, Voice Of America, 
July 10 
 
	Religious intolerance is a serious human rights 
problem in Iran.  Since 1979, Iran has been ruled by Shi'ite 
Muslim religious leaders and their lay associates.  But 
followers of Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, as well 
as Sunni Muslims, are often harassed by the government or 
by vigilantes operating with government support. 
	The religious group singled out for the worst 
persecution is the Baha'is.... Earlier this year, Abdelfattah 
Amor, the United Nations special investigator on religious 
intolerance, called on Iran to lift the ban on the Baha'is so 
they could fully engage in their religious activities. 
	The United States has condemned religious 
persecution in Iran.... The U.S. calls on the Iranian 
government to allow Baha'is, and all Iranian citizens, to 
exercise the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, including freedom of thought, conscience and 
religion.  
 
 
"Suitable Situation", Al-Hadath Weekly, July 9 
 
	Arab politicians, especially those in positions of 
decision-making, would be in mistake if they assume that an 
opening with Iran may bring about an end to Tehran's efforts 
for pressing its iron nails deeper into the Arab nation's body. 
	If the Arab decision-makers consider improvement 
of relations with Iran to be an achievement deserving elation 
and happiness, the mistake would be disastrous. 
	Iran is always ready to extend a hand for friendship, 
while its other hand is stretched, without permission,  into the 
Arabs' house for foul play. 
	Contrary [to desirable situation for the Arabs,] the 
natural situation for Tehran is one that is suitable for playing 
with the "forbiddens" and that allows them to infiltrate into 
the societies for creating a generation of suicide bombers in 
order to carry the banner of export of revolution. 
 
 
OnNewsLine 
 
		Associated Press, July 11 Flash floods 
killed four villagers in northwestern Iran, raising the death 
toll from flooding to at least 19, the state-run news agency 
reported Thursday. 
		BBC Radio, July 9    In an interview with 
daily Abrar, Nateq Nouri, the head of Majlis, clearly 
indicated his intention to be a candidate for the presidency in 
Iran. 
		Iran Zamin, July 11    In the city of Qazvin 
near Tehran, the inter-city and intra-city bus fares have 
increased by 50 percent.