BRIEF ON IRAN
No. 550
Tuesday, December 3, 1996

Representative Office of
The National Council of Resistance of Iran	
Washington, DC


German MPs Join The Iranian Protesters to End Diplomatic Ties with Iran,
Voice of America, November 27

	Several members of the German parliament joined more than one-thousand
Iranian protesters in Bonn today (Wednesday), to demand the German
government break diplomatic relations with Iran...
	Exiled Iranian protesters at the rally were universal in their condemnation
of the Tehran government...	The members of parliament, both opposition
Social Democrats and members of Chancellor Helmut Kohl's Christian
Democratic Party, are among a growing number of critics of German policy....
They [protest organizers] say Germany should immediately close Iran's
embassy and sever ties with Tehran.	But German government officials, who
acknowledge Iran's debt of more than 13-billion dollars to Germany has been
a factor in maintaining relations, say they have  no  plans to cut ties.
Foreign minister Klaus Kinkel, responding to recent Iranian threats against
German judicial authorities, says he hopes cooler heads will prevail in the
dispute.


Iran's Moves Threaten Gulf Security-GCC Official, Reuters, December 1

    KUWAIT - Iran's moves to bolster its "occupation" of Gulf islands
claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could threaten the oil-rich
region's security, a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) official said on Sunday....
	"Hujailan [GCC Secretary General] accused Iran that its practices in
reality very often differ from the statements of its officials in which they
express desire to build friendly ties with the Council states."...
	Although some diplomats say Washington had at times overstated any threat
from Iran, several Western powers and Gulf Arab states have in the past few
months expressed concern over Tehran's growing military might.
	Iran is strategically placed at the only entrance to the Gulf, the narrow
Strait of Hormuz through which 15 million barrels of oil pass daily....


New Wave of Arrests for More Suppression of Women, Agence France Presse,
November 30

	TEHRAN - On Saturday, Iranian security forces, arrested dozens of women
whose outfits were not according to Islamic standards.
	AFP's reporter realized that in Vanak plaza, north of the capital, two
policewomen, wearing black veils, forced about ten young women into a bus,
in which more women were sitting.
	They were taken to security force commissary because of "Social Corruption."
	This wave of arrests is taking place in framework of Iranian officials' war
against women outfits which are not "in accordance with though Islamic
standards."


Clerics Concerned About Voices of Dissent, Voice of America, November 27

	Iran has begun enforcing a law banning satellite dishes that can be used to
receive western television broadcasts.  The Iranian parliament passed the
law banning the use of satellite dishes and tuners one year ago...
	On October 18th, the Voice of America introduced to satellite television
viewers in Iran "a round table with you," a television version of an
established radio program....
	Iranian opposition figures have been critical of the government's action.
One opposition organization is the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Its spokesman is Ali Reza Jafarzedeh, who says the recent crackdown on
owners of satellite dishes is just the latest in a series of such actions.
	"They are very concerned about the broadcasts of opposition and voices of
dissent that has gained a lot of support inside Iran.  Mrs. Maryam Rajavi,
the president-elect of the Iranian Resistance, had her speech broadcast live
into Iran in June before an audience of 25 thousand people in London, and
another speech in October of Mrs. Rajavi. And following the broadcast of the
speeches, the commander of the Iranian security forces issued a directive to
all regional commanders telling them to seek warrants for the collection of
satellite receivers immediately upon locating them at any residential
buildings."
	Mr. Jafarzedeh says the government is concerned about the free flow of
information from all sources, including the Internet global computer network....


Quake Jolts Western Iran, No Damage Reported, Reuters, December 2

	TEHRAN - An earthquake jolted the vicinity of Ardel in western Iran, but
reports of casualties or damage were not immediately available, the
state-run news agency IRNA said on Monday.
	The agency said the quake, measuring 4.2 degrees on the open-ended Richter
scale -- enough to cause heavy damage in a populated area -- occurred at
6.30 am local time (0300 GMT).
	Quakes hit Iran regularly. The worst recorded one, measuring 7.3 on the
Richter scale, killed 35,000 people in a densely populated region near the
Caspian coast in 1990.