BRIEF ON IRAN	
No. 563
Friday, December 20, 1996

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


The Outgoing Secretary Emphasizes on Tough Line Against Iran, Associated
Press, December 19

	In a year-end foreign policy report, Secretary of State Warren Christopher
said Thursday he is concerned about lagging Israeli-Palestinian negotiations
over Hebron but remains optimistic about peace prospects in the Middle East....
	Christopher also called for a continuing U.S. tough line against Iran
until, he said, Tehran stops supporting terrorists and seeking weapons of
mass destruction. "I regard them as a dangerous force in the world scene,
one that the United States has to act to contain," Christopher said....


Rafsanjani's Visit from Turkey Raises International Concerns, Voice of
America, December 18
	Hashemi Rafsanjani is scheduled to arrive in Turkey Thursday for a
three-day official visit...
	Controversy about the Iranian president's visit first erupted after
Turkey's Islamist prime minister, Necmettin Erbakan, announced plans to
arrange a defense industry cooperation deal with Iran....
	State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said during a news briefing (last
week) that military cooperation between Turkey and Iran does  not,  in his
words, "make sense."  The State Department spokesman said Turkey ought to
understand that the Iranian government sponsors terrorism and is trying to
acquire nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction....
	Some officials also believe Iran has financed and trained members of
illegal radical Islamic groups who are accused of murdering various
prominent pro-secular writers and academics in Turkey....

[In a statement by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Mr. Massoud
Rajavi, President of NCR, strongly condemned the visit to Turkey by the
president of the mullahs' regime.
	Mr. Rajavi warned Turkey against any expansion of relations with the
illegitimate mullahs' regime, especially in the fields of military and
security. He said: "The government of Turkey will not benefit from tying its
political future in the region with that of Iran's criminal rulers."
	Mr. Rajavi denounced the Turkish government's ill-treatment of Iranian
asylum seekers and urged Turkey to respect the principles of human rights
and recognize the Iranian people's legitimate right to Resistance.]


Iran Hangs Six Men, Reuters, December 19

	TEHRAN - Iran executed six men... the Iran daily newspaper said on Thursday.
	The paper said the convicts were hanged at Tehran's Qasr prison, but did
not say when this took place...


Harassment of Women Continues, Agence France Presse, December 17

	Last night, an AFP reporter witnessed that four undercover Iranian
policeman arrested about 10 women in Vanak plaza (north of Capital) under
the pretext of wearing un-Islamic outfit and transported them with a
minibus...  Two tearful women said they had to go to Karaj (north of Tehran)
because their families were waiting for them.  They were released after
filling a form.  The rest were taken to a special commissary for "Social
Vice"... 


Protests in Shiraz, Radio Israel, December 26

Inhuman Medical Emergency Regulations - Last week, Mohsen Omidvar, a young
man, in [southern city of] Shiraz died from brain hemorrhage after falling
down in a slippery street.  The emergency room authorities refused to admit
him before his family paid for the expenses.  When the man's family went
back with money, they found their son dead.
	The people who learned about this disturbing news attacked the emergency
facility.  The protesters were dispersed after the intervention of security
forces and arrest of several angry people.

Shortage of Fuel - The shortage of gasoline and its distribution problems
have caused some concerns for impoverished residents who do not have access
to the city's natural gas...  Sometimes the line for gasoline becomes more
than a kilometer long.  Several days ago, in a confrontation between the
people and distribution authorities, in Shahzadeh Qassem station, scuffle
began, which resulted in the intervention of security forces.

Lack of Electricity - In the Mianroud region of Adel-abad violent
confrontations took place between the residents and electricity authorities,
during which several officials were injured.  The power department has been
denying electricity to the residents of impoverished regions due to lack of
budget.