BRIEF ON IRAN	 
No. 597	
Thursday, February 20, 1997 
 
Representative Office of 
The National Council of Resistance of Iran	
Washington, DC  
 
 

Clashes Between Mojahedin And Regime Spread 
to Eastern Iran, Iran Zamin News Agency, 
February 19 
 
	A report  by the Mojahedin's Command 
Headquarters inside Iran indicates that clashes 
between "Mojahedin units and popular Resistance 
forces and agents of the Khomeini regime's 
Intelligence Ministry and Guards Corps continue 
to escalate" and has reached the eastern Iranian 
province of Sistan And Baluchistan, according to a 
statement issued on Wednesday by the People's 
Mojahedin of Iran. 
	The statement said that on Tuesday 
"extensive clashes broke out in the provincial 
capital of Zahedan, as a result of which a number 
of Guards and agents of the Intelligence Ministry 
were killed or wounded."  
	"The fighting was so intense that the 
Guards constantly asked for reinforcements." 
	Alarmed by the spread of resistance's 
activities, the regime has embarked on fabricating 
lies, saying that the resistance forces and the 
Mojahedin have imported their arms from Iraq. 
	"By fabricating these lies, and by 
disseminating reports on the alleged deaths of 
Mojahedin, the mullahs are attempting to boost the 
morale of their forces who every day receive new 
blows from the Resistance in various parts of the 
country," the statement said. 
 
 
Iran Hangs Three Men in Public, Reuters, 
February 19  
 
	Iran has hanged three men convicted of 
drug smuggling and armed sedition, a newspaper 
said on Wednesday. 
	The daily Ettelaat said the three, also 
convicted of "causing public terror," were hanged 
in the northeastern city of Kashmar, about 250 km 
(150 miles) from Iran's borders with Afghanistan 
and Pakistan.... 
	[According to previous reports, the 
Iranian regime often uses drug trafficking charges 
as a facade for execution of political opponents. 
The public hanging is also a cruel method of 
execution used regularly by the government to 
intimidate and stifle any public dissent.] 
 
 
Iran Exerting Pressure on Missing Editor's Wife, 
Reuters, February 18 
 
	The wife of an arrested Iranian journalist 
whose fate is causing concern in Bonn said on 
Tuesday Tehran was putting pressure on her to 
disown a letter he wrote describing how Iran tried 
to make him confess to spying.... 
	Sarkuhi's wife Farideh Zebarjad told 
German radio Deutsche Welle that Sarkuhi's 
brother, himself in prison, had contacted her to say 
that if she cooperated with Tehran, her husband 
could be released in two or three months. 
	She said Sarkuhi's brother appeared to be 
acting under pressure from the Iranian 
authorities.... 
 
 
East Europeans Armed Iran, Rogue States, The 
Washington Times, February 19 
 
	...Poland...has  made five shipments to 
Iran of T-72 tanks, equipment and trainers,  with 
the latest delivery taking place last summer, 
according to the  CIA report, labeled "top secret." 
	A company in the former Yugoslav 
republic of Slovenia, also a  leading candidate for 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization membership, 
took part in a deal to supply M-60 tank 
transmissions and other tank parts to Iran... 
	David Johnson, a National Security 
Council spokesman, would  not comment directly 
on individual arms deals. "The U.S. is engaged in  
a broad-gauged effort to convince many nations to 
avoid providing  states on our terrorism list with 
weapons and other products and  services," he 
said.... 
	Poland's government, under pressure 
from Washington, at first  agreed to suspend all 
tank sales to Iran; it later announced that current  
contracts would be fulfilled but that future tank 
sales would not be  allowed.... 
 
 
Statute of Liberty, "Decadent" Western Symbol, 
Agence France Presse, Feb. 17 
 
	Authorities in southeastern Iran have set 
fire in public to "hundreds" of pieces of clothing 
bearing Western symbols, notably the American 
flag, a newspaper reported Monday. 
	Islamic militiamen, known as the Basijis, 
had seized the clothing from boutiques in the 
Oman Sea port of Kenarak in Sistan-Baluchistan 
province, Kayhan daily said. 
	It published a picture of many T-shirts 
bearing the pictures of the  American flag, the 
Statue of Liberty and "other western symbols" 
being  set on fire in front of a group of people. 
	Iran seeks to eradicate all signs of the 
"decadent" Western culture in line with its 
Islamization drive.... 
 
 
Iran Says Kuwait Assured It on U.S. Use of Bases, 
Reuters, February 19 
 
	KUWAIT—Iran's ambassador said on 
Wednesday Kuwait had assured Tehran it would 
not let Washington use its territory in a military 
clash with the Islamic republic.... 
	"We are confident that neither Kuwait 
nor other regional states will allow (foreign troops) 
to launch an attack against Iran (from their lands). 
We know that these states do not want and will not 
allow the use of their lands," he said.