BRIEF ON IRAN

No. 767

Wednesday, October 22, 1997

Representative Office of

The National Council of Resistance of Iran

Washington, DC


Thirteenth Assassination in Iraqi Kurdistan Since Khatami's Presidency, Iran Zamin News Agency, October 21 

The National Council of Resistance of Iran issued a statement on Tuesday indicating that at noon on Saturday October 18, Four terrorists of the mullahs' regime opened fire on a vehicle belonging to the dissident Iranian Kurdish group, Khabat. According to the statement, the incident took place on Sulaymania-Kirkuk road and one of Khabat peshmargas, Taher Faizi, was murdered in this attack.

The NCR condemned this terrorist crime and drew "the attention of the international community to the terrorist operations of Iran's fundamentalist regime and its freedom of action in the Iraqi Kurdistan, which has taken on drastic dimensions after Khatami became president."

The clerical regime's terrorism in Iraq against the Mojahedin and the National Liberation Army (NLA), its unbridled terrorist operations in northern Iraq, as well as its air strikes with nine fighter bombers on two basecamps of the NLA on September 29 which violated the Security Council Resolution 598 and the no-fly zone, necessitate a decisive international measure against this religious, terrorist dictatorship, the NCR said.

"The time has come for the UN Security Council to end its silence and inaction and adopt binding punishments against Iran's ruling theocracy."

 

Disturbances Erupt in Central Iran, Agence France Presse, October 21 

Disturbances have erupted in the suburbs of a central Iranian city over public dissatisfaction with local government administration, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

A crowd of 300 people gathered on Sunday outside the education authority offices in Aran-Bidgel, a suburb of Kashan city, 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of the capital, calling for better transport facilities and a separate municipal authority for Bidgel.

They booed the governor of the district, "calling for his death," and "beat up a local reporter," said the English-language Iran Daily, quoting "informed" sources….

The paper said the disturbances began 24 hours ago and that "clashes" were likely to continue.

The two suburbs, with a total population of 80,000 and situated in Esfahan province, were recently turned into a town….

 

Top Nonproliferation Center Official Leaving, The New York Times, October 21 

The director of the CIA's Nonproliferation Center, who provided Congress with detailed briefings on some of the most diplomatically sensitive instances of illicit technology sales to Iran from Russia and China, is taking early retirement.

The official, Gordon Oehler, 55, said in a telephone interview that he was leaving his job of his own volition after 25 years in the CIA and more than five years as director of the center….

Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., who serves on the House Committee on National Security, said he believed the retirement had been forced….

He asserted that Oehler was being punished for giving "honest and forthcoming briefings" to Congress about Russian and Chinese exports of dangerous materiel, technology and missiles to countries like Iran and Pakistan.

"This is a watershed event and I'm going to make this a test case," Weldon said. "It's a pattern of this administration. When it gets information that runs counter to the policy, they try to destroy the person that brings the message."…

 

Russia Sells Iran Missile Metals, The Washington Times, October 20 

A secret Russian production center completed a deal with Iran late last month to supply high-strength steel and special foil for Iran's long-range missile program, The Washington Times has learned.

According to a classified U.S. intelligence report, the Russian Scientific and Production Center Inor concluded an agreement in late September to provide an Iranian factory with four special metal alloys used in long-range missiles….

The Iranians have bought 240 kilograms of the high-strength steel alloy known as "21HKMT" for $24,000, the report said. The steel will be sent in bars that U.S. officials say the Iranians will shape for missile-casing material.

The remaining materials are alloy foil designated by Inor as "49K2F," "CUBE2" and "50N" that are being sold in sheets 0.2 millimeter and 0.4 millimeter thick.

The special foil is used to shield guidance equipment in missiles - material that is needed only for longer-range missiles.

"This gets into the whole business of the longer-range ballistic missiles that they are seeking to develop," said one Clinton administration official familiar with the issue. "There are a number of countries that are very, very concerned about these Shahab-3 and Shahab-4 missiles."…

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