Back to Brief on Iran
In a hollow maneuver on the anniversary of the birth of Prophet of Islam, the clerical regime claimed that "1,041 prisoners convicted by the Islamic Revolutionary, general and military tribunals have been granted amnesty or received commuted sentences" by mullahs' leader Ali Khamenei.
Designed to cover up the persistent and flagrant violations of human rights, this transparent scheme comes as the regime continues to arrest and imprison hundreds of people every day under various pretexts.
During the 5,000-strong antigovernment demonstration by residents of the impoverished Massoudieh township in southeast Tehran on July 5 and 6, at least 45 protesters were arrested.
Senior Cleric Frightened by Escalation of Factional Rows, Reuter, July 10
TEHRAN - A senior conservative cleric on Friday called on Iran's rival factions to end their infighting, saying it was being exploited by enemies as a sign of instability.
"This is a day when all groups loyal to Islam and the revolution should unite," Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, spokesman of the powerful Guardian Council, said in a Friday prayers sermon.
"If we ignore the threat posed by world arrogance (the West) against the revolution, we shall be subject to a painful providential chastisement," Emami Kashani told thousands of worshippers.
Emami Kashani warned that the political rows could be exploited by enemies as signs of instability in Iran and proof that the country was unsafe for investments.
Iran has witnessed increasing discord between conservatives, who control key levers of power, and backers of President Mohammad Khatami.
Economists say the graft trials and an anti-corruption drive launched last year, in which dozens of businessmen and officials have been arrested, have created unease among investors.
Mullahs' Supreme Leader Says U.S. Diplomacy "Gimmick", Reuter, July 12
TEHRAN - Iran's supreme leader on Sunday dismissed a recent U.S. diplomatic initiative as a "political gimmick," saying Washington simply did not understand the Islamic republic.
In an address to mark the Shi'ite holiday of the birth of the Prophet Mohammad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said recent U.S. rhetoric could not disguise an underlying antipathy for Islam and outrage at Iran's staunch defense of Palestinian rights.
As he spoke from a low dais, the conservative chiefs of the judiciary and the parliament sat to his right, and president Mohammad Khatami, to his left.
Khamenei also used the occasion of the Prophet's birth to emphasize the need for unity in a country increasingly riven by overt factional politics.
"Today, with God's blessing, and despite the hands that seek to create divisions, our nation, our government, our officials... everyone (stands) together in one front and in one faction and that is the faction of Islam, of the revolution and of Imam Khomeini."
Khatami introduced the leader with his own call for unity.
Tehran's Mayor Corruption Trial Ends, Reuter, July 11
TEHRAN - The mayor of Tehran, at times moved to tears, told the closing session of his graft trial on Saturday that he was innocent of any crimes.
The charges against Gholamhossein Karbaschi include embezzling more than 14.5 billion rials ($5 million), receiving bribes, mishandling public property and improper conduct of government transactions. A verdict is expected within two weeks.
The highly-charged case has pit Iran's conservative judiciary against Karbaschi and other technocrats who support president Khatami.
US Judge Blocks Bombing Settlement, Associated Press, July 9
WASHINGTON - A New Jersey man says the U.S. government is on the wrong side of his family's legal battle with Iran over a 1995 terrorist bombing that killed his daughter.
"I find it disheartening," Stephen Flatow said after the Justice Department asked a judge to stop part of his effort to collect damages against Iran.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth sided with the government Thursday and temporarily blocked the Flatow family's plan to force the sale of three Washington properties owned by Iran.
Flatow's family sued Iran under a 1996 law that allows Americans to seek damages for terrorist acts from nations considered sponsors of international terror. Lamberth ruled in March that Iran must pay $247.5 million in damages for the death of Alisa Flatow, 20. She was killed in April 1995 in a suicide bombing for which the Iran-backed terror group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.