NICOSIA - The People's Mojahedin said Thursday that Tehran's forces crossed into Iraq overnight and engaged in "extensive clashes" with the opposition.

In a statement received by AFP in Nicosia, the Mojahedin said a "large force of strike units" from the Iranian government penetrated nine miles into Iraqi territory north of the town of Badra, but that the opposition "pre-empted the mullahs' force by
attacking them."

The Mojahedin said the "fierce fighting" lasted from dusk until dawn and resulted in heavy casualties for Tehran's forces and a handful of deaths or injuries on the opposition side.

The Mojahedin said Tehran's military constantly requested reinforcements during the fighting from the Iranian cities of Ilam, Saleh-Abad and Mehran. Injured intelligence and security agents have since flooded hospitals in cities in that region, the Mojahedin said.

[AFP reported from Tehran that: "Iranian forces clashed late Wednesday with the armed opposition People's Mujahadeen just inside the border with Iraq, Tehran radio reported Thursday.]

[Iran Zamin News Agency: Ali Asghar Miri, Ilam Intelligence Department's director of terrorist operations against the Mojahedin in Iraq, was killed during last night's clashes in Iraqi territory between the Mojahedin and the regime's suppressive forces.

[Miri was a top official of Ilam province's Intelligence Department and was involved in dozens of terrorist operations against the Mojahedin in Iraq.

[According to reports from inside the mullahs' regime, the state-run radio and television produced a report on the clashes that was ready for broadcast, but the Intelligence Ministry issued a directive banning the broadcast. The report also said that funeral services for Ali Asghar Miri would take place at 6 p.m. today in the city of Mehran.

[The regime's casualties were admitted to hospitals in Ilam and Saleh-Abad.

[The number of wounded intelligence and security agents of the regime has overwhelmed the hospitals in Ilam, Saleh-Abad and several other cities in the region.

[The Intelligence Ministry has banned all visits to the hospitals where the casualties of last night's fighting have been admitted, in order to prevent any leak of the scale of losses suffered by the mullahs' forces.

[The General Command of the National Liberation Army of Iran announced that four NLA fighters were killed in these clashes. The NLA said the rest of the fighters who took part in the combat safely returned to their bases.]
 

Rajavi Calls On Annan to Cancel His Trip To Iran, Iran Zamin News Agency, June 15

In a letter to the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, National Council of Resistance of Iran President Massoud Rajavi urged Mr. Annan to cancel his imminent trip to Iran.

Mr. Rajavi warned that the religious, terrorist dictatorship ruling Iran will use such a visit as a new pretext to continue the flagrant violations of human rights in Iran and the export of crisis and terrorism beyond Iran's borders.

The NCR President said this trip comes as all reports and news from Iran in recent months point to a worsening human rights situation. Mr. Rajavi referred to the resolution adopted in April by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, condemning the flagrant violations of human rights and the rise in executions in 1999 relative to the previous year.
 

Iranians Leave Khatami's "Civil Society" for Turkey, Agence France Presse, June 15

ANKARA - Thousands of Iranians are fleeing their country for political or religious reasons, passing through Turkey in the search for refuge in the West.

Ahmad Behbahani, who said he is a former Iranian secret service agent, won instant international fame when he said in Turkey that Iran was to blame for the Pan-Am airliner bombing over Lockerbie, in Scotland, in 1988.

Metin Corabatir, spokesman of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Turkey, said that Iranians constituted a high proportion of asylum seekers arriving in the country.

Among them, a considerable number were members of the Bahai faith, persecuted in Iran.

One Iranian asylum seeker who asked not to be named said he had been waiting for nine months in Turkey. "I would go to any Western country. It would be better than Iran," he said.
 

Spy Trial Proceedings End, Associated Press, June 14

TEHRAN - Courtroom proceedings in the trial of 13 Iranian Jews accused of spying for Israel have ended and the defense has completed its work, a senior judicial official said Wednesday.

The court was awaiting responses to two inquiries, Hossein Ali Amiri, the judiciary chief of Fars province said, without specifying the nature of the inquiries or to whom they were presented. 

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