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July, 1997.
Clinton May Lower the Threshold to $20 million -

The economic noose around Iran may get tighter. A 1996 law imposed sanctions on foreign companies that invest $40 million or more in Iran's oil sector. On Aug. 5, the law will let President Clinton lower the threshold to $20 million. Most likely to get burned: France's Total, which is involved in a big Iranian oil project. Clintonites are irked at lackluster support from the European Union, which meets on July 26 to discuss its response to the Iran crackdown.http://www.businessweek.com/1997/31/b353870.htm

TEHRAN, July 22 (Reuter)Iran Urged to Join W.T.O - Iran will face severe economic difficulties if the government does not decide quickly on joining the World Trade Organisation, an Iranian business official said in remarks published on Tuesday.

Fereidoon Entezari, Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines deputy managing director for international affairs, said technology and telecommunications were moving towards globalisation and countries that stayed aloof from the trend would sustain heavy damage.

Iran would face many problems in achieving its long-time objectives if it did not take the question of WTO membership and the expansion of non-oil exports seriously, Entezari said.

Iran was turned down when it applied for observer status at the WTO's first ministerial meeting in Singapore in December.

Khamenei called the U.S. "the ultimate world tyrant" and held the U.S. responsible for all the oppression in the world.

TEHRAN (July 21) XINHUA - Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei Condemns the USA - "Wherever there is evil and oppression, wherever there is imposed war against nations, wherever there is repression of the righteous struggle of the nations, you can see U.S. involvement there," he said.

The Iranian spiritual leader made the remarks while meeting Jathliq Aram Keshishian, spiritual leader of the 4 million Armenian Orthodox Christians living outside their homeland, the state-run Tehran Radio reported. Keshishian arrived in Iran last week.

The statement by Khamenei is regarded by observers here as the harshest attack on the United States since the presidential election on May 23

Four More Die in the Hunger Strike Protests - Hunger strike by Iranian political prisoners has resulted in four more martyrs. Hamid Reza Daadaashi, Mehrdad Vosuqi, Jaafar Abbaasi and Abdolreza Haamed, have become the latest victims of this mass action in Iran's political prisons. We have also received news of seven more political prisoners having being executed in the Isfahan prison, and three more by the names of Saeed Javadi, Mohsen Karimi and Mehrdad Ehsani have now received death sentences.
The atmosphere in Iran's prisons is becoming very much like the situation in 1988, when the regime , frightened of possible mass uprisings in the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq war, decided to physically eliminate the remaining political prisoners. Thousands were indiscriminately killed even though the regime's own courts had condemned them to prison sentences only. In this national tragedy, Iran lost some of its finest and bravest sons and daughters. However what the oppressors do not realise, is that there will always be more and more of these fine sons and daughters of Iran; and each wave will be more ferocious than before until this anti-Iranian medieval regime is toppled.

Iran to Stage Military Maneuvers -
TEHRAN (July 16) XINHUA - Some 20,000 Iranian military forces are to launch a two-day maneuvers from July 31 to August 1 in Iran's southwestern province of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiyari, a local newspaper reported today.
The Persian daily Jomhuri Islami said that the maneuvers, code-named Ashura, will be jointly launched by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the grassroots mobilization forces, including women's battalions named Az-Zahra.
"The most active forces chosen during these maneuvers will take part in the Fat-Hol-Mobin (Manifest Victory) grand maneuvers which will be held before March 21, 1998," Brigadier Gholmreza Solaymani was quoted as saying.

Widespread Hunger Strike Amongst Iranain Political Prisoners Claims its First Victim - A hunger strike by political prisoners has already claimed its first martyr. Kamran Yazdani died 15 days into a dry hunger strike. He was just 22 years old.
The strike began in Shiraz's Adel Abad prison on June 7 and rapidly spread to prisons in Isfahan, Tabriz, Ahwaz and most recently to Tehran's notorious Evin prison.
Striking prisoners in Shiraz were blindfolded for three days and given 20 lashes with a cable for every meal they refused to eat. On the fourth day they were taken one by one for interrogation under torture and mock executions.
In Isfahan hunger strikers have been moved to solitary confinement. In Shiraz a number have been removed to an unknown destination. Meanwhile the regime has accepted some of the demands of the strikers, such as the time in the prison courtyard and the amount of money allowed in from their families.
Kamran Yazdani, was a child of this revolution, he was only 5 when the revolution happened. His determination to stand up for his principle to the point of death, is an indication of the new will and enthusiasm of the new generation who have defied the Velayat Faqih.

Week of Solidarity with Faraj Sarkuhi - In a united action by more than 25 Iranian political organisations, groups and societies throughout Europe and the US; a week of solidarity has been declared for Faraj Sarkuhi. Joint actions will be carried out which will include the following :
- Pleas to international human rights groups.
- Pleas to mass media to raise international awareness and publicity.
- Pleas to governments, political parties and trade unions.
- Arranging interviews and press conferences.
- Public shows of solidarity.
- Collecting petitions from internationally renowned figures especially writers and artists.
The above actions will be across Sweden, Germany, Belgium, UK, Denmark, USA, Canada, Norway and France.

If you wish to join this united action or require more detailed information please contact :
BOX 8062 - 20041
Malmo, Sweden
Tel/Fax : (46) 40134178

British Writers Show Solidarity with Faraj Sarkuhi - A letter from a number of distinguished people including Fay Weldon, Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard was published in yesterday's UK daily, the Independent, drawing the readers' attention to the plight of Faraj Sarkuhi.

Iran Blamed for the Lockerbie Disaster - BONN, Germany (Reuter) - German prosecutors interviewed a new witness on Monday who claims Iran was behind a 1988 bombing of Pan Am airliner 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

"I can say that a witness has been interviewed and that his testimony blames Iran," Job Tilmann, a spokesman for the Frankfurt prosecutors' office, told Reuters.

Sources close to the investigation said the witness was Abolghasem Mesbahi, a former Iranian intelligence agent who also gave evidence at the recent trial of an Iranian and four Lebanese convicted of killing Iranian Kurdish dissidents in Berlin.

Tehran has already dismissed the new testimony as part of an anti-Iran campaign by German media.

But Der Spiegel magazine, in a report published Monday, said Mesbahi had told investigators that Iran had merely asked Libya and also Palestinian guerrilla leader Abu Nidal for help in carrying out the attack on the Boeing 747 jet.

Tilmann said prosecutors had not finished questioning the witness and it was too early to evaluate the reliability or importance of his evidence. "This testimony is one of many in this investigation," he said by telephone from his office.

Sources close to the investigation said Mesbahi was widely regarded as a credible witness and noted that he had been taken seriously by the court in the Berlin case.

Tilmann said the German prosecutors had not yet passed on details of the witness's statements to British or U.S. investigators and would only decide how to proceed with the evidence once they had finished their interviews with him.

Mesbahi said Iran planned the attack as revenge after the U.S. cruiser Vincennes shot down an Iran Air Airbus over the Strait of Hormuz earlier in 1988, according to Spiegel.

Parts of the bomb that blew up the Pan Am flight were put on a plane at Frankfurt airport and they were put together in London and loaded onto the ill-fated Pan Am flight, Mesbahi told investigators, the magazine said.

Mesbahi said that Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini personally ordered the revenge attack and that Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati had carried out the planning with Libya and guerrilla leader Abu Nidal, Spiegel said.

Demonstrations for the Release of Faraj Sarkuhi - With the start of Faraj Sarkuhi's trial, once again the demonstrations for his release have gathered pace. Last Monday, between 50 to 100 people demonstrated outside the London Embassy in Kensington, as part of the continuos protest until his release on every Monday.

Mohsen Rezaii to become the Defence Minister - According to a news bulletin from the chinese Xinhua News Agency, Mohsen Rezaii is set to become the new defense minister in Khatami's new cabinet replacing Mohammad Foruzandeh.

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