RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 10, 23 March 2006

A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL’s Newsline Team

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HEADLINES
* QUEST FOR UNITY IN FACE OF NUCLEAR CRISIS OVERSHADOWS POLITICS
* INTERVIEW: IRANIAN NOBEL LAUREATE EBADI ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS
* IRAN GETS NEW SUBMARINE
* RUSSIA TO ‘ADJUST’ ITS POSITION ON IRAN
* MOSCOW’S NUCLEAR OFFER NO LONGER INTERESTS TEHRAN
* OFFICIALS HINT AT FUTURE NUCLEAR STANCE
* CLOSING OF IRANIAN STUDENTS ASSOCIATION ELICITS PROTEST
* INFLATION PREDICTION AND IRAN-U.S. TRADE FIGURES DISCUSSED
* HAVE TEHRAN AND MOSCOW RESUMED NUCLEAR TALKS?
* AHMADINEJAD DISCUSSES INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH
* RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER STILL CONCERNED ABOUT IRAN
* RUSSIA-IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS TAKE PLACE
* BUDGET WINS APPROVAL
* IRAN SEEKS TO INCREASE OIL PRODUCTION
* AHMADINEJAD DISCUSSES FOREIGN CLAIMS AGAINST NUCLEAR PROGRAM…
* …AND POSSIBLE INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS
* UN SECURITY COUNCIL UNDECIDED ON IRAN
* OFFICIAL SURVEY FINDS BROAD SUPPORT FOR GOVERNMENT’S NUCLEAR STANCE
* TEHRAN ACCUSES LONDON OF USING ‘GOBBLEDYGOOK’
* IRAN IS FOCUS OF U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY
* WANTED BALUCHI LEADER REPORTEDLY FLEES TO IRAN
* IRAN-PAKISTAN-INDIA PIPELINE TALKS TO CONTINUE
* IRAN REACHS OUT TO U.S. ON IRAQ
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QUEST FOR UNITY IN FACE OF NUCLEAR CRISIS OVERSHADOWS POLITICS. A
great deal of controversy preceded the semi-annual meeting of the
Assembly of Experts in early-March, and this is not surprising
because the popularly elected body of 86 clerics supervises and
selects Iran’s top political and religious leader. Therefore,
disputes regarding the eligibility of lay-people as candidates and
the possibility of postponing the election are particularly relevant
because the next assembly election is scheduled for the autumn. The
actual event, however, took place with little fanfare or political
commentary, as officials and media heeded calls for national unity in
the face of the country being reported to the United Nations Security
Council. Indeed the nuclear issue appeared to overshadow other
aspects of the assembly’s business.
Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani told the assembly on 8
March that this is the time for national unity in the face of the
“enemies'” plots, state television reported. He said the U.S. has
been unsuccessful in its efforts to create an atmosphere that is
hostile to Iran. “They have made a lot of efforts to isolate us, but
failed in their mission,” he added. “We should move along with
solidarity,” Hashemi-Rafsanjani continued. “We should be united with
respect to the nuclear issue and against the plots of enemy, which we
thankfully are.” Divisive comments, he said, undermine national
unity.
The strident tone of Hojatoleslam Ahmad Khatami’s Friday
Prayer sermon in Tehran two days later — in which he reverted to the
insider-outsider argument — shed light on the political coloring of
the call for unity. Arguing that nuclear energy is needed because oil
and gas will finish in two or three decades, he referred to critics
of the quest for a nuclear fuel cycle as “idiots,” state radio
reported. “You joined the enemy and helped it in the most sensitive
time. Our people will never forget these plots and people who carry
them out. When the time comes, the great Iranian nation will give a
harsh response to the insiders who move in the same direction as the
enemies, just as it has given decisive responses to foreigners.”
Khatami also noted that the current nuclear policy does not
relate to President Ahmadinejad alone and it began some years ago.
“And our situation these days is not the outcome of a single decision
taken today,” he said. “As the supreme leader graciously said, the
decision was first taken during the previous government’s term of
office. The current government is implementing the same decision
now.”
Political figures interviewed in the following days also
stressed the theme of national unity, with the pro-reform “Farhang-i
Ashti” daily explaining on March 11, “The nuclear dossier has become
an excuse for all political groups to once again sit with one another
around the negotiating table to talk to each other.” The daily went
on to explain that regardless of a person’s political
inclination, “They all stress Iran’s right to gain access to
nuclear technology.” But if there is unity on this aspect of the
issue, there is much less unity on how to proceed. The reformists
advocate continued negotiations, whereas the conservatives and
hardliners more in line with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad “speak of
resistance and new plans to scare the enemy.”
The political divisions over the conduct of nuclear
negotiations have appeared before. Moreover, the Ahmadinejad foreign
policy team has come in for a great deal of criticism for having
alienated many other countries and undermined confidence in
Iran’s intentions. These differences have less to do with
international statesmanship than they do with political, ideological,
and age-cohort divisions within the country’s political
establishment.
The president’s personnel policies — the replacement of
ambassadors and top officials in the foreign ministry, and the
appointment of younger individuals who he finds are ideologically
compatible — also have earned criticism. The comments of
Hojatoleslam Abdul-Vahed Musavi-Lari, President Mohammad
Khatami’s interior minister, illustrate this point. “It is
possible for many people to speak of national solidarity, but in
practice take a pair of scissors in their hands and try to eliminate
the forces that are loyal to the system or expert individuals who are
supportive of the system and feel goodwill towards it and deprive
them of participating in taking and implementing decisions,” he said
(“Etemad,” March 11, 2006). “This is something that we are witnessing
in our society today.”
Musavi-Lari added, “We cannot say that we are in favor of
national solidarity but exclude the majority of the forces that are
faithful to the system from the cycle of taking and implementing
decisions.”
Concerns about the Ahmadinejad team’s foreign policy
efforts and the political aspect of those concerns became clear on
March 12, when the legislature’s reformist faction summoned the
president to explain his nuclear policy (Mehr News Agency). The next
day, the deputy parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Reza Bahonar,
announced that either the president or the secretary of the Supreme
National Security Council, Ali Larijani, would come soon (Islamic
Republic News Agency).
Until the call for unity from Hashemi-Rafsanjani, much of the
country’s political discourse related to the upcoming Assembly of
Experts meeting. The assembly held its last meeting in September
2005, and around that time one of the major topics of discussion was
membership qualifications. Some members reportedly submitted a motion
calling for more advanced theological credentials, and they advocated
taking the job of vetting candidates from the Guardians Council and
giving it to the country’s leading seminarians. Other members of
the assembly said it was time to admit laypeople, including women and
military personnel.
The next month, another prominent cleric and political
figure, former parliamentary speaker Hojatoleslam Mehdi Karrubi, also
spoke out on this topic. He warned that the effort to limit the
choice of candidates would reduce voter turnout (“Etemad,” October
23, 2005).
This is a legitimate concern — overall voter participation
figures in Iran have shown a downward trend since the initial
enthusiasm of the period immediately after the revolution, and this
is particularly noticeable in Assembly of Experts elections.
Participation was 77 percent in 1982, 37 percent in 1990, and 46
percent in 1998. The regime, furthermore, bases its legitimacy on
public participation in elections, and it sees the regular holding of
elections as a sign of its democratic nature.
Karrubi, who has declared that he will not stand in the
assembly election (“Hemayat,” December 10, 2005), returned to the
subject of candidates’ eligibility in a letter to the head of the
assembly, Ayatollah Ali Meshkini. He wrote that the supreme
leader’s responsibilities touch on subjects other than theology,
so the members of the assembly, who are responsible for supervising
the supreme leader, should have expertise in a range of subjects
(“Aftab-i Yazd,” February 16, 2006). Moreover, Karrubi wrote, vetting
of candidates should be the responsibility of prominent theologians.
The Guardians Council should not have this responsibility, he
explained, because its members usually are candidates for membership
in the assembly. Without saying it outright, Karrubi also hinted at
the conservative political bias of the Council of Guardians.
In mid-February, reports surfaced that some of these changes
had been implemented. Assembly membership reportedly would increase
to 120, and 40 members of this group would be experts in areas other
than jurisprudence (“Aftab-i Yazd,” February 16, 2006). Like
candidates in earlier elections, they would have to be pious and have
good reputations, but they would also have to be skilled in
economics, law, legislative affairs, planning, or politics, or they
should hold a military leadership position.
However, it later turned out that these reports were
premature. An assembly member, Hojatoleslam Majid Ansari, had
presented a proposal on the membership of laymen to the
assembly’s statutes committee, but the proper procedures were not
followed and there was no follow-up on the subject (“Mardom Salari,”
February 18, 2006).
Moreover, the proposal was unlikely to be welcomed. Ayatollah
Mohsen Musavi-Tabrizi, a reformist member of the assembly, said
earlier efforts to change the regulations had been rejected (“Sharq,”
February 18, 2006). “The majority of members are opposed to such
plans, and we can see examples of it in other plans, such as the one
to change the authority for verifying the credential of candidates
and the one for holding open sessions, or the issue of exercising
supervision, which is 100 percent related to the domain of the
Assembly of Experts,” he explained. “All these previous cases faced
opposition.”
In a not entirely unexpected development, a member of the
Guardians Council also spoke out against the proposal to make laymen
eligible for assembly membership. Council spokesman Abbasali
Kadkhodai initially said the concept is illegal, but he then
backtracked and said he was only expressing his personal opinion as a
legal expert (“Mardom Salari” and “Etemad-i Melli,” February 20,
2005). He added that the Guardians Council is not involved in this
issue, and if the assembly decides to include laymen then the council
will go along with this. Kadkhodai said in early-March that the topic
remains under review, and the Supreme Leader could have the final say
(“Mardom Salari” and “Sharq,” March 5, 2006).
A member of the assembly, substitute Tehran Friday Prayer
leader Hojatoleslam Ahmad Khatami, dismissed the possibility of
laypeople as members and urged the media to end its speculation
(“Kayhan,” March 2, 2006). He also said that such a plan is illegal,
and it will not be considered because it was submitted illegally
(“Sharq,” March 2, 2006). The current members, he added, can perform
all the necessary functions.
A prominent pro-reform cleric and university professor,
Hojatoleslam Mohsen Kadivar, also spoke out on the issue of assembly
membership. He noted that the Iranian constitution does not specify
that members must be experts at interpreting religious law or must be
sources of emulation, and there is no law prohibiting the membership
of non clerics (“Sharq,” March 7, 2006). Kadivar, who has shown in
the past that he is not averse to taking controversial positions,
said there are currently three problems with the Assembly of Experts
— all members are men, all members are clerics, and all members are
Shi’a.
There are occasional calls for delaying the Assembly of
Experts election and holding it at the same time as another one. In
mid-February, Interior Minister Hojatoleslam Mustafa Purmohammadi
recommended holding the assembly election and the 2007 municipal
council elections at the same time (“Etemad,” February 15, 2006).
Last year, a member of the Guardians Council said the election should
coincide with the 2008 parliamentary elections (“Farhang-i Ashti,”
July 23, 2005).
Such demands usually are part of broader calls for
consolidating elections and do not get farther than media
speculation. However, the committee responsible for the Assembly of
Experts’ internal regulations did hold a meeting on February 12
to discuss the most recent proposal, although its outcome was not
revealed (“Etemad,” February 15, 2006). The political advantage of
delaying the assembly’s election is not immediately apparent. It
may reflect, as its proponents say, an effort to save money and
reduce disruption. It is also possible that proponents of such a
delay hope there would be a bigger turnout if citizens are voting for
people whose duties — such as parliamentarians or municipal council
members — affect their daily lives.
The Assembly of Experts met on March 7 and 8, and as always,
the actual business of the two-day meeting took place behind closed
doors. Indeed, it would appear that the reporting of Iran’s
nuclear program to the United Nations Security Council overshadowed
some of the assembly’s business. Hojatoleslam Ansari complained
that everything but matters within the assembly’s
responsibilities was discussed, and his proposal to widen the
membership did not come up (“Aftab-i Yazd” and “Etemad,” March 9,
2006). Ansari recommended greater openness about the normally closed
sessions of the assembly, and he said a public report on the
leader’s performance should be made available. The Assembly did
reject the Interior Ministry proposal that the elections of the
assembly and municipal councils should coincide (Fars News Agency,
March 10, 2006). Hojatoleslam Ahmad Khatami said the assembly
election will take place in the autumn. (Bill Samii)

INTERVIEW: IRANIAN NOBEL LAUREATE EBADI ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS. The
European Training Foundation held an international conference on
“Women in Education and Employment” (March 7-8) in the Italian city
of Turin, and Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi
presented the journalists with their prizes. She later gave an
interview to one of the winners, RFE/RL Tajik Service’s youth
correspondent, Abdulfattoh Shafiev.
RFE/RL: You have been very active in the struggle for
women’s rights in your country — could you tell us about the
situation of women in Iran?
Ebadi: In Iran the number of educated women is higher than
men; according to the latest figures that were released this year
more than 65 percent of Iran’s university students are girls.
But, unfortunately, women haven’t had the possibility to really
demonstrate their capabilities and more men have entered the labor
market. The unemployment rate among women is three times higher than
among men.
RFE/RL: What is the reason for [the high unemployment rate
among women in Iran]?
Ebadi: In my opinion it is the patriarchal culture that gives
men priority in all issues; some say because men have to respond to
the financial needs of their family, it’s better if we hire men.
But when it comes to hiring somebody and employment, the focus should
not be on the money issue; the emphasis should be put on one’s
capabilities and expertise.
RFE/RL: Islam has given women and men equal rights but in
most Islamic countries women face discrimination. Why is that?
Ebadi: With a correct interpretation of Islam we can have
equal rights for women. But the problem is that there are wrong
interpretations of Islam, which cause discrimination against women.
That is why the situation for women in various Islamic countries is
different. For example, in Saudi Arabia women can’t even drive,
but in countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh women
have been able to become prime minister or president. Or, for
example, in some countries — like Iran — men are allowed to have
several wives (eds. up to four) while in other countries, such as
Tunisia, it has been banned. This is because there is not a single
interpretation of Islam. We need an interpretation of Islam that
recognizes women’s rights.
RFE/RL: What is your assessment of women’s situation in
European countries? Do you think women also face problems in Europe?
Ebadi: Unfortunately, yes. Women face problems in Europe and
also in the U.S. Their problems are different from the problems women
face in Islamic countries. In the U.S., until now, they haven’t
had a woman president; and there are less women ministers [than male
ministers]. It’s the same in Europe; in the Italian parliament,
where we are speaking now, only about 10 percent of the deputies are
women.
RFE/RL: You said that in Europe and the U.S. there aren’t
enough women leaders. Do you think the leadership of a country should
be based on gender?
Ebadi: I don’t think that women should by all means lead
the society; I believe that capable and experienced people, be it a
woman or man, should lead society. It means that if a woman is
capable, then she should not be deprived [of leading] only because
she is a woman.
RFE/RL: Could you also tell us something about yourself and
your private life?
Ebadi: I am an attorney at law [and] my law office is in
Tehran. In addition to my work as an attorney, I also manage three
NGOs that I have established. Regarding my private life, I am married
and I have two daughters. As a traditional Iranian woman it is my
duty to take care of the housework and the children and I’m still
doing it. I’m happy about it because when I finish my work
outside — and being an attorney is a rough profession — I enjoy
coming home and cooking for my husband and daughters. My husband has
always supported me and without his help and support I couldn’t
have worked so much. (Translation by Golnaz Esfandiari)

IRAN GETS NEW SUBMARINE. A domestically produced submarine called the
Nahang-1 (Whale 1) has joined the Iranian navy’s fleet, state
television reported on March 6. Iran has three Kilo-class submarines
it bought from Russia and a number of mini-submarines. Details on the
submarine were unavailable. (Bill Samii)

RUSSIA TO ‘ADJUST’ ITS POSITION ON IRAN. A Russian Foreign
Ministry spokesman said on March 12 that it will “study” the recent
statement by its Iranian counterpart that Tehran is no longer
considering Russia’s proposal to enrich uranium for it on Russian
territory, RIA Novosti reported (see “RFE/RL Newsline,” March 8 and
10, 2006). He added that Moscow will then “adjust its position on
this issue.” The spokesman stressed that Russia still wants a
“peaceful and diplomatic settlement of the Iran nuclear issue.” The
following day, however, an unnamed “Russian diplomatic source” told
Interfax that unnamed “Iranian officials have informed Russian
diplomats that the Russian proposal on setting up a joint venture
remains in force. To put it bluntly, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has
made a statement, and [Tehran’s] Supreme National Security
Council has denied it.” (Patrick Moore)

MOSCOW’S NUCLEAR OFFER NO LONGER INTERESTS TEHRAN. Foreign
Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said on March 12 that Iran is no
longer considering Moscow’s offer to enrich uranium on Russian
soil for use in Iran, Fars News Agency reported. He explained that
circumstances have changed and Iran is waiting for the outcome of the
UN Security Council meeting on its program. An anonymous “Russian
source familiar with the negotiation process” said on March 12 that
Moscow’s proposal for the establishment of a joint Iran-Russia
uranium enrichment project is no longer feasible, ITAR-TASS reported.
Moscow has advised Tehran of this, according to the source. (Bill
Samii)

OFFICIALS HINT AT FUTURE NUCLEAR STANCE. Foreign Minister Manuchehr
Mottaki on March 12 refused to rule out further negotiations on the
nuclear issue, state television reported, though he did rule out the
possibility of limiting oil supplies in retaliation for being
referred by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the UN
Security Council. Mottaki said international concern over his
country’s desire to master the nuclear-fuel cycle relates to
efforts to control energy resources. Mottaki went on to say that Iran
would like to benefit from its 30-year membership in the
Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), but if that does not yield results
then Tehran must reassess its policies. Also on March 12, Foreign
Ministry spokesman Assefi said that the IAEA’s decision to report
Iran is a political one, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
reported. He said Iran is protecting its rights as defined by the
NPT, and he stressed the country’s independence. Assefi said Iran
would cease its “voluntary actions,” although he did not identify the
actions, if the Security Council seeks to pressure Iran. He
continued, “Iran is interested in extending a moratorium on uranium
enrichment if it comes out of negotiations. If the U.S. and European
states want to exert pressure on Iran, Iran would be forced to take
unilateral action.” (Bill Samii)

CLOSING OF IRANIAN STUDENTS ASSOCIATION ELICITS PROTEST. The Office
for Strengthening Unity (Daftar-i Tahkim-i Vahdat, DTV) student group
has requested a reversal of the government’s closure of the
Islamic students association at the medical sciences university in
Shahr-i Kurd. DTV official Mohammad Hashemi told Radio Farda on March
12 that the organization has known since the previous year that the
government is trying to get it to leave the campus. Hashemi said a
hostile tide has rolled in with the government of President Mahmud
Ahmadinejad, and student associations in Mazandaran, Luristan, and
Shahr-i Kurd have received notices that their charters are improper.
An inadequate amount of time has been provided to make the required
changes, he said. (Bill Samii)

INFLATION PREDICTION AND IRAN-U.S. TRADE FIGURES DISCUSSED. Zahedan
parliamentary representative Peyman Foruzesh, who also serves on the
legislature’s Economics Committee and the Trade Systems
Committee, predicts that there will be 20 percent inflation in the
coming year, “Farhang-i Ashti” reported on March 11. Foruzesh
explained that although the large hard-currency expenditures in
President Ahmadinejad’s budget were reduced to about $3 billion
and other anti-inflationary measures were implemented, too, there
will be problems nevertheless. He added that the current inflation
rate is 17 percent. Also on March 11, Fars News Agency cited figures
from the U.S. Data Center on Iran-U.S. trade. In January, there was
$25.4 million in bilateral trade, which is 20 percent more than the
same time last year. The U.S. exported $8.8 million worth of goods to
Iran and imported $16.6 million in Iranian goods. (Bill Samii)

HAVE TEHRAN AND MOSCOW RESUMED NUCLEAR TALKS? An anonymous Russian
source said on March 13 that Iranian-Russian talks on the nuclear
issue took place that day in Moscow, RIA Novosti reported. The source
said the Iranian side is represented by Ali Husseinitash, deputy
secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and added that
the talks will continue on March 14. But another unidentified source
told the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) that the talks will
resume on March 15-16, while yet another told ITAR-TASS on March 13
that Husseinitash may travel to Moscow the next day to discuss the
possibility of an Iran-Russia uranium-enrichment joint venture. Also
on 13 March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that
Moscow and Tehran will resume talks on the nuclear issue, Interfax
reported. Previously, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had announced that
nuclear negotiations with Moscow were at an end, but an anonymous
Russian Foreign Ministry source said Iran’s Supreme National
Security Council contradicted the country’s Foreign Ministry,
Interfax reported on March 13. In Tehran on March 13, Supreme
National Security Council spokesman Hussein Entezami said the Russian
proposal to enrich Iranian uranium on Russian soil should be
reconsidered, IRNA reported. (Bill Samii)

AHMADINEJAD DISCUSSES INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH. In a 13 March meeting
with Iran’s ambassadors and other diplomats, Mahmud Ahmadinejad
announced that Iran wants to expand its relations with all other
countries, state television and IRNA reported. There are two possible
exceptions to this rule, he said. The first exception is Israel, and
the second one is the United States, as long as the U.S. maintains a
hostile stance towards Iran. Ahmadinejad also stressed that Iran will
not reverse its pursuit of a peaceful nuclear capability. He said,
“Because only a few countries, unfairly and cruelly, order us to
forego the rights of the nation, we will not give in to what they
impose on us,” state television reported. Ahmadinejad continued: “We
know well that taking even one step back from one’s inalienable
rights can lead to total loss of the state territorial integrity in
some cases.” Ahmadinejad also addressed regional issues, saying,
“There will be no peace and tranquility in the region as long as the
Zionist regime continues to exist,” IRNA reported. (Bill Samii)

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER STILL CONCERNED ABOUT IRAN. Foreign Minister
Lavrov discussed the need for an unspecified “common strategy” on
Iran with his French counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy by telephone
on March 15, Interfax reported. Lavrov subsequently made an
apparently similar phone call regarding Iran and the Middle East to
his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, but no details have
been reported. The Moscow daily “Izvestiya” wrote that Russia’s
policy in the Middle East is aimed at establishing a special role for
itself in that region independent of the Western powers and as an
intermediary between them and the Muslim states, which has become “an
obsession.” The daily also noted Russia’s interest in selling
nuclear power plants to Iran and arms to several states in the
region. The paper warned that Russian policy will be shown as
“irrelevant” if it fails to produce results in its dealings with Iran
and Hamas. (Patrick Moore)

RUSSIA-IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS TAKE PLACE. Closed-door bilateral talks
between Iran and Russia took place in Moscow on March 14, ITAR-TASS
reported. Supreme National Security Council Deputy-Secretary Ali
Husseinitash represented the Iranian side and Security Council
Secretary Igor Ivanov represented Russia. The Russian Security
Council reaffirmed Moscow’s desire to settle the Iranian nuclear
crisis diplomatically and said the “consultations” will continue.
(Bill Samii)

BUDGET WINS APPROVAL. The Guardians Council on March 16 approved the
budget for the year starting on March 21, Fars News Agency reported.
The legislature had approved the budget earlier in the week, and all
legislative measures must win Guardians Council approval on
constitutional and Islamic grounds before becoming law. The council
began its examination of the budget on March 15, IRNA reported, and
Management and Planning Organization official Mohammad Kurdbacheh
predicted there would be disagreements over regulations affecting
contracts with foreign entities. Indeed, the council approval only
came after the legislature addressed 15 specific “issues of concern”
and clarified five “ambiguities.”
Iran’s parliament approved on March 14 the budget for the
year beginning on March 21, IRNA reported. President Mahmud
Ahmadinejad submitted the budget in mid-January, and the legislature
approved its general outline in early-March. Out of 226 votes, 155
were in favor of the budget and 35 were against it.
The legislature approved on March 13 a 12.5 billion rial
($1.73 million) budgetary allocation for U.S. plots against Iran,
IRNA reported. This money also will be used for pursuing Iranian
cases in international courts.
The legislature has approved the money that was budgeted for
the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, state television reported on
March 12. The actual amount of money was not disclosed. The
legislature also authorized the establishment of firms connected with
the production of nuclear energy and nuclear fuel, state television
reported, and instructed the executive branch to commence surveys and
feasibility studies on locations for future nuclear plants for
electricity production.
Two legislators — Mamasani’s Ali Ahmadi and
Nishabur’s Gholam Hussein Mozaffari — submitted their
resignations as protests against the budget, the Iranian Labor News
Agency (ILNA) reported on March 14. Mozaffari explained, “I am
protesting because during the debate yesterday evening the parliament
approved the allocation of some budget to unspecified projects from
dubious revenue sources.” He continued: “And it is not clear how the
government is hoping to realize such revenues and how to spend it. I
therefore prefer to resign in protest.” Previously, legislators
objected to excessive reliance on oil revenues for funding the
budget. (Bill Samii)

IRAN SEEKS TO INCREASE OIL PRODUCTION. Hojjatullah Ghanimifard,
executive director of international affairs at the National Iranian
Oil Company (NIOC), said in a March 15 interview with Reuters that
the current controversy over the Iranian nuclear program will not
have an impact on the country’s oil exports.
Iranian officials previously threatened to use the oil weapon
— Interior Minister Mustafa Purmohammadi had said, “If [Security
Council members] politicize our nuclear case, we will use any means.
We are rich in energy resources. We have control over the biggest and
the most sensitive energy route of the world,” the London “Times”
reported on March 13; and Supreme National Security Council official
Javad Vaidi had said, “We will not do so now, but if the situation
changes we will have to review our oil policies,” “The Los Angeles
Times” reported on March 9.
Ghanimifard, however, said, “We will not harm end-users of
our crude oil by cutting exports.”
Petroleum Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh said during a March
14 visit to the southwestern city of Ahvaz that Iran intends to
produce more oil, and it intends to introduce up-to-date methods to
extract more oil from its wells, Ahvaz television reported.
“Currently, we are producing just over 4 million barrels per day,” he
said. “We are planning to increase production to over 5 million
barrels per day by the end of the Fourth Development Plan [2010].” He
also said the ministry is prioritizing the recovery of oil through
gas injection and more modern means, and it also wants to modernize
installations and pipelines. Turning to the possibility of Iran
facing international sanctions as a result of being referred to the
UN Security Council over the nuclear issue, Vaziri-Hamaneh said Iran
would revise its international oil contracts, IRNA reported. (Bill
Samii)

AHMADINEJAD DISCUSSES FOREIGN CLAIMS AGAINST NUCLEAR PROGRAM…
Ahmadinejad said during a March 14 speech in the northwestern city of
Gorgan that “several powers” are using “bullying and harassment” in
an effort to block Iran’s progress, state television reported.
This explains the opposition to Iranian nuclear efforts, Ahmadinejad
said. He went on to accuse these foreign powers of “brainwashing the
nations of the world with their cowardly propaganda,” but the
expenditure of billions of dollars on “evil propaganda” has not
worked, he said. He added that the foreign powers are insinuating
that the nuclear program is not beneficial to the Iranian people and
is a waste of time and money. (Bill Samii)

…AND POSSIBLE INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS. Ahmadinejad went on to say
during his March 14 speech in Gorgan that the Iranian people had a
revolution “in order to be free from having to listen to you…to
stand on our own feet…[and so] the Iran government would take
orders from the dear Iranian nation.” Ahmadinejad said he is not
bothered by the possibility that Iranian officials’ ability to
travel internationally would be curtailed by international sanctions.
“I would like to tell them that basically, we are not at all
interested in seeing your faces!” (Bill Samii)

UN SECURITY COUNCIL UNDECIDED ON IRAN. The UN Security Council is
scheduled to resume discussion of a joint statement on the Iranian
nuclear program on March 16, Radio Farda reported, after the
council’s 15 members met informally in New York on March 14 to
discuss the subject. Washington, London, and Paris are hoping for a
presidential statement from the Security Council that calls on Iran
to halt its uranium-enrichment activities and to cooperate with
international nuclear inspectors, but Moscow and Peking are resisting
this. Peking believes the draft presidential statement leaves
“insufficient room for diplomacy” and would like to see the
International Atomic Energy Agency handle the issue, “The Financial
Times” reported on March 15. If the Security Council does not take
what Washington sees as a sufficiently decisive approach on this
matter, then unnamed “U.S. officials” are suggesting the creation of
a “coalition of the willing” that will impose sanctions on Iran, “The
Wall Street Journal” reported on 15 March. (Bill Samii)

OFFICIAL SURVEY FINDS BROAD SUPPORT FOR GOVERNMENT’S NUCLEAR
STANCE. Of the 15,679 Iranians surveyed by the Tebyan Institute, Fars
News Agency reported on March 15, 76.8 percent back the regime’s
current nuclear stance. Only 3.2 percent of those surveyed
recommended complying with International Atomic Energy Agency
requests for greater cooperation and the suspension of uranium
enrichment activities. Some 53.1 percent foresaw a diplomatic
solution to the crisis, while 21.9 percent saw this as only remotely
possible. About 74 percent expected the imposition of sanctions
against Iran. Broken down further, 71 percent expected only political
and diplomatic sanctions, 22 percent expected economic sanctions, and
7 percent said military action is possible. The Tebyan Institute is
connected with the official Islamic Publicity Organization, which may
explain why the findings of its survey back the government position.
(Bill Samii)

TEHRAN ACCUSES LONDON OF USING ‘GOBBLEDYGOOK.’ At his weekly
press conference on March 15, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza
Assefi criticized a recent speech by British Foreign Secretary Jack
Straw, Iranian state television reported. Straw had spoken about the
need to increase the flow of information to Iran in a March 13 speech
at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, “The
Daily Telegraph” reported the next day. He also said, according to
AP, “If the Iranian regime chooses not to heed the concerns of the
international community, it’s going to damage the interests of
the Iranian people.” Assefi said the speech is “a load of
gobbledygook,” and he added that he is certain Straw’s “brains
have seized up and they have ended up blabbering nonsense.” Assefi
predicted more nonsense and said the world is full of “gibberish and
claptrap.” Asked if the Foreign Ministry would summon the British
ambassador, Assefi retorted, “When they are talking nonsense,
there’s no point in summoning anyone.” (Bill Samii)

IRAN IS FOCUS OF U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY. A strategy document
released by the White House on March 16 said the Iranian people
endure tyranny, which it identified as “the combination of brutality,
poverty, instability, corruption, and suffering, forged under the
rule of despots and despotic systems” ().
The document continues, “We may face no greater challenge from a
single country than from Iran.” The document discusses the
regime’s lack of cooperation with international nuclear
inspectors and its lack of transparency, as well as the “aggressive”
anti-Israel statements of its president. The strategy document says
the U.S. will continue to emphasize diplomacy in trying to resolve
the nuclear issue. There are other areas of concern: “The Iranian
regime sponsors terrorism; threatens Israel; seeks to thwart Middle
East peace; disrupts democracy in Iraq; and denies the aspirations of
its people for freedom.” U.S. policy’s “ultimate goal” is to have
Tehran make “the strategic decision to change these policies, open up
its political system, and afford freedom to its people.” The strategy
makes a distinction between the Iranian regime and the country’s
people and emphasizes its desire to expand “our engagement and
outreach to the people the regime is oppressing.” (Bill Samii)

WANTED BALUCHI LEADER REPORTEDLY FLEES TO IRAN. Nawab Muhammad Akbar
Khan Bugti, a prominent Baluchi leader in Pakistan who is wanted for
his alleged sponsorship of attacks against government forces and gas
and rail facilities, has fled to Iran, Asiantribune.com reported on
March 17. He reportedly headed for Zahedan in Sistan va Baluchistan
Province. Amanullah Qamberani, spokesman for the Jamhoori Watan Party
that Bugti heads, denied that Bugti has left the country and
described this as wishful thinking on the part of his enemies and the
government’s handiwork. Senator Shahid Bugti said Nawab Bugti is
in Dera Bugti. Raziq Bugti, adviser to the chief minister of
Baluchistan, also said Nawab Bugti is in Dera Bugti. (Bill Samii)

IRAN-PAKISTAN-INDIA PIPELINE TALKS TO CONTINUE. Representatives from
India, Pakistan, and Iran ended talks in Tehran on March 16 on a
natural-gas pipeline connecting the three countries, Associated Press
of Pakistan news agency reported. The next round will take place in
Islamabad on April 30. Among the topics that await resolution is the
gas price set by Tehran. Discussions on building the pipeline began
in the mid-1990s. (Bill Samii)

IRAN REACHS OUT TO U.S. ON IRAQ. Supreme National Security Council
Secretary Ali Larijani told reporters in Tehran on 16 March that Iran
is willing to hold talks with the U.S. on Iraq, Radio Farda reported.
He went on to say that Tehran is very skeptical about
Washington’s previously stated desire to hold such talks, and he
portrayed the issue in terms of Washington’s perceived inability
to resolve Iraqi affairs. “The Americans have made this demand [for
talks] for some time,” he said. “The U.S. ambassador [to Iraq] has
also announced several times that they would like to [hold talks]
since they cannot solve the problems there and need to have
discussions with Iran. But, we don’t trust these U.S. words.”
Larijani said Iran will act so it can help the Iraqi government. “We
will [appoint] some people to hold these discussions on Iraq so that
they can help put Iraq’s future government in a better position
to deal with problems,” he said.
Larijani said Tehran’s decision is based on a request
from the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq’s Abd
al-Aziz al-Hakim, who heads the United Iraqi Alliance. Al-Hakim
called for the dialogue between Iran and the United States in a March
15 speech in Baghdad’s Shi’ite-populated Al-Sadr City
district, KUNA reported on March 16. Al-Hakim said neighboring
countries help Iraq by controlling their borders and exchanging
information with the Iraqi government on terrorists.
Supporters of Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr criticized
the proposal, calling al-Hakim’s statements “inappropriate,”
Al-Jazeera television reported on March 16. Al-Sadr representative
Abd al-Hadi al-Darraji told the satellite news channel: “Such
statements [by al-Hakim] might give a clear indication that there is
real Iranian interference in Iraq, or that Iran might interfere in
Iraq in the future. While respecting our neighbor Iran…we reject
any interference in Iraqi affairs by neighboring countries.” He
contended that al-Hakim’s statements either reflect current
Iranian interference in Iraq or a desire on the part of Iran to
interfere in Iraq in the future. “The fate of the political process
[in Iraq] should only be determined by the Iraqi people, not by an
Arab or Islamic country,” al-Darraji added. (Bill Samii, Kathleen
Ridolfo)

******************************* **************************
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.

The “RFE/RL Iran Report” is a weekly prepared by A. William Samii on
the basis of materials from RFE/RL broadcast services, RFE/RL
Newsline, and other news services. It is distributed every Monday.

Direct comments to A. William Samii at samiia@rferl.org.
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