The World : New Mobilization in Iran

Iran has opened a new mobilization drive in its war with Iraq, asking volunteers to stay longer at the front and extending by two months the two-year military service for conscripts, Parliament Speaker Hashemi Rafsanjani said. Rafsanjani told the Islamic Republic newspaper that the steps are in response to Iraq’s new strategy of cross-border attacks. Rafsanjani, spokesman for the council monitoring the war effort, said the volunteers have been asked to extend their three-month tour at the front one month.