Iran Executes Official Who Let Word Leak of U.S. Arms Deals

A firing squad in a Tehran prison Monday at dawn executed the clergyman responsible for revealing a secret trip to Tehran by former U.S. national security adviser Robert C. McFarlane and U.S. arms sales to Iran.

Mehdi Hashemi, the former right-hand man of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s chosen successor, died a victim of the power struggle in Iran’s divided hierarchy. His execution, for treason, indicates that “pragmatist” leaders who want to end Iran’s isolation have gained the upper hand.

Tehran Radio, monitored in Nicosia, reported in a terse announcement that Hashemi was shot at 6 a.m.

Until his arrest last October on the orders of Iran’s powerful Parliament Speaker, Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hashemi was the chief lieutenant of Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, 55.

Montazeri is Rafsanjani’s political rival. Khomeini, Iran’s leader and revolutionary patriarch, chose Montazeri as his successor two years ago.

Hashemi’s associates leaked word that Rafsanjani was dealing secretly with the United States to trade weapons for hostages held by Iranian-backed Shia Muslim extremists in Lebanon. The disclosure acutely embarrassed Rafsanjani.

Hashemi also led the Department for the Support of Islamic Liberation Movements, which directs Shia militants in Lebanon and in Persian Gulf Arab countries. He was believed to be involved in the kidnaping of foreigners held hostage in Lebanon.

Hashemi, a low-ranking clergyman, was sentenced by an Islamic religious court after a three-day trial in August. He had appeared on state-run Iran Television and confessed to charges including murder, kidnaping, amassing weapons and plotting to overthrow the government.

His execution, despite Montazeri’s intercession with Khomeini, was seen as boosting the standing of Rafsanjani.