Opposition’s Open Letter Brings Many Iran Arrests

An open letter by an Iranian opposition politician that criticizes the policies of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini has led to numerous arrests in Iran, according to reports reaching Paris.

It was not immediately known whether Mehdi Bazargan, author of the letter and head of the tiny Freedom Movement, Iran’s only legal opposition group, was among those in jail.

In the letter, Bazargan accused Khomeini of following an “erroneous policy” in the war with Iraq, isolating Iran and making it a symbol of hate around the world. Excerpts from the letter were printed in today’s edition of Le Monde newspaper.

An Iranian exile source in Paris, who obtained a copy of the letter, said it was 33 pages long and distributed in numerous Iranian cities about 10 days ago.

Several Major Defeats

Another, shorter letter by a group sympathizing with Bazargan also was distributed in Iran, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The letters and the subsequent arrests came on the heels of several major Iranian defeats in its war with Iraq. In mid-April, Iraq recaptured the Faw Peninsula from Iran. In late May, Iran lost its bridgehead in the southern Iraqi port city of Basra after an Iraqi assault.

Bazargan also denounced aid allegedly furnished by Iran to terrorist groups such as the Islamic Jihad, which claims to be holding Western hostages in Lebanon.

“In truth, for seven years Iran and Islam have become synonymous in the world with hate and malice,” Le Monde quoted the letter as saying. “It is a shame and not an honor.

“When are you going to stop making commerce with the blood of our martyrs?”

Stepped Down in 1979

Bazargan, an opposition politician under former Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was appointed prime minister shortly after Khomeini’s return from exile. He stepped down in mid-November 1979, objecting to Khomeini’s support for the detention of American hostages. Bazargan also served in the nation’s parliament.

Le Monde said it appeared that several dozen people were arrested in Tehran, the Iranian capital, and provincial cities such as Tabriz, in Azerbaijan province, and Isfahan, south of the capital.

Among those arrested, Le Monde said, were Ali Ardalan, former finance minister, and Husseini Shah Hussein, who was president of the welcoming committee when the exiled Khomeini returned to Iran in 1980.

Police forces this week occupied the Tehran headquarters of the Freedom Movement, making more arrests, according to Le Monde, which did not give sources for the report. It said they were apparently searching for Bazargan but did not say whether he was among those arrested.