Khatami Assures Islamists on Reforms

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said the social and political reforms he started will not come at the expense of Islam, and it doesn’t matter “what others say or want.” The reforms are “part of the essence” of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that installed the clergy’s rule in Iran, he said. Khatami’s remarks to Foreign Ministry officials came as his allies took control of parliament after the final count in the Feb. 18 elections was announced. The comments appeared to be an attempt to strike a conciliatory tone toward the hard-liners who, though ousted from control of parliament for the first time since 1979, still wield power. The hard-liners control the judiciary as well as key institutions that can override the legislature.