Iran paralysed as people unite to force Shah out

Press, 30 December 1978, Page 8

Iran paralysed as people unite to force Shah out

NZPA-Reuter Teheran The once mighty Iranian economy was at a standstill yesterday as the vast majority of the people joined an economic war aimed at overthrowing the Shah.

Normal business life in Teheran ceased, but informed diplomats said it was the virtually total strike by 1 oil workers in southern Iran | which had left the Shah with little choice but to make some sort of political move. The economic blockade seemed tc pose a greater challenge to the Shah’s 37year rule than the mass, bloody street riots which hav rocked big cities for several months. At least 40 deaths were reported on Thursday in continuing anti-Shah protests, but for the first time the bloodshed went almost unnoticed as anti-Shah Iranians sensed the effectiveness of the economic! weapon. Strikers and demonstrators in the streets of Tehe-, ran said it was irrelevant

that an elderly politician. Dr Gholam-Hossein Sadiqi, was reported close to forming a civilian Cabinet to replace the military-led Government. “Iranians have become used to the fact that govern ments mean nothing,” one student protester told re-: porters. “In Iran, there is the Army, the people, and a certain man. If he doesn’t , go. all hell will break loose.” i As Iranians awaited the 1 ■ Shah’s response to the economic challenge, bursts of, ; gunfire and chanting were i heard in Tehermi last night after the 9 p.m. curfew. Workers in the capital had earlier co-opercted for the first time in a full general: strike. All but a few essen- : tial businesses — butchers, chemists and bakers — were; closed and strikes by transport, postal, and airline workers paralysed the city.

Tension rose throughout Iran yesterday after the exiled Muslim leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeiny, the Snah’s main religious opponent, called for a day of national mourning in the coun- * try today. The Ayatollah (priest), seen as a symbol of the opposition to the Shah, said the mourning would mark • th first anniversary of the ’ start of the Iranian troubles. But official sources said ’, the violence had. in fact, 'erupted in January. They accused the Ayatollah of trying ) to stir emotions against the backdrop of the economic ijcrisL. Abdullah Entezam. head of ■ithe National Iranian Oil Company, said the country — normally the world’s sec- . ond-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia — would run

:;out of oil within a week: ! unless the strike ended. i! In Teheran, seemingly; !,endless queues of cars waited) ■) for petrol and people lined -up for kerosene to heat their! ■!homes. In some cases they) had to wait five hours. , General Gholamali Oveisi,) -!Teheran’s chief martial-law! I)administrator, said bakeries) :) had reported that bread supJ plies would be suspended soon because of lack of fuel. 1 The Energy Ministry said , two power stations in the - Teheran suburbs had already ’ closed because of the fuel > shortage. The “New York Times”) reported that speculation on! f the Shah’s psychology cen-l 1; tered around the idea that 1 7 1he thought if the population! ;was given a deep draught of) ’ chaos it might realise he r !was the only source of order) t in Iran.

Political efforts to end the) ! crisis seem stalled. The Is-, lamic activists, the National 1 ! Front, and a group called the Union for Liberty, which! ’includes members of the) I present Parliament, all are ! : demanding the Shah’s depar-) ture. 1 Most informed Iranians; iappear to expect that the) Shah is likely to be replaced; by military men, either the) present senior generals or! younger officers. A diplomat said, however,! that the Shah had muddled; through in other difficult) situations, and an end to the; )Shah could not be predicted) i with any certainty. I In Jerusalem, Israeli offi-j Jcials have said the country) )is in no danger of running) ’out of oil despite the crisis) iin Iran, which usually sup- 1 ; plies about 70 per cent of) I Israel’s oil requirements.