Mayor resigns over 'infiltration’

Press, 27 December 1980, Page 6

Mayor resigns over 'infiltration’

Belgrade ‘llTre Mayor of Teheran (Mr Mohammed Aii Zavasoli) has resigned, .charging 'that proSoviet Iranian ' Cbmniunists Have infiltrated the Govern* mjent, including the news media, the/ Yugoslav news agency, Tanjug.has reported from the.lranian capital. . Taniug said that Mr Tavasoli submitted his resignation and made the charge Mi a meeting with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeihy. The Iranian ’ travolutiohary - leader accepted this' unexpected move, Tanjug said. Accor4ing. to. Tan jug, Mr Tavasoli charged that Marxists;/# j , and members ofz the prc-Soviet Communist Party, Tudeh, had infiltrated &„• important Government organisations, including the news media. Sj Since, the United States Embassy-Jn.'Teneran was seized oh /'November 4. last year■■ ■ s e vertl ‘ Iranian news-

papers have sporadically written of dangers coming from the Iranian. Communist Party, Tanjug said. The news agency quoted Mr Tavasoli; as saying that Iranian television, which is under the control of the hard-line, clergy-dominated Islamic Republican Patty, was guilty of provoking connot" elaborate, but <aid Iran’s Supreme Defence Council had recently decided that'.the State radio and television -would not be able to publish any information about Iran’s' 95-day-old war with Iraq, including Iranian defence communiques. ; In resigning,, Mr _TayaSoll complained that Teheran’S population in Wo years had reached-7 million and that because; of the economic and social problems, life in the capital had become Very 'difficult, especially for citizens with fixed incomes.