Teheran hit, toll rises

Press, 2 April 1985, Page 10

Teheran hit, toll rises

NZPA-AFP Teheran Iraqi planes attacked two residential areas of Teheran, killing or wounding at least 58 people yesterday, the national news agency, I.R.N.A. said. It was one of the highest casualty tolls since Iraq began raiding Teheran on March 12. I.R.N.A. said many houses were destroyed or damaged. Six hours earlier Iraqi warplanes were repelled over Teheran by antiaircraft fire, it said. Iraqi military authorities in Bagdad said the raid was in retaliation for Iranian attacks on the southern Iraqi city of Basra and the northern towns of Khormal, Halabja and Saiyad Saidq. Iraq said its warplanes raided five Iranian towns and a military base. Iran said it fired two missiles at Bagdad. The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Javier Perez de Cuellar, in Saudi Arabia on the first leg of a four-nation Gulf tour to discuss ways of ending the

war, yesterday had talks with the kingdom’s Foreign Minister, Prince Saud alFaisal. United Nations sources in Riyadh said Mr Perez de Cuellar wanted to discuss all aspects of the war with Iranian officials. The United Nations chief last June persuaded Iran and Iraq to agree to stop attacking civilian centres, an agreement which broke down early last month amid escalating air, missile and artillery attacks on towns on both sides of the border. Iran says it will observe the agreement if Iraq does the same. But Iran also wants an end to Iraqi attacks on ships serving its Kharg Island oil terminal and other Gulf ports and the lifting of Bagdad’s declaration of Iranian airspace as a war zone. I.R.N.A. said President Ali Khamenei reiterated the demands to an Indian peace mission which left Teheran yesterday.