Evening star., 1946-03-16
Iran 5 War Minister
Denies Threatening
Eastman Defense
BY The Asseeiossd Pres,

by the Assoeiotsd Press
TEHERAN, Mar. 16.- Gen.
Ahmed sepehbod Amir Ahmedi,
minister Of war, told newsmen
today he denied categorically"
all statements accredited to him
by foreign newsmen after a
press conference March 13 in
which he was reported to have
said the Iranian Army would de-
fend the capital "t the last
man" if Russian troops move to-:
ward Teheran.
Ahmedi and Prince Firouz, polit-
ical undersecretary of state and di-
rector of propaganda, who met
jointly with newsmen to make the
omcial denial, charged that the Min
ister's actual responses had been
completely misinterpreted" by a
war department interpreter, who
sat in at the March I3 press con-
ference.
Firouz added that foreign radio
reports that Teheran residents fear
Russian invasion "are completely
false" He handed out a COPY Of a
paper headed War Ministers De-
nial," which he asked newsmen to
to correct false impress
sions created abroad"
Text of Denial.
The text of the paper:
THE London radio in its daily
program Friday, March Is, claims
that have been responsible for the
following statement:
First, that the new arrival of
the Soviet Army in Iran would be
taken to the Security Council.
Second, that every night new
Soviet forces arrive in Karaj and If
Soviet troops attack Teheran the
1ranian Army would fight them to
the very last man
L desire to make known that no
such statement has been made by
me and request that necessary Of
flcial denial be made by the propa-
ganda department"
Advance units of a Russian COL
umn moving south around Lake
Urmia near the borders OF Turkey
and 1raq, were reported earlier to
be go miles southeast Of Saujbulagh.
seat OF the semiautonomous sheik-
dom Of Kurdish Chief Ghazi Mo-
hammed.
The reported movement of Red
Army troops last night into Bukan,
just north Of Kurdistan Province
and so miles southeast of Saujbu-
lagh, apparently tended to support
q prevalent theory among Iranian
and foreign government officials
that Russia favors an independent
kurdiStan for the Kurds of Iran
1raq and Turkey.
(The London Daily Express re-
ported from Cairo Thursday that
Kurdish tribes In Northeastern
Iran had proclaimed an autono-
nous republic. There was no
confirmation from ofIicial sources,
however,
The semiautonomous government
In the tribal area around Saul
bulagh has been conducted BY Ghazi
Mohammed since 194l, when Allied
forces moved into Iran,
1ranian newspapers said he pro-
claimed the independence Of all
Kurdistan" on his return from
conference in Baku last November.
following the rebellion In Azerbaijan
Province which cut that province OIL
from the rest Of Iran.
Observers here, however. believe
Ghad Mohammed's influence is re-
stricted to a small area, and MANY
Kurdish family groups have de-
clared their continued loyalty to
the central government.
Karaj Garrison Reinforced.
There were no further reports
from two Russian columns which
left Tabriz several days ago, One
moved into Mianeh, midway be-
tween Lake Urmia and the Caspian
Sea, while the other was last re-
ported swinging west toward Khoi.
north OF Lake Urmia, toward the
Turkish boundary.
British correspondents returning
from Karaj. 20 miles northwest of
here, quoted residents as saying the
Russian garrisons there had re-
ceived four train loads of supplies
and reinforcements in eight days.
Residents Of Teheran watched the
developments the north anxious
ly and every southbound train was
filed to capacity.
The newspaper Neryar Melli said
today that Gholam Yahya, Deputy
Minister Of War in the self-pro-
autonomous government of
Russian-occupied Iranian Azerbai-
jan Province, died ut Tabriz Of gun
shot wounds received during a DO
litical argument at zenjan." Zen
jan is midway between Tabriz and
r vVy{,,