Evening star., 1952-08-10
The Outlook in Iran

Although Premier Mossadegh has once again
offered to negotiate with the British in effort
to end the Anglo-Iranian oil dispute, the outlook
for settlement is anything but bright. This is
SO not only because his note on the subject is
couched in language rejecting an uncompromis-
ing spirit but also because the forces now in
control at Teheran are following the lead of some
of the country's most notorious extremiSts-men
who have distinguished themselves chiefly for
unreaSoning nationaliSm, fanatical reckleSSnesS,
undisguised terrorism and marked talent for
melting the mob against law and order.
grimly significant example of the ascendancy
of these dangerous zealots is the fact that Trans
Chamber of Deputies has just elected as its
president Ayatollah Kashani. This man. whose
new Office makes him practically as powerful
politically as Dr. Mossadegh, is an Islamic mullah
which means he is supposed to be a learned
teacher of Moslem doctrine A hot-eyed religious
fanatic he is celebrated-if that is the right
word-for his phobia against all foreigners,
especially the British and, to somewhat lesser
extent perhaps, us Americans. Lately, although
he has no love for Soviet Russia he has entered
upon kind of wedding of convenience with the
Communist Tudeh Party, and he has demon
strated in numerous other ways his unique
unfitness for a place of responsibility in his
country's government.
An even grimmer example of the type OF
C0lnkluR ana l6dOcTSI1p prevailing III 4CACAdA
today is the shocking legislative blessing that
has been bestowed on the brutal assassination
which took place in March, l951-of Premier Ali
Razmara, Dr. Mossadeghs immediate predecessor.
General Razmara who in life was regarded as
something of hero by the Iranian people, was
accorded the highest state honors at the time
of his burial and his grieving family received a
special pension from the government because he
had sacrificed his life in the line of duty" and
rendered distinguished service to his country.
But now, scarcely year later, the Chamber OF
Deputies at Teheran, besides cancelllng his
survivors benefits. has branded him traitor and
granted full and unconditional pardon to his
murderer, member of the terrorist organization
called Fedayan Islam-a seemingly psychopathic
band of religious killers whose hackers include
intimate associates of Mr. Kashani, the Chambers
new president.
In effect, the Iranian Chamber-which
corresponds to our House of Representatives-has
thus exalted the crime of assassination and struck
a formal blow against the normal processes of
constitutional law and established authority. In
other words it has made morally respectable and
legally iustifable one of the most heinous offenses
against properly constituted government in an
ordered society," Few if any. national legislatures
in modern history have ever come even close to
doing such thing. For the action is tantamount
to indorsing terrorist murders as an instrument
of domestic political policy, and in that sense it
plainly tends to encourage the kind of violence
on which anarchy feeds and fattens. Certainly,
nothing could be more appealing to unbalanced,
semihysterical or extremist minds with bent
for homicidal partisanship
Given such situation, it seems naive to
take an optimistic view of DR.. Mossadegh's latest
bid for negotiations with Britain. Actually,
although his own intentions may be good-even
halle avohlu rruddlod-Tran,S we
and fainting Premier may no longer be a free
agent, but merely collapsing leader trapped in
the wise of the somewhat irrational Kashani
crowd on one side and the Kremlin- serving Tudeh
Party on the other. Although he now has
dictatorial powers, there is nothing in his record
to suggest that he has the competence to use
them well. In the circumstances, considering
the magnitude OF his mismanagement thus far,
q miracle of sorts may be needed to save his
country from an eventual Communist COUP The
outlook could hardly be bleaker.