IRAN: SOVIET SENSITIVITY ABOUT WESTERN CRITICISM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81B00401R000500160004-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 30, 2001
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: September 12, 1980
• Content Type: MEMO

CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2002/06/13 : CIA-RDP81 B00401 R000500160004-9
12 September 1980
MEMORANDUM
IRAN: SOVIET SENSITIVITY ABOUT WESTERN CRITICISM
The Soviets appear to have shown unusual sensitivity to
a brief report published in the London Sunday Times on 31
August accusing Moscow of stepping up its subversive activi-
ties in northwestern Iran. The newspaper report alleged
that the Soviets have infiltrated more than 7,000 Soviet
Farsi-speaking Tadzhiks into Iranian Azarbayjan where they
are "having considerable success indoctrinating the Iranians
in the virtues of Communism."
Moscow denied this report, which may have been picked
up in the Tehran press, in a broadcast in Persian into Iran
and more recently in the Soviet Army newspaper. The Soviets
asserted in the newspaper that such action would be impractical
because. Soviet Tadzhikistan does not border Iranian Azarbayjan
and Tajik is not spoken in Iran. The newspaper characterized
the Sunday Times story as "a clear political provocation"
designed to distract attention from Western machinations
against the Khomeini regime.
Moscow's sensitivity to Western criticism may be due to
the current downturn in Soviet-Iranian relations. The
Soviets may believe that these charges of subversion have,
in part, contributed to their recent difficulties with
Tehran.
We have seen no comments by Iranian officials concerning
the allegations. The Soviets' vigorous denials of inter-
ference in Iran, however, give the reports further publicity
which may heighten Iranian suspicions of the Soviets in-
tentions toward Iran.
All portions of this paper
are CONFIDENTIAL
This memorandum was prepared by I I of the South- 25X1A
west Asia Analytic Center, Near East ou ivision, Office
of Political Analysis. Comments or queries may be addressed to
Deputy Chief, Southwest Asia Analytic Center on 25X1A
PA M 80-10400
BERIVATtVECLBY 147800
ODECLg1REVWON 12 S p1- 1990
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CONFIDENTIAL
 Approved For Release 2002/06/13: CIA-RDP81 B00407 O&S0MD0d44'0 ,
London Sundazr Times
,rbssident opposition._
between rulers
sd broken down -
Ase had to be put in
"Since-the war,
deer Stalinist ter-
The mobsation of
-lz was gradually
~ronsumerism. But
st with -
t
r
au
oc
acy
,
simply- didn't work.
t.x fully, .-Poland is.
_ -a"'oo'tls a new kind of
tom.,""ff~ that. could be
_' go wrong. But it
?I4&: keen heated, so far
Libya feud.
over oil' rig
by Ivor Tilney, Valletta
MALTA'S nine-year-, friendly
relationship -with Libya broke
apart last week, and an oil-rig
in an area of the Mediterranean
disputed by the two countries
was the centre of the drama. A
Libyan submarine commander
threatened force against the rig,
the Italian-owned Saipem II,
which is drilling for the Maltese,
and Italy ordered its navy. to
;, t. -
protect 'it;
The rig is at Medina bank, 68
miles-south-east of Malta. The
Maltese, say this is 15 miles on
their side of the median line
governing prospecting rights, but
the Libyians claim the - line
should be further north.
The Maltese prime minister,
Dom Mintoff, angrily expelled
all . Libyan military personnel
and accused Libya of being a
danger to peace in the Mediter-
ranean. "My government," he
said, " will - never surrender its
rights to someone who is better
armed and acting as a bully."
Mintoff followed up this state-
ment 'by removing diplomatic
immunity from all but four of
the .19 officials 'at -the Libyan
.'Popular. Office, -formerly.-known
as the embassy.
` Mintoff's government,- 'how
ever, is. now in a delicate posi-
tion, aggravated - by domestic
problems and the prospect' of.
elections next year. Observers
consider that if relations -with'
Libya became still worse, that
would seriously harm M intoff s
self-appointed role' . of __ peace-
maker in the Mediterranean as
well as leaving neutral. Malta
defenceless now that all agree-
ments with Libya -have been
scrapped.
. Most Maltese 'have disliked
the Libyan - influence and feel
the present conflict could- im-
prove:,-the prospects :of .:.Malta
re-entering .the European fold.
Mintoff had long talks last week
with the Italian deputy foreign
minister, Giuseppe Zamberletti,
reportedly covering economic
aid and defence. Italy; West:Ger-
many and France have also
offered to help Malta with its
acute water shortage:- ---- -
Even the Soviet Union is cash-
ing in on the Mintoff-Gadaffi
split-up. A Russian diplomat,
Vladimir Suslov, has just
rounded. off a five-day visit.
restricted right of entry for any
one claiming a close connection
with the island - including
people, born there, those who
had been naturalised or re?
gistered there as a citizen of the
UK and colonies and people who
had at any time married persons
qualified for British dependent
territory- -citizenship. " These
proposals are unfair," said Swan,
who will lead a delegation to
London if they are not changed.
Peace prize row
Soviet war of
words in Iran.--
IT WILL. NOT be long now, say
well-informed Iranian exiles, be-
fore Ayatollah Khomeini's - re-
gime starts to feel the impact
of Soviet subversion attempts of
the last few months. Moscow has
sent more than 7 000 Tad-i
from Soviet adii istan across
t r er into tzar a' aann in
north-west Iran. The 'Fad'e tks are
fluent in Farrssi and are having
considerable success indoctrinat.
ing the Iranians of Tabriz and
even parts of-Mazandaran, north
of Teheran, in the virtues of
communism. At clandestine
schools. they promise to reopen
cinemas and abolish - enforced
wearing of the veil by women:
For many Iranians already stifled
by the rule of the mullahs, it is
A MORE or less happy eightieth
birthday approaches this week
for Finland's President Kekko-
nen, Europe's oldest political
leader, who consolidated
Finland's unique brand of
neutrality which includes good
relations with 'the Soviet Union.
But the Finns and the Russians
cannot agree whether this ought
Boycott bonus
INDIAN officials are pointing to
the likelihood of great benefits
from the western boycott of
Iran.
Iran has asked Indian com-
panies to take up projects left
unfinished by . departed
foreigners. The first is a 60,000
tonne steel. alloy plant which
was to have -been built, by a
French company. Iran is also
beginning to recycle some of its..
-oil- .revenues - through' -Indian.
Wall-of death
THE new - trend in - border
security along the Berlin Wall
is- to replace minefields, with
automatic shooting devices.
There are now 42,000' of these
lethal gadgets along a stretch of
250 miles, while mined areas
have been reduced from 370 to
175 miles. The East Germans'
action breaks the 1970 Hague
Convention which prohibits
weapons that cause "unneces-
sary suffering -and irreparable
wounds" (the- devices use dum-
dum bullets).
Immigration fear
BERMUDA, 'Britain's tiny
Atlantic colony, is in a lather
over the UK government's three-
tier citizenship proposal on the
ground that the island could be
swamped with new immigrants.
John Swan, Bermuda's home
affairs minister, complains the
proposal would provide un-,
him the Lenin Peace Prize.
According to the president's
office, a visiting Soviet delega-
tion "will not be bestowing the
prize," but a Soviet source says:
" Our people intend handing
over the award.". The Finns are
embarrassed- because two pre-
Kekkonen : embarrassed
vious Finnish winners of-.the
Lenin prize were both arch-
Stalinists from whom Kekkonen
would prefer politely to distance
himself..
Crying. wolf
SOMALIA is causing headaches
for the US State Department.
The department was horrified
last week by Somalia's allega=tion that strong Ethiopian foices
had invaded the country's north-
west - just a few days after-the
Americans agreed to take over
the former Soviet naval base at
Berbera in exchange for arms
worth 45 million dollars. But
there was no invasion - only a
Somali ploy to get the Ameri-
cans to speed up the arms flow
 Approved For Release 2002/06/13 : CIA-RDP81B00401 R000500160004-9
SUBJECT: Iran: Soviet Sensitivity About Western Criticism
Distribution:
1,- DCI
1 - DDCI
NIO/NESA
D/OPA
C/IAD/CAS
C/DDO/NE
PDB Staff
C/SAAC
C/OPA/NESA
PPG
OPA/PS
SAAC/Iran Chrono
NFAC/OPA/SAAC/Iran
:ch/1I(12Sept80)
25X1A
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 Approved For Release 2002/06/13 : CIA-RDP81 800401 R000500160004-9
-EPR
5 75 161 D TIONS SOUS
Approved For Release 2002/06/13 : CIA-RDP81 800401 R000500160004-9