World

Iran's President Condemns Terrorism

March 20, 2000 / 1:59 PM EST / AP

President Mohammad Khatami on Monday condemned terrorism against "the brave children" of Iran, a reference to last week's assassination attempt on one of his top aides.

"The Iranian nation has many problems and enemies. Naturally, great feats are exposed to problems," Khatami told Iranians in a speech broadcast by state radio Monday on the occasion of the Persian New Year.

"Among these problems have been the terrorism against the brave children of the nation, and childish fire-setting by those cast aside by the nation," Khatami said.

Last week, Saeed Hajjarian, a confidant of Khatami and the architect of his popular reformist movement, was badly wounded in a gun attack. The unknown assailant fled with an accomplice on a high-speed motorcycle used only by the security forces.

Although no one has claimed responsibility, the reformists have blamed elements inside the hard-liners in the government who have used violence against rivals to try and scuttle Khatami's democratic reforms. The hard-liners are struggling to cling to power and rule with an iron hand as they have done since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Hajjarian's reformist faction won a sweeping victory in last month's legislative elections, breaking the hold of hard-liners on the powerful house for the first time since the revolution.

In the fall of 1998, five reformist dissidents were killed by "rogue" intelligence agents who were believed to be sympathetic to the hard-line cause.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to whom hard-liners look for guidance, also underscored the need for national unity and security.

"Insecurity is the biggest threat faced by a nation," Khamenei said in his New Year's address.

In a letter to Khatami on Sunday, Khamenei said the assassination attempt against Hajjarian had made him worry about the nation's national security, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.