Mohammad Khatami, ordered investigation into harrassment of foreign tourists
A group of armed men and women have kidnapped three Spanish tourists and an Italian in Iran. Western diplomats said the four men were abducted, together with their Iranian tour guide, from their hotel in the south-eastern town of Kerman. Two of the Spaniards are said to be priests. The motive for the kidnapping is not yet clear. The incident comes only a day after Iran's President, Mohammad Khatami, ordered an investigation into the harrassment of foreign tourists, especially women, who visited the country for last week's solar eclipse.
Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei Khamenei has also replaced the hardline head of Iran's judiciary in a move pro-reform groups hope would soften the courts' tough stance against them. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi, will replace Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, an outspoken critic of President Khatami's liberal reforms. Yazdi's resignation was a main demand in a series by pro-reform students in last month's riots. The dismissal coincides with the release of a report which criticises the Iranian police for their handling of the riots. Seven senior officers are expected to stand trial.
