Resolution of the TsK KPSS Secretariat ordering that the Committee for State Security (KGB) and the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces consider the possibility of delivering non-Soviet weapons to the People's Party of Iran (PPI).
July 6, 1980
Iu. Andropov and B. Ponomarev, 'On a Request from the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the People's Party of Iran Comrade Kiyanuri'
SPECIAL FILE
Special importance
CPSU Central Committee
On a request from the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the People's Party of Iran
Comrade Kiyanuri
In implementation of Resolution No. St-174-47gs of the CPSU Central Committee Secretariat from August 30, 1979 we are reporting that in order to refine and concretize the request from the People's Party of Iran (PPI) to provide them with weapons, this question was discussed with the First Secretary of the PPI Central Committee, Comrade Kiyanuri, while he was in Moscow in June of this year.
Comrade Kiyanuri declared that the PPI, based on analysis of possible situational developments in Iran, does not exclude the possibility of encountering a situation requiring an armed uprising by the Party's troops, who are now in an illegal position. The Party considers it necessary to possess reserves of weapons in such a case of four basic types: pistols, automatic rifles (of Soviet of non-Soviet manufacture), grenade launchers, and grenades in a quantity of several thousand units.
These weapons are presumed to be kept in warehouse caches that can be selected within Iran.
As for the means of delivering such a number of weapons to Iran, Comrade Kiyanuri did not express any concrete suggestions about this, leaving this question for the consideration of the Soviet side. In his opinion, it would be possible to consider the delivery of weapons via the Caspian Sea, by air, or by land in the area of the Afghan-Iran border.
Comrade Kiyanuri noted that at the present time the PPI has still not prepared the necessary conditions for safe receipt and reliable distribution of the weapons and will search for ways of accomplishing these activities.
Considering the critical political nature of the matter, the situation in the country, and the position of the PPI itself and leftist forces in general, it would appear possible to further study the request of Comrade Kiyanuri and return to its consideration a little later.
We request your agreement.
[Signature]
Iu. Andropov
[Signature]
B. Ponomarev
No. 1331-A/OV
6.07.80
Iu. Andropov and B. Ponomarev give their opinion on Tudeh Party First Secretary Kiyanuri’s request for weapons from the USSR.
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RGANI, f. 89, op. 32, d. 10, ll.5-6. Contributed by Roham Alvandi and translated by Richard Iserman.
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