Iranian security chief resigns after a month

The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the main security force of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's Islamic Republic, announced his resignation Tuesday. Abu Sharif handed in his resignation after only a month on the job. He said that "exclusivism and sectarianism" had frustrated his aim of setting up a force to aid the world's oppressed and pursue Iran's revolutionary course.

Meanwhile, banking sources reported the Iranian Central Bank had withdrawn the bulk of its gold stocks held in Western Europe, some 14 metric tons worth around $270 million.