END OF AN ALLIANCE

TEHRAN'S CRACKDOWN ON THE LEFT, culminating in the dissolution of the proSoviet Tudeh (communist) Party and the recent expulsion of 18 Soviet diplomats from the country, brings down the curtain on the ruling regime's uneasy alliance with Iran's left-wing political factions. It also demonstrates the increasing strength of the rightwing Fundamentalists in Iran and the deterioration of relations with the Soviet Union.