Arak refinery construction contract signed

Following a visit to Iran, MEES editor Ian Seymour reported efforts to restore war-damaged offshore oil fields. Repair work linked the ceasefire with the recovery of export-producing assets.

As Eduard Shevardnadze ended his regional trip, reporting noted that his Iranian discussions included reopening talks with Iraq. Soviet diplomacy sought movement in the stalled postwar process.

MEES reported that Iran’s approved budget permitted foreign loans, marking an avenue for financing reconstruction rather than a record of money already received.

Iran announced commissioning of the first phase of the rebuilt Abadan refinery. Partial restoration returned domestic refining capacity after years of wartime damage.

Ayatollah Khomeini established a commission to revise Iran’s constitution as the country entered its postwar political transition.

Fuel oil from Abadan was shipped through Mahshahr after a long wartime interruption. The shipment marked a practical step from refinery reconstruction toward renewed export activity.

Iran filed a case against the United States over the destruction of Iran Air Flight 655, pursuing international legal redress for the deaths.

An international expert meeting in Geneva addressed the exchange of Iranian and Iraqi prisoners. Its communiqué urged attention to captives still held after the ceasefire.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died, ending the leadership of the Islamic Republic’s founder shortly after the war. His death created an immediate succession challenge.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts selected Ali Khamenei to succeed Khomeini. The change placed reconstruction under a new supreme leader.