Tehran mayor freed on bail

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) _ The mayor of Tehran was freed on bail today, defusing an escalating showdown between hard-line and moderate factions in Iran's government. 

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameni, intervened to release jailed Mayor Gholamhossein Karbaschi, official sources told The Associated Press. 

Karbaschi release from the capital's Evin Prison, where he was held since his April 4, comes one day after riot police broke up a demonstration by thousands of supporters calling for his release, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. 

The mayor had become the focus …

AFSHIN VALINEJAD Associated Press Writer
AP Online
04-15-1998