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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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060589
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06058900.041
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1990-09-17
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WORLD, Page 33World NotesIRANSurgery for an Ailing Imam
For a man who has been rumored to be dying of a heart condition
or cancer for much of the past decade, the Ayatullah Ruhollah
Khomeini, 89, has displayed remarkable longevity. Last week,
though, doctors performed surgery on the religious leader to stop
what was officially described as "bleeding in his digestive
system." Providing a rare and somewhat bizarre glimpse at the
Imam's private life, Iranian television actually broadcast scenes
from the operating room.
Khomeini's illness has focused new attention on the question
of his successor. Since he fired his appointed heir, Ayatullah Ali
Montazeri, 65, in March, the spotlight has turned to Khomeini's son
Ahmed, 43, who has been increasingly visible lately. The extent of
Ahmed's influence became more apparent last week, when a 110-page
memo surfaced in which he accused Montazeri of disloyalty. Khomeini
the younger, however, must contend with powerful Parliamentary
Speaker Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who last week emerged from
a visit with the Ayatullah to declare, "God willing, we will see
the Imam for long years, healthier and stronger."