US embassy cable - 89ABUDHABI636

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 00636 
 
FROM AMCONGEN DUBAI 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL:  OADR 
TAGS:  PREL, PGOV, SOCI, ECON, IR 
SUBJECT:  TEHRAN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCENE 
 
1.  CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  SUMMARY:  WOMEN IN TEHRAN ARE TESTING THE LIMITS 
OF THE LIBERALIZATION OF DRESS CODES BY WEARING 
BRIGHTLY COLORED, FASHIONABLE CLOTHES, BARELY CONCEALED 
BY EQUALLY FASHIONABLE RAINCOATS OR SCARVES. 
BUSINESSMEN BEMOAN THE FAILURE OF THE ECONOMY TO 
REVIVE AFTER THE CEASEFIRE, THOUGH SOME PARTS OF THE 
ECONOMY ARE EXPERIENCING A REVIVAL.  ANTI-ISRAELI 
PROPAGANDA OVERSHADOWS ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA 
ON THE STREETS OF TEHRAN.  THE NATIONAL IRANIAN OIL 
COMPANY STRUGGLES TO OPERATE ON THE EXPERTISE OF A 
TINY MINORITY OF EXPERIENCED WORKERS. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
3.  TRAVELLERS FROM TEHRAN REPORT DRAMATIC CHANGES IN 
THE CITY'S FASHION SCENE.  THE MANAGER OF A MAJOR 
AIRLINE WHO RETURNED FROM A BUSINESS TRIP TO TEHRAN 
A FEW DAYS AGO REPORTS HAVING SEEN WOMEN WEARING BLUE 
JEANS, ALBEIT UNDER THEIR RAINCOATS.  SOURCE ALSO SAW 
DOZENS OF WOMEN WEARING COLORFUL AND BRIGHTLY PRINTED 
SCARVES LOOSELY DRAWN OVER THEIR HEADS.  DURING A RECENT 
VISIT TO DUBAI, THE COUSIN OF DUBAI'S IRANIAN FSN 
EXPRESSED AMAZEMENT THAT WOMEN HERE DO NOT HIGHLIGHT 
THEIR HAIR.  APPARENTLY, A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN 
IN TEHRAN STREAK THEIR HAIR AND PROMINENTLY DISPLAY 
A BLOND FRINGE OUTSIDE THEIR SCARVES.  THE DRAB RAINCOATS 
USUALLY WORN OVER CLOTHES HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY TRENDY 
EUROPEAN STYLES AND TWO-PIECE SUITS ARE APPEARING WITH 
GREATER FREQUENCY.  (COMMENT:  WHILE CONGEN DUBAI HAS 
BEEN HEARING REPORTS OF LIBERALIZING TRENDS IN DRESS 
CODES FOR SOME TIME NOW, THE AMAZEMENT OF BOTH IRANIAN 
AND WESTERN SOURCES WHO REPORTED THE ABOVE GIVES MUCH 
GREATER WEIGHT TO THE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED CHANGES.) 
 
4.  AIRLINE SOURCE REPORTS THAT MANY OF THE IRANIAN 
BUSINESSMEN HE DEALT WITH WERE GREATLY DISPIRITED 
OVER FAILURE OF THE ECONOMY TO PICK UP AFTER THE 
CEASEFIRE.  ON HIS TRIP LAST WEEK, SOURCE NOTED AN 
INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF CONSUMER GOODS OF BETWEEN 
THIRTY AND FIFTY PERCENT SINCE HIS PREVIOUS TRIP TO 
TEHRAN ALMOST A YEAR AGO.  AT THE SAME TIME, HE SAID 
THAT ANYTHING COULD BE HAD IN TEHRAN'S BLACK MARKET, 
FOR A PRICE.  WHILE THE REST OF THE ECONOMY IS FALTERING 
ONE SEGMENT OF THE ECONOMY IS EXPERIENCING A REVIVAL. 
APPARENTLY, THE WORLD'S OLDEST PROFESSION IS ONCE AGAIN 
PLYING ITS TRADE IN THE LOBBIES OF TEHRAN'S PRINCIPAL 
HOTELS.  ACCORDING TO SOURCE, HE WAS REPEATEDLY 
APPROACHED IN A DISCREET MANNER BY WOMEN IN HIS HOTEL. 
THEY WOULD ASK FOR HIS NUMBER AND PROMISE TO CALL LATER 
TO SET UP AN ASSIGNATION.  SUCH ASSIGNATIONS ARE SET 
UP IN PRIVATE RESIDENCES AND NEVER IN HOTELS WHERE THE 
DANGER OF BEING DISCOVERED IS TOO GREAT.  PRICES ARE 
QUITE REASONABLE IF PAID IN HARD CURRENCIES. 
 
5.  MOST OF THE PEOPLE AIRLINE SOURCE MET WERE LOATHE 
TO DISCUSS POLITICS OPENLY, AND HE PERCEIVED A GREAT 
FEAR OF THE REVGUARDS AMONG HIS INTERLOCUTORS.  HIS 
CONTACTS WERE ALSO VERY SUSPICIOUS OF EACH OTHER, 
FEARING THAT SOMETHING THEY SAID MIGHT BE REPORTED TO 
THE AUTHORITIES.  ANTI-AMERICAN BANNERS WERE PRESENT 
IN ALL HOTEL LOBBIES BUT HAD BEEN RELEGATED TO 
OUT-OF-THE-WAY PLACES.  ON THE OTHER HAND, ANTI-ISRAELI 
POSTERS, BANNERS, AND BILLBOARDS WERE PROMINENTLY 
DISPLAYED THROUGHOUT TEHRAN.  AT THE FIRST ROUNDABOUT 
ON THE ROAD FROM THE AIRPORT INTO TEHRAN, FOUR LARGE 
BILLBOARDS PROCLAIMED IN ENGLISH AND FARSI:  ISRAEL 
 
6.  THE COUSIN OF DUBAI'S IRANIAN FSN WORKS IN NIOC 
HEADQUARTERS IN TEHRAN IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SECTION. 
IN HER OPINION, THE NIOC IS RUN ON THE STRENGTH OF 
THE EXPERTISE OF A HANDFUL OF ITS 103,000 EMPLOYEES. 
UPPER MANAGEMENT IS COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON ITS 
SUBORDINATES FOR GUIDANCE IN DECISIONMAKING.  WHENEVER 
THIS EMPLOYEE'S BOSS GOES INTO A HIGH-LEVEL MEETING, 
HE REMAINS IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH HER BY PHONE 
THROUGHOUT THE MEETING SEEKING HER GUIDANCE ON 
EVERYTHING FROM ROUTINE TO MANAGERIAL ISSUES.  BECAUSE 
SOURCE IS A WOMAN, SHE CANNOT ATTEND THE MEETINGS 
HERSELF.  THE INABILITY OF THE NIOC TO WORK EFFECTIVELY 
IS FURTHER HAMPERED BY DEFICIENCIES IN FOREIGN-LANGUAGE 
CAPABILITY AMONG ITS EMPLOYEES. 
 
 
MACK