TEHRAN 27 TH Jan. (IPS) A former director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was in Iran distributing "hundreds millions of dollars" to Iranian reformist publications and liberal cultural centres and organisations, according to ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, a prominent hard line cleric close to ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, the embattled leader of the Islamic Republic.

"Disguised as a tourist, the former Director of the CIA came to Iran with a suite case full of money, contacted several (reformist) publishers of newspapers and publications and distributed the money among them", the ayatollah told a gathering of conservative theologians in the city of Qom, 150 kilometres south of Tehran.

His astonishing, if not raving revelations were reported Thursday by the reformist daily "Asre Azadegan".

The ayatollah, known for his rogue, provocative and often ridiculous statements did not identified the CIA Director, when he had entered the country nor did he said how the man was able to pass the airport security controls transporting a large amount of money without being detected by custom officials.

"Above the 20 millions Dollars the CIA has officially allocated to destabilise the Islamic Republic, the agency is distributing hundreds of millions of dollars among cultural elements and journalists", the eminent fundamentalist cleric stated.

Again, he did not name the cultural centres or the journalists who he claims have received the money. Nor did he explain how the agency had imported such a huge sum in Iran without the Iranian security and intelligence services noticing.

"The CIA is also inviting Iranian journalists to the United States in order to be brain-washed and this at a time that some officials welcome such invitations", ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi asserted in an obvious reference to the Guidance Minister Ata'ollah Mohajerani whom he loathes.

Calling on the revolutionary guards to counter American cultural offensive against Islam and the Islamic Republic by organising demonstrations and collecting petitions, Mr. Mesbah-Yazdi said defending the vital question of velayat faqih was a prime duty of the Iranians, both revolutionary guards and civilans.

In recent statements, ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi, whom the leader praises as one of the Shi'a Muslim's most respected theologians, had ruled that whoever dare to question the basic principles of Islam could be put to death immediately and anywhere by ordinary believers, without trial or courts.

His remarks drew sharp criticism from reformist newspapers and theologians who accused him of inviting the population to anarchy and civil disobedience.

"Observing that his suggestions were not against the laws, he said don't come saying Mr. Untel has encouraged violence in the run-up to the (parliamentary) elections. "In a civil society, we also must raise our voices", he sarcastically said in reference to president Mohammad Khatami's program of restoring the rule of law and creating a civil society.

Reminding that (reformist) newspapers have opened discussion on the election of the valye faqih (the most learned, in this case Mr. Khameneh'i), quoting grand ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's observation that "what counts is the vote of the people", ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi warned against the "dangers" of the United States agents "infiltrating government and cultural offices and centres".

"Ayatollah Khameneh'i has been given to us by the Almighty (therefore) the vote of the people has no weight and no value", he stated. ENDS MESBAH-YAZDI-CIA 27100