World Notes IRAN

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."