Enter, Iran's new regime; exit, revolutionary council

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Council, which has ruled since the Shah was toppled last year, announced its dissolution after the appointment of a new government. The powerful body, originally dominated by clergymen, was empowered by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to run the country after the February 1979 revolution.

Meanwhile, militant Iranians holding the American hostages said they will not release their captives unless the United States apologizes for its past "behavior" and intervention in Iran's domestic affairs, and returns the wealth of the Shah. They also denouncened Iranian moderates who oppose the holding of the Americans, and accused President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr of lacking the courage to fight the US. The denunciation came after the Iranian parliament backed Mr. Bani-Sadr's hard-line rival, Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Rajai, with an overwhelming vote of confidence.