Iranian Speaker may lose clout under unity move

A senior Islamic cleric, who is Speaker of the parliament, and two legislators are likely to be ousted from Iran's Supreme Defense Council under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's new formula for ending strife among Iranian leaders, the ayatollah's office said. A spokeman said that Hojatolislam Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Speaker, a founding member of the Islamic Republican Party, and two members of parliament faced removal from the defense body headed by President Abolhassan Bani- Sadr.