The Latest from Iran (23 October): Qaddafi Visits the Supreme Leader
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 14:18Today's protest, in front of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, declaring "The End of Wall Street">
See also Iran Special: How Bahrain's Foreign Minister Fed "The Plot" to Top Washington Post Columnist
2000 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Journalist Ehsan Mehrabi has been freed after completion of a one-year prison sentence.
Mehrabi was Mehrabi charged with propaganda against the regime after he gave an interview to BBC Persian.
1450 GMT: Impeachment Watch. Parliament has postponed a decision on the istizah (interrogation) of Minister of Energy Majid Namjoo (see 1215 GMT) until Tuesday, but it has accepted the demand for the istizah of Minister of Economy Shamseddin Hosseini, who has to report within 10 days.
Hosseini, already under pressure because of alleged mismanagement, has come under further fire because of the $2.6 billion bank fraud embroiling Iranian politics.
Meanwhile, the resignation of MP Ali Motahari, a leading critic of the President, has been accepted, reducing the possibility that Ahmadinejad will be questioned by Parliament.
1235 GMT: Economy Watch. Deutsche Welle claims in a report that the Iranian dairy industry is on the verge of collapse.
1230 GMT: Opposition Watch. The Coordination Council of Green Hope has issued a statement, amidst the alleged Iranian plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the US, that a "return to collective wisdom" to avert crisis.
1220 GMT: The Nuclear Front. Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy representative, has reportedly written top Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili, saying that European nations are interested in re-opening nuclear discussions.
Ashton added, “When moving to a continuation of our talks, it is crucial to look for concrete results." Discussions at the start of the year in Istanbul failed to make progress.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said it has not received any letter.
1215 GMT: Impeachment Watch. Jaras reports that 51 of Iran's 290 MPs have signed a motion to impeach Minister of Energy Majid Namjoo, who has been under fire for mismanagement amidst rising energy and water prices.
Twenty-eight lawmakers have called for the impeachment of the Minister of Economy Shamseddin Hosseini for legal violations and appointment of unqualified officials to important positions.
0725 GMT: Wall Street Shuffle. "Occupy Wall Street" gets support in Tehran, with the women's Fati Commando and other groups protesting in front of the Swiss Embassy:
0715 GMT: Not Quite A Suspension. Press TV carries a report of Vice President Hamid Baghaei telling the Japanese Ambassador that US-led sanctions on Iran will only harm the countries who imposed them. Baghaei, as "Secretary of the High Council for Iranian Free Zones", also stressed the importance of improving economic cooperation between Tehran and Tokyo.
Far more interesting than any of the rhetoric is the fact that it is being mentioned: Baghaei has formally been suspended from his duties by an administrative court on suspicion of financial mismanagement.
0700 GMT: Nikahang Kowsar imagines the former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi paying a visit to the Supreme Leader:
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