The Latest from Iran (13 February): Waiting for Tomorrow
Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 7:05
Scott Lucas in 25 Bahman, Abdollah Naseri, Abdullah Gul, Ali Abdi, Ali Larijani, EA Iran, Hasan Shariatmadari, Javad Oji, Middle East and Iran, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, Muhammad Sahimi, Rasoul Montajabnia, Zahra Eftekhari, Zahra Sharif

"I'm Going with Mom & Dad. Join Us"2210 GMT: Isolating Mousavi and Karroubi. Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand, a senior advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi, has said that the phone lines of Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have been cut.

The cutting of Karroubi's communications had been related, along with his effective house arrest, at the end of last night, but this is the first report of an attempt to cut off Mousavi.

2040 GMT: 25 Bahman. The Mothers of Mourning, known for their weekly gatherings in Laleh Park in Tehran to remember the dead and detained of the post-election conflict, have issued a statement of support for Monday's rally.

Journalist Isa Saharkhiz, detained since July 2009, has also congratulated those challening Iranian dictators.

1955 GMT: Claimed footage of tonight's Allahu Akbars (God is Great) from the rooftops in Tehran:

1950 GMT: Claimed footage of students at Sahand University of Tabriz breaking into the song, "Yar-e Dabestani-e Man (My Classmate)", today.

1945 GMT: 25 Bahman. The Facebook page supporting Monday's rally now has almost 52,000 members.

1940 GMT: Dr Abdollah Naseri, a member of the reformist Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution Organization, has been arrested.

1730 GMT: 25 Bahman. Kalemeh, the website linked to Mir Hossein Mousavi, has called for "silent protest" tomorrow.

Reports are circulating, including on Al Arabiya, that the Revolutionary Guards have said they will not confront large crowds on Monday, but merely control them.

1650 GMT: Nuke Watch. President Ahmadinejad's office says that Fereidoun Abbasi, a nuclear scientist who recently survived an assassination attempt, has been appointed head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation.

Abbasi who was seriously wounded by a bomb in November, replaces Ali Akbar Salehi, who is now Foreign Minister.

1630 GMT: Subsidy Cut Watch. Fars reports that a second round of support payments, offsetting price rises from subsidy cuts, is to be paid into the bank accounts of Iranians.

1335 GMT: 25 Bahman. The spokesperson of Mehdi Karroubi's Etemade Melli Party is saying that a permit is not necessary for Monday's rally, indicating that the opposition will try to march even if the Ministry of Interior --- as expected --- refused permission for the gathering.

1325 GMT: Claim of Day. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, as he praised victory over "sedition" (see 1020 GMT), was still warning that vigilance is needed: "Western intelligence agencies are searching for a mentally challenged person who can set himself on fire in Tehran to trigger developments like those in Egypt and Tunisia. They (the West) are very retarded and think by imitating such actions they can emerge victorious."

1320 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. A man named Ali Abdi has been arrested in Babolsar for protesting about living conditions during a speech by Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani.

And what was Larijani saying at the time? "Uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia are an Islamic awakening which can not be prevented through shutting down the Internet and social networks, because today the youth are politically informed."

1315 GMT: We're Watching You (Even the Artists). The Islamic Republic News Agency says the judiciary has set up a special prosecutor's office for offenses related to media and culture, pointing to new restrictions on journalists and artists.

1310 GMT: 25 Bahman. Stickers in phone booths...and one being slapped on a police car:

1045 GMT: 25 Bahman. Muhammad Sahimi, writing for Tehran Bureau, is also summarising developments in the run-up to Monday's rally.

1025 GMT: A Question. Hasan Shariatmadari, writing in Rah-e-Sabz, asks the regime, "Do you want to suffer the same fate as Mubarak?"

1020 GMT: The Valiant Fight. The head of the Basij militia, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, has spoken about the brave victory over the post-election "sedition". He explained that sometime it is difficult to get involved with friends, neighbours, and relatives, but God is pleased.

1015 GMT: Attacking the Reformists. Rasoul Montajabnia, a deputy of the Etemade Melli Party, has been assaulted while holding prayer in Sadegh Mosque in Tehran.

0930 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Clarifying news from yesterday --- Tehran University students Zahra Sharif, a Mir Hossein Mousavi campaign worker, and Zahra Eftekhari have both been arrested.

Abdolnaser Mahimani, the head of the Gorgan Press House, was arrested on Saturday. His nephew, Mohamamd Hossein Mahimani, was also detained.

0825 GMT: The Real 25 Bahman Story. Look for Iranian state media to play up the visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gul, with meetings with Tehran's leaders starting today --- IRNA already features an interview, headlining a call for compensation from Israel over last May's deadly raid on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla.

0815 GMT: All-is-Well Alert. Iranian Deputy Minister of Oil Javad Oji has said gas exports to Turkey remain “steady", despite three explosions on a pipeline near Qom early Friday morning.

Oji claimed, “The pipelines were completely repaired” within 39 hours.

The cause of the blasts is under investigation.

0720 GMT: The Facebook page supporting 25 Bahman now has more than 46,000 followers.

0700 GMT: Both sides are continuing to implement their preparations for Monday, when the opposition has called for a rally in support of the Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings. The regime is continuing with its detentions of journalists and activists and its disruptions of communications, while groups --- university students, political parties, and labour unions --- inside Iran are matching the support outside the country with statements backing the rally.

The Coordination Council of the Green Path of Hope has pledged to march at 3 p.m. local time (1130 GMT). Its statement declares, “The noble people of Iran and followers of the green movement should participate in this peaceful demonstration with calm and resolve, and must not allow the infiltrating agents of those seeking violence to derail the demonstrations with their aggressive behavior under any circumstances.”

One of the latest posters for the day --- following the special collection we posted on EA on Saturday --- again marries the themes of Love and Protest, given the regime's effort to shut down both Valentine's Day and Monday's march:

And graffiti on a pillar in Isfahan links up Iran with Tunisia and Egypt: "All good things come in threes."

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