Video: U2's Concert Song for Iran

The Latest from Iran (4 July): Breaking the Reformists? Not So Fast….
A Song for Iran? "Free My Land"

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED

Filmed on mobile phone at U2's concert in Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium on Thursday:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8d1qM-GqE[/youtube]

Transcript: Benjamin Netanyahu's 4th of July Message for the US (and Iran)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a 4th of July celebration at the home of American ambassador to Israel, James Cunningham, on Wednesday and put the notion of “freedom” at the center of his speech. At the same time, he put the positive alongsdie the menace of enemies and threat: “Freedom is our common value which makes our bonds unbreakable and the worst dangerous regimes of the world pursuing dangerous weapons must be stopped for the sake of our common bond: freedom. Otherwise, they will triumph over free societies, and so over our so-called ‘unbreakable’ bonds."

So, if Iran was unmentioned (and, of course, its diplomats had been "disinvited" from US celebrations because of the election crisis), Tehran was there in spirit. Indeed, you might say that it --- and its alleged nuclear weapons programme --- is Netanyahu's glue for the US-Israeli "unbreakable" bonds.

The transcript of Netanyahu’s speech:

In the year 1776, the world witnessed a new birth of freedom, the birth of the United States of America. The United States, the country that was referred to by its founders as the new Promised Land, the new Zion, became the bastion, defender and champion of freedom. The U.S. was a bastion of freedom in the 19th century as many millions of immigrants flocked to its inviting shores to search for a new life, to search for freedom. Etched on the base of the Statue of Liberty, the immortal words of Emma Lazarus, the American Jewish poet, who was incidentally a Zionist, said it all. They came “yearning to be free”.

The United States was a defender of freedom in the 20th century as it confronted and defeated history’s greatest tyrannies, and above all else, the Nazi tyranny. And over the last 233 years, the United States has been freedom’s greatest champion, all the while insisting that freedom is not something that only a privileged few countries can enjoy, but the birthright of every nation and every people. It’s not surprising therefore that our own birth of freedom would resonate so powerfully with the American people. After all, this was the reemergence of the Jews as a free and independent nation in our ancestral homeland, in the original Promised Land, the original Zion. This was why it took President Harry S. Truman only eleven minutes to recognize the newly born Jewish state, and this is why every American president since then, has expressed the deep friendship between our two countries, a friendship anchored not in transitory interests, but in eternal values and timeless ideals. And these common ideals of liberty and democracy, are the foundation of the deep and enduring bond between the United States and Israel, a bond that President Obama recently declared was unbreakable in his landmark speech in Cairo before the entire Muslim world.

In Israel evidence of this unbreakable bond is here for everyone to see. You can see it as you walk down the streets of Jerusalem, streets named after Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. You can see it if you visit the memorial to the slain U.S. President, John F. Kennedy in the outskirts of Jerusalem. You can see it in the agonized faces of Israelis who shared grief and sorrow with the American people in the terrible events of September 11th. You can see it in the smiling and admiring faces of Israelis every time the United States has an achievement or a success around the world and you can see it Mr. Ambassador, in the faces of all the people who came here to celebrate with you tonight.

So as the Prime Minister of one of the world’s most passionate democracies, let me say that we share a common heritage with the world’s greatest democracy. Throughout history, democracies have ultimately proven more powerful and more resilient than the dictatorships that threaten them. Eventually, the will of free people to defend their values and defend their societies proves unconquerable. Eventually, the will of un-free people to become free and live under democratic societies usually breaks through the concrete of tyranny. But the greatest danger facing our world today is that this historical consistency of the triumph and spread of democracy could change if the world’s worst regimes acquire the world’s more dangerous weapons. For the sake of peace, for the sake of our common security, for the sake of our common values, this must not be allowed to happen.

So Mr. Ambassador, as we celebrate your Independence Day with you, let us reaffirm our commitment to those powerful ideas that were promulgated two hundred and thirty three years ago, and later in Philadelphia, and that are so deeply shared by our two peoples. Let us reaffirm our commitment to roll back those who threaten our lives and our freedoms and let us reaffirm our commitment to advance the cause of peace in our region and throughout the world.

On behalf of the People of Israel, I send our best wishes to President Obama and to the American People. Happy Independence Day America and may God continue to bless America and our profound friendship. Chag Sameach. Thank you.

The Latest from Iran (3 July): The Long Haul?

The Latest from Iran (4 July): Breaking the Reformists? Not So Fast….

Iran: The Statement of "The Mourning Mothers of Iran"
A Song for Iran? “Free My Land”
LATEST Video: “Keeping the Peace” (30 June-2 July)
The Latest from Iran (2 July): The “Gradual” Opposition

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED

1825 GMT: BBC English has posted a video report on the Iranian Government's "public service" campaign on a telephone hotline for people to inform on family and friends participating in demonstrations.

1645 GMT: BBC Persian reports that Ayatollah Yusef Sane'i, a fervent critic of the Government, has condemned televised confessions, saying they have no value as the obvious product of torture. Sane'i emphasized that "endurance is the key to success".

1515 GMT: The demonstration for 9 July is on. Andrew Sullivan has posted a copy of a leaflet (left) for the rally.

1445 GMT: Etemade Melli, the pro-"reformist" newspaper, reports today on the censorship imposed on Thursday by prosecutors and Ministry of Culture officials. The paper claims that its account of how it was closed on Wednesday by authorities was removed. Political stories were replaced by a "social page" and an item on the National University entrance examination.

1435 GMT: Reports that Sara Sabbaghian, lawyers and women's rights activist, was freed from Evin Prison on Thursday. In contrast, the regime's pressure on those present at the death of Neda Agha Soltan continues; in addition to pursuit of the doctor who tried to help her, Arash Hejazi, an eyewitness to the killing claims his family is being harassed.

There are also claims that three people have been killed, more than 200 injured, and many detained in the eastern city of Mashaad.

1315 GMT: Was Ayatollah Jannati's "foreign enemies" claim, with the threat of espionage trials, too embarrassing for Iranian state media? Press TV's website makes no reference to the allegations against Britain, saying cryptically that Jannati "warn[ed] that powers in the West would derive great benefits if the internal dispute continued to drag on". Instead, Press TV headlines, "Cleric urges end to election dispute in Iran". The Islamic Republic News Agency takes the same path, "Ayatollah Jannati: Presidential Elections Were Accurate".

An alternative explanation is that, whereas foreign media jumped on the Jannati reference to a possible trial, the focus of his speech was indeed on providing reassurances about the election process and warning that it was now over. The broader interpretation is unchanged, however; the regime is not yet secure that it has overcome the challenge on the streets and behind the scenes.

1250 GMT: We're keeping our eyes open for a text of Ayatollah Jannati's address at Friday prayers but my initial sense is that it indicates some continuing regime concern about protests: they have risked a heightened  invocation of the foreign threat, which may damage relations with Britain, Europe, and the US, to ensure public support for their maintenance of "order".

1245 GMT: More on the report below that Iranian staff of the British Embassy may be tried on espionage charges. The warning was issued by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the chairman of the Guardian Council, as he led Friday prayers in Tehran: "British foreign office had said last March that there may be riots during the elections in Iran and they said that they should warn their citizens to be careful. What do these predictions mean? And then some people in the U.K. embassy, who had a hand in the disturbances, were arrested and will surely be put on trial."

The context of the warning being issued in Friday prayers, rather than by a security or judiciary official, is significant --- it may even be good news for the detainees. This seems more of a political posture, reinforcing the regime's continued excuse of "foreign intervention" for its crackdown on internal dissent (see our prediction this morning in "What To Watch For Today", than a specific move towards formal prosecution.

1000 GMT: Watch Out. Both the BBC Persian service and Agence France Presse are reporting the statement of a Guardian Council member that local "staffers" of the British Embassy will be tried on espionage charges.

The plural should be noted, as earlier in the week Iranian authorities said all but one of the nine people detained had been released. And, if true, the report marks a significant escalation of tensions by Iran with Britain (though not directly with the US).

0930 GMT: Lara Setrakian of ABC News (US) posts a firsthand report from Tehran:

It's kind of changed from the first week, but it's definitely not over over. it's just going to be more drawn out, I think.

It's become a lot more localized in a way. People just do what they can on their own with their circle of people. Demonstrations are smaller but in different places now. I don't know how widely circulated the information going around is but there's a pretty large amount. You can feel it with strangers even like taxi drivers.

It's not that they're less pissed. If anything, they're more pissed. Because of the state and how blatantly they're lying.

0700 GMT: More on the claim that former President Hashemi Rafsanjani declined to lead Friday prayers in Tehran last week. The original story is on a pro-Khatami, pro-Mousavi website. It is supported, according to Josh Shahryar, by one of his reliable sources.

0610 GMT: Josh Shahryar's daily "Green Brief", which we highlighted yesterday, again offers an essential overview of developments. Almost all of the items match up with information in our updates and other reliable sources. However, this item (which we will try to confirm) is both new and significant:

It has been reported that Rafsanjani, who is one of the Imams that lead Friday Prayers in Tehran's largest mosque, has declined to lead prayers there again. Last week, his spot was first filled by Khamenei, but Khamenei pulled out at the last minute leaving Ahmad Khatami to lead the prayers. Rafsanjani is not planning to attend this Friday's Prayers either.

0555 GMT: The challenge in Iran is now close to a non-story for major international outlets. There is nothing on CNN International's website and no appearance in the headlines of the BBC or Al Jazeera English. The BBC website only has a limited article on the removal of the block on SMS messaging, while Al Jazeera is still running the news from Wednesday that Mir Hossein Mousavi may face criminal charges.

Press TV English, meanwhile, is featuring the story of Israel's detention of former US Senator (and Press TV presenter) Cynthia McKinney and other activists, who were trying to break the Israeli sea blockade to get humanitarian aid to Gaza. (Ironically but significantly, the incident has been a non-story for US media.)

The Iran Crisis (Day 22): What to Watch For Today

The Latest from Iran (3 July): The Long Haul?
NEW Iran: The Statement of “The Mourning Mothers of Iran”
NEW A Song for Iran? “Free My Land”

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED

It now appears that the challenge in Iran has moved into a new phase. There will still be daily demonstrations, but they will be "indirect" in their opposition to the Government. Instead of posing questions over the election or the legimitacy of President Ahmadinejad and the Iranian system, they will commemorate the dead and highlight the plight of detainees. Direct, mass challenges will need several days, possibly weeks in planning.

So every day the relatives and supporters of the detained will gather in front of Evin Prison, and tomorrow mothers of "martyrs" will again try to pay their respects in Laleh Park. Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign will offer guidance for symbolic protest on his Facebook page. There will be periodic statements by the opposition leaders.

A clue to the next mass gathering has emerged this morning on a website giving the routes for a march in Tehran next Thursday, 9 July. Nine different rallies will converge on Enqelab (Revolution) Square.

And how is the regime feeling about the current state of affairs? An important clue comes today at Friday prayers at Tehran University. Two weeks ago, the Supreme Leader used the occasion to confront the opposition and to block possible political manoeuvres by key politicians like former President Hashemi Rafsanjani. Last week Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami issued his warning that protest would be met by the heavy hands of Iranian security forces and the judiciary.

If the Ayatollah leading prayers today is low-key and makes no direct references to the opposition movement or the foreign threat, then the regime thinks that not only that the worst has passed but that it is unlikely to recur. If, however, the enemy appears, then there is still uncertainty and concern amongst the Iranian leadership.

Iran: The Statement of "The Mourning Mothers of Iran"

The Latest from Iran (3 July): The Long Haul?
NEW A Song for Iran? “Free My Land”

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED


Last Saturday a gathering of women at Laleh Park in Tehran was broken up by security forces; a number of them were taken away and are allegedly still detained. The women, including mothers of "martyrs" in the post-election violence, have declared that they will gather every Saturday. Today they sent this statement to Lara Setrakian of ABC News (US):

We continue to mourn…

The silent mourning of mothers on Saturday June 27th 2009 in Laleh Park in Tehran was violently suppressed by security forces. A number of mothers and young women attending this peaceful gathering/sit-in were detained by the security forces. Despite the violent crackdown by the security forces and their attempt to disperses the attendees, more than 500 women and mothers were able to continue with the sit-in and gatherings in the central spot of the park. These mothers were peacefully gathering to commemorate the young men and women who had participated in the non-violent post-election demonstrations and had been martyred.

Following our first announcement, we - the mourning mothers of the martyrs - will continue with our peaceful sit-in in Laleh Park and other parks in Tehran. We will do so till we see the end of violence on the streets, freeing of all those arrested for participating in the peaceful protests after the June 12th election specially our fellow mothers who had been arrested last Saturday and the prosecution of those responsible for our children’s death. Our sit-ins will be in Laleh park and the following parks every Saturday from 7-8 p.m.

Laleh Park
Andishe Park
Mellat Park
Gofegoo Park

Dear Mothers! Our mother instinct has forced us to demand justice for our children and freeing those who are unlawfully detained in prisons. We invite you to join our grassroots peaceful gatherings in the above-mentioned parks on Saturdays of each week.

To our boys and brothers in the security forces! We are your mothers. We treat you with respect as mothers. Respect us and our wishes and refrain from inflicting harm onto your mothers. Our sighs will follow you if you treat us with violence.

The Mourning Mothers of Iran