Iran Election Guide

Donate to EAWV





Or, click to learn more

Search

Entries in Mir Hossein Mousavi (37)

Monday
Oct192009

Iran Snap Analysis: Mousavi's Webcast Takes "National Unity" Beyond Politics

Latest Iran Video and Full English Text: Mousavi’s First Post-Election Webcast (18 October) 

The Latest from Iran (19 October): Beyond Bombings, The Pressure on the Government
The Latest from Iran (18 October): Today’s Bombings

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

MOUSAVI4Beyond Establishment Politics to "Unity"? Thanks to EA reader Megan and the Facebook site linked to Mir Hossein Mousavi, we now have a full translation of Mousavi's remarks in his first Webcast.

It is a significant move. How significant I can't tell yet, not because Mousavi was vague --- to the contrary, his position is now clear -- but because he is trying to move beyond the framework of "standard" politics within the Iranian system.

First, the specifics. In the alleged (and now largely discredited) draft of the National Unity Plan published in late September by Fars News, the central committee including a Mousavi representative. No way, said Mousavi in the interview. He had never been in discussions about a National Unity Plan, although he knew about the initiative of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, the ideas of Ayatollah Mahdavi-Kani, and the interest of other well-meaning individuals.

Indeed, Mousavi does not see the primary role for himself (and presumably the Green movement) as part of the Plan. Instead, "National Unity" for him has a second meaning --- it is a social movement, beyond political parties, encompassing and furthering the ideals of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Revolution. This "expression of national will", despite all the obstacles put up by the Government, will be triumphant.

All well and good, but that leaves a pretty big immediate question. Given that the Plan has now been submitted to the Supreme Leader for consideration and thus approval, does Mousavi accept it if all parties involved decide to proceed? Does he dare reject it? Or does he, as I suspect he will, stand aside from it with the declaration that "National Unity" transcends any political arrangements?
Monday
Oct192009

Latest Iran Video and Full English Text: Mousavi's First Post-Election Webcast (18 October)

Iran Snap Analysis: Mousavi’s Webcast Takes “National Unity” Beyond Politics
The Latest from Iran (19 October): Beyond Bombings, The Pressure on the Government
The Latest from Iran (18 October): Today’s Bombings

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

UPDATE 1330 GMT: We have posted a snap analysis of the Webcast and Mousavi's political strategy.

An English-language translation, adapted from the Facebook site associated with Mir Hossein Mousavi, follows the video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miU0q1qLQVw[/youtube]

Explaining the “National Unity” plan

This phrase has been used in media in different ways and it is good to separate them from each other. In the meeting that I had with the members of the minority reformist faction of the parliament, I discussed the issue of “National Unity”. In that discussion my intention to use this phrase was in the sense of a public will that has been strengthened during the election campaign, based on our heritage,  civilization, common national interests, and the message of a better future, prosperity, and progress of our country. The issue of “National Unity” was important in that regards, and we all witnessed the enthusiasm that had been created in the country regarding this issue.

I believe that even after the post-election events, this asset should be preserved and we should try to strengthen it. National Unity is extremely important to all of us and we all must focus on it. In this case the interpretation of Unity is the unity among all people of all classes and unity between intellectuals, students, different ethnic and cultural groups.

During the election campaign the human chain that connected North of Tehran to South of Tehran was one of the best aspects of National Unity among all classes of people who had participated in that event, and this has created a wave all over the country, and with this picture the idea of “Green Path of Hope” was shaped.

However, besides this case “National Unity” has been used with different meanings. After the recent events that happened in the country, which we all are very well aware, a number of individuals with different intentions and some with good intentions have been trying to find a way to lower the tension between the political figures by dialogue and discussions. There is a proposal by Ayatollah Hashemi-Rafsanjani, also Ayatollah Mahdavi-Kani has ideas about this issue, and generally different individuals have been commenting regarding this. What is important is that I have not commented on this issue yet.

However, considering the rumors that are spreading regarding the discussions in this matter, I have a memory from Imam [Khomeini]. During the McFarlane story [Iran-Contra affair of the 1980s], which caused a crisis, people did not know if [then US National Security Advisor Robert] McFarlane had come to Iran, whether he had come to Iran secretly and had returned [to the US]. This issue was first reported by a Syrian newspaper, and in the debate among the heads of the three branches of the government, it had been mentioned given the sensitivity about the issue of relations to the US and talking with the US, it would have been apparent that it could have caused a crisis in the country.

So the heads of the three branches of the government and I went to Imam [Khomeini] and asked for his advice. When the case was explained to Imam Khomeini --- with what group this person [Macfarlane] had come and left, what was the outcome of his trip, and the fact that this case had been reported by a Lebanese or Syrian newspaper and would have been known inside the country as well --- the Imam said, “Go and let the people know about this issue, people should be informed” and also discussed this issue a bit. When we were leaving, Imam Khomeini added a sentence that I have always remembered in my mind as a golden and important sentence. He said, “Never act in such a way that you won’t be able to explain it to people,” and I have always remembered this.

Therefore, if there is going to be any talk, discussion, debate,  or issue, naturally as a companion of this great movement, I will share it with the people, and it won’t be such that I cannot defend it. It would be wise that regarding this matter or similar cases, given the incompetence of the domestic media and the fact that they are working against the Green Path of Hope, and that we don’t have a conventional media and all of our media have been restricted, people should be vigilant on which media is spreading these news by considering their direction and their party affiliation and their possible intensions. This can help us to move in a thoughtful atmosphere that is according to our own values.

Explaining whether you have been contacted or visited regarding this issue

No, there have been no such discussions. However, I am aware of Ayatollah Hashemi-Rafsanajani’s proposal that he had mentioned during the Friday Prayers as well as the suggestions that some of the members of the Expediency Council shared with him. Also through the media, I am aware of the remarks that are claimed to be made by Ayatollah Mahdavi-Kani and others. Also I sometimes have witnessed that others with good intentions have raised such issues, but there has been no direct contact with me regarding this and there has been no correspondence and no official talks. In general nothing has been done regarding this issue.

In the 13th statement you have mentioned that we must embed our socio-political achievements into our lives and into our struggle. You had a sentence: “we must live the green path of hope.” Although this is very elegant phrase, it may come across as ambiguous in some case, can you elaborate on that?

Our nation has started a massive movement and we are involved in it too. Hopefully [if God is willing] I will continue toward this very direction that people are marching on. If we look carefully, early on when these incidents happened in the country, there were discussion on how to move, and what should our response be so that we can benefit from big achievements of the elections and the Islamic Revolution and continue them. There were discussions on creation of parties or fronts or other groups, all within the frameworks of political campaigns inside the country or as they are defined internationally. We thought that none of these can fulfill our goals and purposes. We saw that none of these constructs were coherent with the experiences that we had prior to the election, and of course the [same] experiences that we had together.

In this election, we saw that families, political, religious, artistic, cultural groups, and in general anyone anywhere according to their own methodology and capability helped out and entered the movement. In fact this was a continuation of our discussions earlier that every citizen would "stand as a campaign headquarters". An action like that led to a national network. Actually, it was this very phenomenon that was the source of strength for this movement.

The movement did not get its power from a political party. This does not mean that parties were not influential, or will not have an affect. No. Parties would always maintain their own standing, and their position is of key importance and will remain a necessity. They must continue with their own activities. However, we thought to continue on this path, to achieve our goals and ideals under the banner of “advance Iran”, and to fulfill people’s demands, achieving the full realization of people’s rights, we must continue on under something much more inclusive and encompassing [from a single party], especially with the knowledge from the experiences [of unity] prior to the elections. And we did continue in such a manner and we announced it too.

In such a perspective, it is unimportant how much every person can contribute, or how they contribute. The important thing is that there will be a national will that would remain. From only one person in one family to large parties and political groups and fronts with experience, everyone would be able to send help to this massive movement in the framework of their own daily activities. I have always believed that a even a blind person, an old woman, old man, or someone who cannot possibly attend any of political activities, if from the corner of their own homes they send a prayer, we can consider it as an activity inside this network, let alone all the organized activism of large political groups.

Today we stand witness to a unique and exeptional blooming of creativity among our artistic groups. None of these belong to a movement of a party. Instead they belong to a large social network. We have numerous clips, and anthems were created, not to mention countless paintings, drawings and cartoons. The extent of the flow of this creativity is not comparable to any period of our history. These are the bulk and the essence of the movement. These are what create the content of dialogues of this huge wave and this massive movement. They guide it and push it forward. This does not happen in a framework of party or any one political front. At times, two or three artists come together, or in larger or smaller groups, on corners of our country and even outside of our country, they have come together to send their help. There are joined by religious groups, religious gatherings, charity organizations and other political groups.

In fact here, the struggle has become a way of life, a life that continues and is unstoppable. It is not the case that you can constrain it at a point. As a result this movement is a movement that cannot be harmed. In an environment of collective dialogue and discussion these movements would be ever more encouraged and push themselves forward. In this regards, the media are of key importance. The labor that people pull in our media is honorable and much appreciated. Here, I emphasize yet again that considering that we do not have any media at all, we must pay more attention to such means and tools [of communication], and benefit more from them. This is a miracle that we have seen during and after the elections, and considering our current situation we must take advantage of such tools. Naturally, we are connecting the individual and the social environments through the media and all the while we are creating a enormous movement with large span, and a long range.

The fact is that this movement does not belong to any one small group, party or political current, neither does it follow a specific detail oriented struggle nor is it a fully oppositional movement. This movement is one that is a current that is blended into dreams, ideals, and style of lives of our own people. That is why it is very sustainable.

We want to get our inspiration from readings of the Qu'ran that say: “Make your own homes a Kaaba”. [All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are.] It must be that, in referring to this expansive social network, in their own large and small groups, each person contribute his/her own share to the movement, so that the movement can maintain shape and continue.

How can we find a solution to the crisis?

Until we accept that we have a problem and are in a crisis, until the larger group of majority of people is labeled as disturbance, until people are not counted in the equations [of power] and until the rights of people to determine their own destinies is not accepted, we can not find a universal solution to our problem.

For this reason our national unity, as I referred to it in the second meaning that I introduced earlier, contains the activities of the groups and crowds of people. Since these gatherings are with good intentions, I think it is necessary that in every movement people be respected, that the majority is not alienated. People are together, even those of them who have different views. It is we who analyze them and impose the differences, and unfortunately we separate the people from one another. The maxim here is that people should be respected. Their perspectives and ideas should be accepted. We must return to these fundamental rules. We must rely on the fundamental that we must return to the constitution and we must insist on the fundamental principle, "Governance of people over their own destinies." Only then we can easily find a solution to this problem.
Sunday
Oct182009

The Latest from Iran (18 October): Today's Bombings

NEW Iran Newsflash: National Unity Plan Submitted to Supreme Leader
NEW Video: Blame on Sunni Group Jundallah, US For Bombing
NEW Iran: Khamenei, Bahari, Hajjarian, and the "Semi-Normal"
NEW Iran: The Great Supreme Leader Health Mystery
Iran: The Supreme Leader Lives — The Picture (17 October)
The Latest from Iran (17 October): Back to Semi-Normal

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

IRAN 3 NOV DEMOS 42000 GMT: The official death toll from today's bombing is now 42.

1950 GMT: Coincidence or Sabotage? A passenger train travelling from Tehran to Kerman derailed today, and a tea factory in Golestan burned to the ground.

1925 GMT: Mehr News is reporting that the explosion near the Oil Ministry in Tehran was from a faulty air tank.

Islamic Republic News Agency, repeating the air tank story, is reporting one person killed and 17 injured.

1910 GMT: Switching the Foreign "Enemy" from the US to Pakistan. This morning, when the Revolutionary Guard was claiming Washington was behind the bombings, we wrote, "Watch carefully to see if the Ahmadinejad Government maintains this line, which could derail 'engagement'."

There's a big clue tonight that Ahmadinejad has chosen engagement over the blame-US line. Fars News reports that the Iranian Cabinet has demanded that Pakistan bring forward those who carried out the bombings, a positioning reinforced by the summoning of the Pakistani Ambassador to the Foreign Ministry. There is no mention of the US anywhere in the Fars story.

1900 GMT: There are reports of an explosion near the Oil Ministry in Tehran.

1830 GMT: The Death Toll Rises.... The afternoon number of 31 dead from this morning's bombing will rise, though it is uncertain how much. Fars News reports that 35 victims have already been identified.

1625 GMT: National Unity Plan. It's alive, and it apparently has been submitted to the Supreme Leader (who is apparently also alive) for consideration. We've posted a separate entry on the newsflash.

1535 GMT: Iran's Nuclear Programme: This is Not Good. If the following report from Press TV is accurate, Iran's nuclear negotiators --- on the eve of the Vienna technical talks --- just laughed in the face of the "West": "A team of Iranian experts heads for the Austrian capital to discuss the terms of a deal to buy highly-enriched uranium without exchanging any of Tehran's low-enriched uranium."

The deal discussed quietly since June between Iran and other countries, including the US, is precisely for Tehran to transfer 80 percent of its low-enriched uranium to third countries for enrichment. Simply adding highly-enriched supplies to Iran's existing low-enriched stock has no appeal for Washington, which sees third-party enrichment as a way to ensure that Tehran stays below the 20 percent enrichment maximum for "civilian" uses of uranium.


1530 GMT: Another Suspended Sentence. A day after the five-year suspended sentence for Saeed Hajjarian, the same judgement has been handed down on Shahab Tabatabai, Head of Campaign 88 for young supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mohammad Khatami.

1430 GMT: Now Back to Politics. Mir Hossein Mousavi, writing on his website Kalameh (English summary on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) after a meeting with relatives of detained former Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Aminzadeh, says he will persist in efforts for reform in spite of the Government's attempts to suppress post-election protests:
Our people are not rioters. Reform will continue as long as people's demands are not met. Keeping these people in jail is meaningless. They should be released as soon as possible.

1340 GMT: On the international front, Fars News reports that Iran's delegation to the technical talks in Vienna tomorrow will include Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Hamid Reza Asghari, deputy head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, and Mehdi Khaniki, another IAEO chief executive. However, Ali Akhbar Salehi, the head of the IAEO is not going.

1330 GMT: Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani has also taken the line that Washington carries responsibility for today's bombings, "We consider this recent terrorist act to be the result of the U.S. actions and this is a sign of their enmity."

To repeat: US and Iranian officials are due to meet tomorrow in the next step of engagement, technical talks on Iran's uranium enrichment programme.

1240 GMT: The Islamic Republic News Agency is featuring a message from President Ahmadinejad, offering his condolences to the families of those killed this morning and expressing confidence that there would be a swift response to the "criminal action".

1230 GMT: EA's Mr Smith checks in with detail on Jundallah and the bombing: "We would normally dismiss the Iranian allegations of foreign interference as the usual anti-West yarn from Tehran, but the claims against [Jundallah leader Abdolmalek] Rigi warrant extra attention. He is an extremely shadowy figure who appears to be well-protected, to the extent that his own brother has been caught and sentenced to death [Hamid Rigi was reprieved at the last minute although 13 other Jundullah members were executed] by the Iranian authorities but he himself is still at large.

"He has appeared several times on Voice of America Persian, under the label "Leader of the 'Popular Resistance Movement of Iran', which is something VOA made up --- it's not quite the Persian translation of Jundullah. Exactly how the VOA got hold of him for a live interview, via satellite phone, is quite unexplained, as is the prominence and deference accorded to him. This interview caused a serious backlash in the Iranian blogosphere and seriously discredited VOA Persian."

1215 GMT: Press TV's reporting is not only emphasising Jundallah's responsibility for the bombings but playing up a US connection. In a video we've posted in a separate entry, Press TV claims --- from an interview with the captured brother of Junduallah's leader, Abdolmalek Rigi --- that the group "has been in constant contact with the US Embassy in Islamabad [Pakistan] and this has been certified by different groups and sources [of Press TV]".

1200 GMT: The latest from Iranian state media puts the death toll from this morning's larger bombing at 29, including six senior Revolutionary Guard commanders, with 28 injured. The Sunni rebel group Jundallah is reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack. The Revolutionary Guard continue to allege that the US is involved, while state television has also blamed Britain.

0945 GMT: We've moved our initial morning analysis, considering the politics of the Supreme Leader's health, the release on bail of journalist Maziar Bahari, the suspended sentence for Saeed Hajjarian, and more arrests, to a separate analysis.

0920 GMT: Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting has identified the site of the larger of the two bombings as the gates of a conference hall, where the Revolutionary Guard meeting with tribal elders was to take place, in the city of Sarbaz in Sistan-Baluchestan.

0845 GMT: Press TV adds an interesting detail on the bombing, pointing to coordinated attacks: "At around the same time, another group of IRGC commanders were caught in an explosion as their convoy came under attack at a road junction" in the town of Pishin in Sistan-Baluchestan.

0840 GMT: No new details on the suicide boming, but Revolutionary Guard officials have issued a communique saying "foreign elements" linked to the US were responsible.

Watch carefully to see if the Ahmadinejad Government maintains this line, which could derail "engagement". US and Iranian delegations are due to meet tomorrow in the "5+1" technical talks on Iran's uranium enrichment.

0725 GMT: Iranian state media is reporting that "several" senior commanders have been killed by a suicide bombing in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran, which left 60 dead and injured.

Those killed include General Noor Ali Shooshtari, the deputy commander of the IRGC ground forces, and Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh, the IRGC's commander in Sistan-Baluchestan.

The IRGC commanders had gathered to meet tribal elders, purportedly for Shia-Sunni reconciliation. (English summary avaiable via Associated Press)
Sunday
Oct182009

Iran: Khamenei, Bahari, Hajjarian, and the "Semi-Normal"

The Latest from Iran (18 October): Today’s Bombings
NEW Iran: The Great Supreme Leader Health Mystery
Iran: The Supreme Leader Lives — The Picture (17 October)
The Latest from Iran (17 October): Back to Semi-Normal

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

IRAN 3 NOV DEMOS 4Little did we know, when we titled yesterday's updates "Back to Semi-Normal", how appropriate the label would turn out.

The most prominent semi-normal was the apparent reappearance of the Supreme Leader after recent rumours about his poor health. We've followed yesterday's special updates with an analysis this morning of the political significance beyond the pictures of his meetings with Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade.

Then there was the semi-normal, which will dominate "Western" coverage today, of the release of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari on $300,000 bail from Evin Prison. Bahari had been held since June on allegations that he had passed sensitive information to "Western" agencies plotting velvet revolution in Iran; the authorities put him on show after the first Tehran trial in August to "confess".

If this is semi-normal for Bahari, who is not "free" but still awaits a formal judgement and sentencing, the event is even more semi-normal because it obscures a wider political move by the regime. In the post-election conflict, far more significant is the suspended five-year prison sentence handed down to Saeed Hajjarian, the reformist political leader who has been at the centre of the crisis since his arrest in June.

Hajjarian, disabled by an assassin's attack nine years ago but still one of the most powerful political theorists in Iran, became a symbol for the Green opposition; he was a far different symbol for the Government, who made his "confession" first amongst equals as they constructed their foreign-inspired attempt to overthrow the regime.

With Hajjarian's suspended sentence, the Government is trying to show a supposed willingness for conciliation while it draws a line under the crisis. EA's Mr Smith was wrong in his prediction --- that the Supreme Leader would give an amnesty to Hajjarian and other key reformists --- only by a few weeks. All is now well, the Government will claim, while being on guard to re-arrest Hajjarian, imposing the suspended sentence, if he or other reformists cause more trouble.

For, in this "semi-normal" political state, the regime is still detaining allies of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi. At 4 a.m. yesterday Government forces raided the home of Mohammad Reza Mogheyseh, the head of the Karroubi-Mousavi special committee investigating prisoner abuse cases, and arrested the activist.

No, for all the drama surrounding the Supreme Leader, for all the attention that will be given to Bahari (see how many non-Iranian media outlets even mention the Hajjarian suspended sentence), the "real" political stories of this week --- and the week to come --- are the sustained challenge by opposition leaders like Mehdi Karroubi and the still little-known negotiations over the National Unity Plan.

It is 17 days to the demonstrations of 13 Aban (4 November).
Saturday
Oct172009

The Latest from Iran (17 October): Back to Semi-Normal

The Latest from Iran (18 October): Semi-Normal, Indeed - Khamenei, Bahari, & Hajjarian
Iran: The Great Supreme Leader Health Mystery
Iran: The Supreme Leader Lives --- The Picture (17 October)
Iran: The Daily Show Tribute (Persian and English Versions)
A Brilliant Neo-Con Idea: Crippling Iran to Save It
Iran: A Beginner’s Guide to the Economy, Past and Present
The Latest from Iran (16 October): Rumours and Drama, Khamenei and Karroubi

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

IRAN 3 NOV DEMOS 31855 GMT: We're taking a Saturday night off to recharge mental batteries. The discussion board should be buzzing all night, however --- take a look at the sharp-eyed comments on the separate entry about the Supreme Leader's pictures --- and your ideas and thoughts are invaluable to us.

Before we go, an apology. In another prominent entry today, I referred to the Persian language as "Farsi". This, of course, is an error, and I will endeavour not to repeat it. Thanks to readers who gently brought the mistake to my attention.

1850 GMT: The Government Fights On Over Detainees.
Mohammad Reza Mogheyseh, who became the head of the Karroubi-Mousavi special committee investigating prisoner abuse cases after the arrest of Mousavi advisor Alireza Beheshti in September, was taken from his home and detained at 4 a.m. Mogheyseh is a well-known war veteran who has helped amputees and families of the dead.

http://www.kaleme.com/1388/07/25/klm-637

1810 GMT: Conservative Resurgence Against Ahmadinejad? The high-profile conservative member of Parliament, Ali Motahari, had been quiet recently after repeated complaints about the President during the summer. However, in an interview today he has said that conservatives should admit to the wrongdoings of Ahmadinejad, and considering the facts without prejudice and judging fairly.

Perhaps even more significantly, given talk of the National Unity Plan, Motahari complained that Ahmadinejad supporters are insisting that there should be no national unity unless “leaders of the conspiracy” admit to their mistakes and apologise to the people or even be prosecuted. Motahari insisted those supporters should consider that Ahmadinejad started the “conspiracy” with his remarks during the election campaign and in his “victory” speech. (English summary via Facebook page linked to Mir Hossein Mousavi)

1800 GMT: Reuters is reporting, from Iranian Labor News Agency, that Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari has been released on $300,000 bail.

1740 GMT: We've updated in the separate entry on the photographs of today's reported appearance of the Supreme Leader. Meanwhile, Press TV has brought out an English-language version of the meeting with the President of Senegal, focusing on Khamenei's call for support of "oppressed Palestinians".

1640 GMT: He's Alive! The Supreme Leader's website has poted the first picture of Ayatollah Khameini since the recent rumours of ill health. We've got the details in a separate entry.

1625 GMT: Salaam News reports that the weekly gathering of mothers and family members of victims of post-election violence, held in Laleh Park, was disrupted by police and security forces who used tear gas.

1545 GMT: Mowj-e-Sabz and Rouydad claim that leading reformist politician Saeed Hajjarian has been given a five-year suspended prison sentence after four months in detention. The Iranian judiciary has not yet been confirmed the reports.

1415 GMT: After a four-day break, the English-language Tehran Times is publishing again, with stories such as Iran Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's warning to his US counterpart Hillary Clinton, "Avoid ‘Useless Slogans’ Used in Bush Era".

1250 GMT: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty posts more details about those recently sentenced to death in Iran, including Hamed Rouhinejad. (Curiously, they report four rather than five condemned.)

1150 GMT: National Unity Plan Alive and Well? After days with little news of the Plan, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Reza Bahonar has confirmed that he is on the panel working on the proposal. He told journalists, "Don't rush on reporting details," expressing confidence in the success of the initiative. The article from Aftab News claims that, although Government supporters have been hostile, the majority of Parliament supports the plan.

1140 GMT: A Sign of Conciliation? Tehran's police chief has called for unity and admitted that "the Basij [militia]'s image needs to be repaired". Perhaps most importantly, he has accepted street marches as long as they are peaceful.

The statement follows recent comments by Iran's police chief, Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, that said demonstrations would be tolerated if they were within the law.

1130 GMT: News or Disinformation? Raja News, a fervent opponent of the Green movement, claims that supporters of Ayatollah Dastgheib, an equally vehement critic of the Government, stormed the office of the Friday Prayers committee in Fars Provine and beat a cleric who supports the Supreme Leader. The newspaper also features a statement from the "community and clergy" reiterating the electoral turnout of 85 percent and Ahmadinejad's tally of more than 24 million votes.

0935 GMT: Fars News, on its English-language site, has reiterated the denial by "Iran's diplomatic sources" of the rumours of the Supreme Leader's illness. The article is more shorter than the Farsi-language "analysis" posted on Friday (see yesterday's updates), linking the rumours to a Western campaign for velvet revolution.

Significantly, Fars refuses to note that it was an Iranian website, Peiknet, that posted the first report of Ayatollah Khamenei's health problems, instead pinning the rumour on a long-time bogeyman, Michael Ledeen. And, perhaps equally significantly, the denial still comes from relatively low-ranking Iranian officials --- the two are "on record", though not named in this article, are based in Armenia and Belarus.

0730 GMT: Now for the Government's Next Threat. A prosecutor has told the Islamic Republic News Agency that, after "several hundred" complaints from the public, Mir Hossein Mousavi may be brought before the Media Court to be punished.

0640 GMT: Press TV is intent on building up Iran's international stature today --- Iran sends special envoy to resolve crisis in Yemen, Jannati at Friday Prayers declares "Western powers have finally realized they cannot have the final say on Tehran's nuclear issue", Iran calls for war crimes trial of Israeli leaders. However, it does stray from this line for one economic story of note: "Iran's drug companies are facing a financial crisis due to unpaid debts of more than $300 million".

0625 GMT: A much quieter day so far. The chatter about the Supreme Leader's health has eased, and after a flurry of back-and-forth challenges between the Government, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mir Hossein Mousavi, no one has made any moves (though, if past experience is a guide, the battling could pick up this afternoon).

While life and politics can never be labelled normal in Iran after 12 June, there is a semblance of steady-as-she-goes today. Still, as a reader reminds us, even "semi-normal" qualified. Five post-election detainees remain on death row pending their appeals; a "deeply troubled" United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has now spoken on the issue through a report to the General Assembly: “The handling by authorities of the protests that followed has raised concerns about respect for freedom of expression, assembly and association, the use of force in policing demonstrations and the treatment of and due process afforded to detainees."
Page 1 ... 2 3 4 5 6 ... 8 Next 5 Entries »