The latest from Iran

Tue, 06/16/2009 - 7:45am

The big Iran news today is that the Guardian Council, the clerical body that oversees elections and is controlled by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has agreed to recount certain ballots disputed by Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign.

This is, of course, a ruse -- a delaying tactic meant to divide the opposition by peeling off its most moderate members. Mousavi wants a complete annulment of Friday's official results.

Also of note: Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani -- who has congratulated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his "victory" -- blamed the interior ministry for the recent attacks on students at Tehran University.

Hossein Ali Montazeri -- Iran's most prominent "dissident ayatollah" -- is now telling the protesters to use peaceful means to express their grievances. I'm not sure how influential Montazeri, once thought to be Khomenei's heir, really is today, but his opinion surely carries some weight. There's still no word from Rafsanjani. [UPDATE: Translation of Montazeri's statement.]

Finally, I'm sad to learn that reformist cleric Mohammad Ali Abtahi has reportedly been arrested. I've been reading his blog sporadically for years, but it seems to be offline now. Abtahi, a former Khatami deputy who backed Karroubi in these elections, was frequently quoted in the Western press.

It will be interesting to see what happens during today's dueling demonstrations, and whether Mousavi's call for a general strike is being observed. State media has called on Iranians to protest against "outlaws," and Mousavi is reportedly telling his supporters not to demonstrate today. Still, that's what he said yesterday -- and people came out in droves anyway. It's not clear to what extent he controls this movement.

One ominous sign that Ahmadinejad thinks he has this situation under control? He went ahead with a planned trip to Russia despite the unrest back home. I see that he met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Perhaps the two of them compared notes on how to steal an election?

VLADIMIR RODIONOV/AFP/Getty Images

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The latest from Iran

by simplesimon on Tue, 06/16/2009 - 8:30am

There was little ambiguity in Obama’s endorsement of “new possibilities” regarding Iranian elections before they were held. Extension of poll hours by six hours and spectacularly high voter turnout in Tehran and elsewhere were applauded by US and British TV reporters as ‘harbinger of a turning point in the history of a great country’. It is only when the results did NOT turn out to be what Western news media wanted them to be, that veracity of elections is being challenged.

There is an inclination for Western diplomats and its media to attach disproportionate importance to the views of those they are either in agreement with, or those with whom they enjoy a convivial social relationship. Broadly speaking, foreign journalists and diplomats interact meaningfully with those who are not socially conservative. It was interesting to note that few journalists covering the Iranian election actually made the effort to find out what made Ahmadinejad tick with the poor and the working classes. Witness how Western news media clings to the news of ‘few Pakistanis outside government getting together to fight Taliban’ as if it is a general trend when nothing can be further from the truth.

Even in Iraq, US refuses to accept that loyalty of Sunni rebels was bought by putting them on US payroll. That loyalty ended the day US stopped paying the bribe. Same will be true in Pakistan.

From the Angry Arab's

by Chris Coughlin on Tue, 06/16/2009 - 11:00am

From the Angry Arab's blog

"Have not had time for posting especially about Iran: I just woke up at 2:30AM Oslo time. Not fun if you value sleep as I do. Typically, I support neither side in the Iranian situation: but I support those Iranians who are struggling against both sides. I have worried before about the impact of Ahmadinajad's stupid rhetoric on the Iranian public attitudes toward the Palestinian question. I worried that in the long run it will move the public away from solidarity with the Palestinians. Of course, there is so much hypocrisy in the Western coverage and official reactions to the developments. Most glaring for me was the statement by the secretary-general of the UN who insisted on the respect of the will of the Iranian people. Would that US designate utter such words, say, about Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and other dictatorships that are approved by the US? The role of Faqih in Iran undermines any claim of democray in that country: but I am in no way sympathetic to Moussavi. He is a man who suddenly discovered the virtues of democray. When he was prime minister back in the 1980s, he presided over a regime far more oppressive than Ahmadinajad's. And why has no Western media really commented on his rhetoric during his own campaign: the man kept saying that he wants a "return" to the teachings of Khomeini. I in no way support a man who wants a "return" to the teachings of Khomeini. But Western media are always quick to pick villains and heroes: especially when one side is identified against Israel. I don't know whether the elections in Iran was stolen or not, and I would not be surprised if such a regime did that. But why do Western media express outrage over a stolen electin in Iran but they don't even feign outrage over lack of elections in Saudi Arabia? So it is not about democracy or respecting the will of the people any way."

Hello mates from

by luizeba on Sun, 07/12/2009 - 7:29am

Hello mates from ForeignPolicy

Anyone here know the website who translate the iranian messages in Twitter?

Best Regards,
Luiz Soares, owner of Jogos Online Gratis

Extension of poll hours by

by hankjmatt on Wed, 07/15/2009 - 8:04am

Extension of poll hours by six hours and spectacularly high voter turnout in Tehran and elsewhere were applauded by US and British TV reporters as ‘harbinger of a turning point in the history of a great country’. It is only when the results did NOT turn out to be what Western news media wanted them to be, that veracity of elections is being challenged.
clubpenguin