Chanting against Mujtaba Khamanie

people chanting: "Mujtaba be Miri, Rahbari ro Nabini" ("Mujtaba Die before becoming the Leader!"). Tehran. Vali Asr & Takhtetavoos intersection. 30 July 2009

People chanting against Mujtaba Khamanie, the eldest son of the supreme leader, and repotedly a leading figure in Basij brutality against the protesters. Rumors abound in tehran that Mujtaba is positioning himseldf to replace an ailing father.

"Marg bar Dictator", "Ya Hossein, Mir Hossein" - Tehran

Chants: "Marg Bar Dictator" ("Death to Dictator"). "Ya Hossein, Mir Hossein" ("O Hossein, Mir Hossein") [Mir Hossein Mousavi, the opposition leader]. Tehran. Qnabarnejad Street. 30 July 2009

Protests in Isfahan

Isfahan. 30 July 2009. Toward Azar Bridge.
The Sound of Silence

"Iranian Republic": The New Chant

People Chanting: "Iranian Republic, Independence, Freedom" Tehran. 30 July 2009

Protesters today for the first time chanted "Iranian Republic, Independence, Freedom" ("Jomhouri Irani, Esteghlal, Azadi". The significance is the variation of the first part in the chant, "Iranian Republic", replacing the familiar "Islamic Republic" part in now-famous "Islamic Republic, Independence, Freedom" chant sung during the 1979 revolution.

Tehran Protests

Protests at Vanak . Tehran. 30 July 2009


Beheshti Avenue. Tehran. 30 July 2009


Police attacking and shooting at protesters. Tehran 30 July. Vali Asr & Vanak intersection

Mousavi Joins the Mourners

Iran's opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has just joined the mourners gathered in Tehran’s Behesht Zahra Memorial Park to commemorate the 40th Day anniversary of the death of Neda Soltan and other protesters slain during the post-election demonstrations.

Eyewitnesses are estimating the size of crowd gathered so far at the cemetery at 10,000. Heavy anti-riot police presence has also been reported. There are reports of mourners being arrested, including the arrest of Jafar Panahi, Iran’s renowned filmmaker.

UPDATE: Mousavi managed to visit and pay respect at Neda's grave upon arrival at Behesht Zahra. The riot police have now surrounded his vehicle forcing it to drive off cemetery.

UPDATE (4:30 pm Tehran): Some 3,000 mourners remain at Neda's grave. Police is charging the crowd to disperse them. Reports of injury.

UPDATE (4:50 pm Tehran): Mehdi Karrubi has joined the opposition supporters in Behesht Zahra. Karrubi visited Neda's grave.

UPDATE (5:00 pm Tehran): Police and Basij have cordoned off Neda's burial place, preventing people to go there.


Today at Behesht Zahra


Today at Behesht Zahra

Iran Opposition Defying Police – Memorial Services for Slain Protestors

Hundreds of anti-riot police have surrounded Behesht Zahra Memorial Park in Tehran today to prevent a visit by opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karrubi and their supporters to the graves of protesters slain in post-election demonstrations in Iran.

The memorial service was to start at 4:00 pm Tehran time. Reports from Tehran indicate that the police are trying to disperse mourners who have begun to arrive at the cemetery and are arresting a number of them. Thousands are expected to attend.

Today is the 40th Day anniversary of the death of Neda Soltan and a number of other protesters. Neda's mother is also expected to attend the memorial service today. 40th Day anniversaries are important mourning occasions in Shia religion.

Iran and Russia to Hold Joint Naval Exercise

Russia and Iran will hold a joint naval exercise in the Caspian Sea. The exercise will include 30 Russian and Iranian ships, as well as helicopters. This is the first time ever for a joint military maneuver between the two countries. The Iranian Navy did not release any dates or details about the exercise.

Iran to Open Naval Base in Jask

Iranian Frigate in the Persian Gulf (file)

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said today in Tehran that Iran will open a new naval base in Jask, a port in the Sea of Oman. A new air force base was also opened in Jask earlier this month.

Seven Iranian Dissidents Killed at Camp Ashraf

Camp Ashraf . Enterance Gate

Attack on Camp Ashraf by Iraqi Security Forces. 28 July 2009

Seven Iranian dissidents have been killed at Camp Ashraf, 60 kilometers north of Baghdad, during a surprise raid by Iraqi military and security forces on Tuesday. The camp, in Diyala Province, is run by the Iranian opposition group Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO). Iraqi forces have surrounded the camp and clashes are continuing for a second day. The camp is home to some 3,000 MKO members.

Commander of US forces in Iraq, GEN Ray Odierno, said in Baghdad that the US had not been forewarned of the raid. After Saddam’s fall, the camp came under US control and was disarmed. Last month, the US relegated the control of the camp to Iraqi military. GEN Odierno told reporters last night that the Iraqis had promised at the time that they would treat the exiled Iranians humanely.

Amnesty International said today it was “seriously concerned” about the raid and killing of Iranian exiles. Video footage of the raid clearly shows Iraqi forces beating people repeatedly.

Iran Frees 140 Detainees

Iranian authorities said today they were releasing 140 detainees of the post-election street protests, while still keeping 150 in jail.

This is the first time the government has released any figures on the number of people arrested during the recent events. The 290 number as the number of total arrests has not been verified by independent sources. Some human rights groups have published much higher estimates.

Iran’s hardliners face off over cabinet – The Christian Science Monitor

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (r.) and Esfandiar Mashaie
Tehran. 22 July 2009. Photo by Reuters’ Yalda Moaiery.

Printed on 26 July 2009 edition of CSM

In a column on Sunday 26 July 2009 edition of The Christian Science Monitor, Iason Athanasiadis examines the growing tensions among Iran’s hardliners. President Ahmadinejad fired his intelligence minister on Sunday after being forced to take back the nomination of Eskandar Mashaie, a close advisor, as his first VP. Athanasiadis also quotes this blogger on the balance of fear between the government and the opposition.

"A delicate and prolonged period of balance of fear has started between the government and the opposition," says Nader Uskowi, a Washington-based Iran analyst and president of Uskowi Associates. "After enduring a month of relentless attack by government forces, the opposition reaffirmed its strength, but the government will hang onto power with support from the armed forces and a segment of the more traditional and rural population" [CSM, 26 July].

Iran: The Growing Tensions within the Conservative Camp

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fired his intelligence minister on Sunday after heated oral arguments between the two during a Wednesday night cabinet meeting in Tehran. Qolam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the cleric intelligence chief, reportedly accused Ahmadinejad of disloyalty to the country’s supreme leader for not withdrawing quickly enough the controversial nomination of Esfandiar Mashaie to be his first VP. Ahmadinejad has since withdrawn the nomination, but has renamed Mashaie as his chief of staff, another top post in the administration.

Ejei’s dismissal as intelligence minister came amid open criticism of Ahmadinejad by the Maj. Gen. Firouzabadi, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed for his delay in complying with an order from Khamenei to drop his pick for vice president.

The conservative backlash intensified today by the announcement that Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi, the minister of culture and former editor of ultar-conservative influential daily Kayhan, would not be returning to Ahmadinejad’s adminstration for his second term.

Letter by Mousavi, Other Opposition Leaders on Imprisonment and Torture

Mir Hossein Mousavi and other opposition leaders have urged the grand ayatollahs in the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad to pressure the government to release protesters and activists imprisoned and being tortured following last month’s disputed presidential election.

Mousavi, the presumed winner of the election, Mehdi Karrubi, former President Mohammad Khatami and 66 other prominent reformists sent a letter to the senior ayatollahs saying authorities have held protesters and activists without charges and have used torture to extract confessions.

"We call on you, the marja' taqlid to remind the relevant authorities of the damaging consequences of employing unlawful methods and warn them about the spread of tyranny in the Islamic republic system," said the letter.
"What legal, Islamic or human rights code can justify the repeated torture of those who live under the banner of Islam?" it said.

The letter said the repressive methods used to obtain confessions were reminiscent of the methods employed by Iran's former shah, who was toppled by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

"The only way out of this situation is to release all detainees and put an end to the security state imposed after the election," it said [AP English translation, 25 July].

Global Day of Solidarity with Iran Opposition

Protesters across the world today are calling on Iran to end its clampdown on opposition activists and demanding the release of hundreds rounded up during demonstrations against the country's disputed election.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called 25 July a global day of action. Protests are underway in more than 80 cities across the globe, including protest march and a large gathering today, at 4:00 pm EST, in Washington, DC.

Khamenei Orders Ahmadinejad to Dump Mashaie

Ayatollah Khamenie's handwritten note ordering
Ahmadinejad to drop Mashaie's appointment

Fars News Agency, 24 July

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenie in a handwritten note to President Ahmadinejad ordered him to reverse the the appointment of Esfandyar Rahim-Mashaie as his First Vice President. The note written on 18 July was made public today by Fars.

“The appointment of Mr. Esfandyar Rahim-Masha'i as presidential deputy is contrary to your interests and that of the government and a cause for divisions and frustration among your supporters. It is necessary for this appointment to be declared null and void,” Khamenie said in his note to Ahmadinejad.

Mashaie stepped down today, citing Khamanie’s “decree.”

Iran Airliner Crashes - Kills 17

Iran’s Aria Airlines Flight 1525 crashed on landing in Mashhad on Friday afternoon, killing 17 people and injuring 23 others. The flight had been originated in Tehran.

The aircraft, a Russian-made Ilyushin 62 jet, caught fire while landing and skidded off a runway.

This is the second fatal air crash in Iran this month. A Caspian Airlines jet crashed on 15 July, killing all 168 people on board.

Ahmadinejad’s VP Pick Steps Down

Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie, Ahmadinejad’s controversial choice to become his first vice president in his new cabinet has stepped down. Fars reported that Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, Ahmadinejad’s senior aide, has confirmed Mashaie’s resignation.

“In the face of [Supreme Leader’s] decree, I don't believe myself to be the first vice-president. I will continue to offer my services to the revolution and Iran wherever else necessary,” Mashie was quoted as saying [Fars News Agency, 24 April].

Ahmadinejad had come under attack by his supports on the right to dump Mashie. Khamenei finally sent a letter to Ahmadinejad ordering him to reverse Mashaie’s appointment. Mashaie's reference to a decree is that letter sent by Khamenei.

The fiasco has become a major embarrassment for Ahmadinejad who did not expect to come under attack by his natural allies on his very first major decision in post-election Iran.

US To Accept a Nuclear Iran

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today that the US would contain a nuclear-armed Iran in order to protect other Middle East countries. The statement was a tacit acknowledgment by the US of Iran’s advances in nuclear technology and an official announcement of US intentions of coming to terms with a nuclear Iran.

Until today, the official US position shared by European powers was that Iran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. Clinton’s statement was a radical departure from this policy.

"We want Iran to calculate what I think is a fair assessment: that if the United States builds a defense umbrella over the region, if we do even more to develop the military capacity of those in the Gulf, it is unlikely that Iran will be any stronger or safer because they won't be able to intimidate and dominate as they apparently believe they can once they have a nuclear weapon," Clinton said during an interview with Thai TV [AFP, 23 July].

Clinton’s statement immensely helps the hardline positions of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenie and its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, regarding the country’s nuclear policy.

Hunger Strike by Iranian Celebrities at UN

Dozens of Iranian celebrities today started a three-day hunger strike in front of the UN building in New York demanding the release of prisoners detained during the post-election protests in Iran. The action was sponsored by long-time former Iranian political prisoner Akbar Ganji. Among the celebrities on hunger strike was Gogoosh, the internationally-renowned Iranian singer.

Fundamentalists Furious over Adhamdinejad’s VP Choice

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s refusal so far to withdraw Esfandia Mashie’s appointment as his first vice president has put him on uncharted territory, picking a fight with ultra-conservatives and the fundamentalists, his political base.

Ultra-conservative Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami (not to be confused with the former president Mohammad Khatami) warned Ahmadinejad today that he must heed to the wished of the supreme leader and withdraw the appointment.

“When the exalted supreme leader takes a position explicitly, his statement must be accepted by all means and implemented immediately,” Ahmad Khatami told Mehr news agency. “Those who voted for Ahmadinejad because of his loyalty to the supreme leader expect the president to show his obedience in practice” [AP translation of Mehr report].

In picking fight with the fundamentalists before he has even formed his new government, Ahmadinejad might want to improve his fading public image in the aftermath of the disputed presidential election and divert attentions from the main issue at hand, request for a national referendum on the election results.