The Latest from Iran (9 February): The 25 Bahman Beat Goes On

2120 GMT: Not Worried at All (cont. --- 0925 GMT). Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Hamedani has commented on the proposed march for 25 Bahman (11 February), "The seditionists (opposition leaders) are nothing but a dead corpse and we will strongly confront any of their movements. We definitely consider them as anti-revolutionary and spies, and we will strongly confront them."

The Facebook page supporting Monday's rally now has more than 25,000 supporters.

2050 GMT: Partners. China has signed a $13 billion contract to develop Iran's railway system.

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Iran Document: Mousavi and Karroubi on the Revolution "Living is Not Only Staying Alive"

A new discourse is born today: A discourse that those who were martyred for its values are its leaders and those who were imprisoned for its values are its flag bearers; a discourse that condemns violence and pursues change through peaceful means; a discourse that responds to lies, false accusations, and insults with truth, honesty and good manners; a discourse that does not have hopes in [the outcome of] the secret games of the international powers and considers the clear national solution as the only path toward reforms; a discourse that does not follow the ideology of "Us vs Them" but rather tries to turn "Them" into "Us"; a discourse that recognises all voices and does not see the national unity in absolute silence but rather sees it in relying on the collective rationality; a discourse that does not consider the people as outsiders when it comes to what is happening in the country but rather tries to spread awareness among all layers of the society and to every corner of this land

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Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Surge

2150 GMT: Prominent activist Wael Ghonim today on CNN, telling the regime, " "If you are true Egyptians, if you are heroic Egyptians, it's time to step down":

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Egypt Analysis: How the US Should Be Engaging Cairo (Ezell)

The White House and the State Department;s reaction to the crisis in Egypt indicates Washington is behind the curve on fulfilling its promise to engage Muslim communities throughout the Arab World. Its narrow focus on countering terror rather than grasping the social ramifications of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East region points to why insiders were caught off-guard by the events of the last two weeks.

But this is not a shock. Since 9/11, key US policymakers have been misreading the Arab World’s socio-political terrain. Reports focus on ensuring short-term American success in the region rather than on a building and sustaining of strategic relations with Muslim communities.

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Egypt in Pictures: Icons of the Uprising

Wael Ghonim and the mother of Khaled Said --- Ghonim's Facebook campaign "We are Khaled Said", who was killed by Egyptian police, was one of the catalysts for protests

Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Considering the Future

Wael Ghonim0030 GMT: Vice President Suleiman seems to have become fed up with the protests, Al Jazeera reports: 

Omar Suleiman, the Egyptian vice-president, warned on Tuesday that his government "can't put up with continued protests" for a long time, as tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters rallied in Cairo's Tahrir Square for thesixteenth day in a row.

In a sharply worded statement reflecting the regime's impatience and frustration with the mass demonstrations, the newly appointed Suleiman said the crisis must be ended as soon as possible.

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The Latest from Iran (8 February): Dominoes Falling?

2125 GMT: Closing Down a House of Worship. A Sunni prayer-house in Tehran has been sealed and prayer leader Moulavi Obeidollah Mousazadeh arrested.

2100 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. A judge has revoked bail for detained journalist Nazanin Khosravani, saying she was likely to flee Iran.

Khosravani's bail was suddenly increased last week, preventing her from leaving prison.

2055 GMT: Interrogating the Mothers. The website of the Mothers of Mourning says that more than 15 members have been summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence.

2020 GMT: Khamenei Quitting? Press TV appears to know something we don't --- its headline today, "Leader: Despotism Coming to End".

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A Warning from Egypt: "Surprisingly, Protesters Have Lost" (Gallo)

Tahrir Square now appears as a popular fair: songs, dances, slogans, and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love". People rise to prominence for their fiery wit, but their beautiful and interesting words, avoid any practical solution.

Please, give us the old-fashioned "What Is To Be Done".

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Turkey's Foreign Minister on Egypt: "We Took the Most Active and Clearest Position"

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu attended an international conference on security on Saturday. In his meeting with U.S. Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton, Davutoglu said: "Chances for democracy in the Middle East have been missed twice in the past 20 years. We cannot let this happen once again."

For Davutoglu, Turkey took "the most active and clearest position in Egypt".

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Egypt Video: The Interview with Wael Ghonim "I Want to Tell Families Who Lost Their Sons..."

Wael Ghonim is a Google executive who was seized by Egyptian security forces on 25 January. Blindfolded for 12 days, he was questioned at length before he was finally released --- amidst a prominent international campaign for his freedom --- yesterday.

Hours later, he gave this interview to Dream TV. Given the reaction, it may stand as one of the significant moments of this crisis. Distraught as he was shown pictures of those who have died in the crisis, Ghonim said, "I want to tell families who lost their sons this is not our fault. This is the fault of those clinging to power." He then walked away from the interview.

Parts 1 and 2 are with English subtitles. Subtitles for Part 3 to follow soon.

(Hat tips to Alive in Egypt and to "MarcinCalifornia")

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