Latest Iran Video: Ayatollah Sane'i's Criticism (12 August)

The Latest from Iran (17 August): Waiting for the Next Manoeuvre
Video: When Hashemi Met Ahmadi (17 August)

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There is Internet flutter today about a speech given by Ayatollah Sane'i to clerics on 12 August, a video of which has just emerged. Sane'i has been a sustained critic of the Government since the election, but this address goes further in its condemnation. It is in Farsi, of course, but Josh Shahryar offers a summary, which we've reprinted below the first of the five videos:

PART 1 of 5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrYPN0-Qk4c[/youtube]

SUMMARY: Sane' i had never been so shocked before in his life, as he has been because of what had happened in the events after the elections, especially detentions, deaths and torture – not even during the Islamic Revolution in Iran, when his friends were being tortured by the Imperial regime.

During his speech, he praises [Mir Hossein] Mousavi and other reformist leaders and asks the government as to why they are being oppressed. He declared that all these people who have been detained, tortured and are accused of violence are well-known men that he has known for many a year and none of them were planning to topple the regime, adding, that in terms of piety, Mousavi was the best or one of the best people in Iran.

He said that in Islam, no one had the right to torture someone so severely. He blasted the confessions and said that no confession was valid under any circumstances, if the confession had been obtained through torture. He said the name of Imam Khomeini was being tarnished by the atrocities committed – all in the name of the constitution.

He asked the government, to cease torture, stop persecution and immediately release all political prisoners.

PART 2 of 5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nejb18GpoyI[/youtube]

PART 3 of 5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpWra0XundY&feature=related[/youtube]

PART 4 of 5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOVZ1i3b6Wo&feature=related[/youtube]

PART 5 of 5

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pjeDzUa4BE&feature=related[/youtube]

Latest Iran Video: When Hashemi Met Ahmadi, Demo at Etemade Melli (17 August)

The Latest from Iran (17 August): Waiting for the Next Manoeuvre

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This morning, at the inauguration ceremony of Mohammad Sadegh Larijani, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad found themselves in the same place at the same time on the first occasion since the Presidential election. The video of the meeting shows a cordial encounter:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IyYJciSLL0[/youtube]

Meanwhile, despite the suspension by Mehdi Karroubi of the protest in front of Etemade Melli newspaper, some protesters gathered (multiple videos):

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXOFE-PbYJ0[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ITeKMHxs4[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzW6E4oN_uA[/youtube]

Gaza: "Moderate" Hamas Does a Balancing "War on Terror" Act

World, may we introduce you to the "moderate" Hamas?

During last Friday's prayers in Rafah, the leader of Junut Ansar Allah (Soldiers of Allah's Supporters), Abd al-Latif Musa, declared "the birth of an Islamic emirate in Gaza". There were his last words of him. Hamas attacked the mosque, killing 24 --- including six unarmed civilians –-- and injuring 125.

Now this may seem a curious way to become "moderate". However, with the Rafah mosque attack, Hamas was not only acting against a perceived insurgent threat. In the past, it has often been alleged that al-Qaeda militants are training and receiving support from Hamas. The Gazan leadership has always denied this but, with last Friday's operation, it offered a war against anti-American Islamist “terrorism”, distancing itself from “radicalism” and sending “positive” signals to Washington and Brussels.

Doing so, the Gazan organisation is striking a delicate balance. On the one hand, it is maintaining a low-profile vigilance against any anti-Western rhetoric that might give its opponents (read "Israel") ammunition for a public-relations assault. On the other, it is maintaining relations with Islamic groups, including some backed by Iran, to prevent any opening of space for challengers in Gaza.

Khaled Meshal, the political director of Hamas, said last week in an interview with Qatari newspaper al-Watan that the post-election turmoil in Iran would not endanger Tehran’s support for Hamas: "No doubt what is happening in Iran concerns and worries us, but we consider it to be an internal affair… But we are definitely not worried about the relationship with Iran or the support that Iran offers us.” Meshal's words took on new signficance after the provocative speech of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Friday: "Hezbollah is able to hit every city in Israel, and I repeat: if they hit Beirut, we will attack Tel Aviv.”

For, while Hezbollah might want to shake a fist at Israel right now, Hamas does not. So Meshal’s “worry” indicates a thin red line between Hamas and Tehran. Iran, for both domestic and regional reasons, is anxious to keep the heat on Tel Aviv, and it may be sending a message to Hamas to be less forthcoming towards an Israel-Palestine settlement. On the other hand, Meshal in particular has been attentive to sending signals to Washington that Hamas welcomes the US brokering of an agreement.

So Hamas finds itself manoeuvring both vis-a-vis external powers and against internal challenges. Flexibility becomes the keyword for strategy. But if that means Iran cannot be put to one side, it also means that "radicalism" is no longer an attractive label for Gaza's political leaders.

Welcome then to the new, moderate (if War-on-Terror-fighting) Hamas. But how will the world (read "United States") react?

Iran: Questions for the "Green Path of Hope" and for the Government

The Latest from Iran (17 August): Waiting for the Next Manoeuvre

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After all the manoeuvres and intrigues of the last 48 hours, this morning is wait-and-see.

On the opposition side, this has been illustrated by the confusion over the demonstration, originally scheduled for today, in front of the offices of the Etemade Melli newspaper, associated with Mehdi Karroubi. The gathering had been called by Karroubi's campaign but, after pro-Government forces did not fulfil their threat to demonstrate in front of and possibly attack the offices on Saturday, Karroubi called off today's event.

Late last night, activists around Mir Hossein Mousavi finally withdrew their "official" call to protest, but this morning the Twitter account supporting Mousavi continues to put out the message, "It's hard to undo announcement for protest. If protest goes on, it will be spontaneous and peaceful. You are media!"

The episode, which escalated from a specific situation (the defence of Etemade Melli) into debate over a general protest, is symbolic of the political challenges now facing the opposition. The immediate difficulty posed by the Government is the continuing threat of prosecution and suppression. Had the demonstration gone ahead with official backing, especially given Saturday's non-appearance by the pro-Government supporters, then Karroubi might have been subject to punishment and even detention. Even with the apparent withdrawal of an official gathering, the regime temporarily banned the publication of Etemade Melli.

The wider issue is that opposition now consists of a number of challenges to the regime, all centred around the legal, political, and religious aspects of detention, confession, and abuse. These are all significant: the Karroubi-Rafsanjani initiative for an enquiry into mistreatment of detainees, the possible query of the Supreme Leader's authority under Law 111 of Iran's Constitution, and the call for punishment of those who supervised the detention regime.

They, however, do not constitute a general "political front" or even a coordination of activity. Mir Hossein Mousavi's call on Saturday for a "Green Path of Hope" has been met by a marked silence by other opposition leaders, as they concentrate on the narrower and more immediate criticisms of the regime. While the political response is understandable, it does cause a problem for the public face of the Green movement: where now the symbolic moments for the mass expression of anger and hope that fueled the post-election response to the Government?

Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad is trying to stop the clock ticking against his stay in office, announcing some of his Cabinet choices on Sunday and promising that all others will be placed before the Parliament on Tuesday. That is a down-to-the-wire strategy, given the deadline of Wednesday. While the conservative and principlist anger with the President has been muted over the weekend, it has not necessarily dissipated.

So, for the moment, as the Green movement considers its next waves, watch for the ripples within the Establishment. Will Parliament strike back at Ahmadinejad? And, given the continuing clerical and political statements and meetings over Law 111 (the latest being Mohammad Khatami's audience with former MPs), how secure is the Supreme Leader?

Latest Iran Video: The "Other" Larijani Speaks

The Latest from Iran (19 August): Challenges in Parliament and from Prisons

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A reader points us to this video of Mohammad Javad Ardeshir-Larijani, the secretary of the judiciary's Human Rights Office and brother of the new head of judiciary (Sadegh Larijani) and Speaker of Parliament (Ali Larijani), as he accuses Mir Hossein Mousavi and his supporters of trying to undermine Iran. An English translation follows the video:

LARIJANI: We should note that when someone register for the elections, he fullly agrees with the system itself and the election procedure. Why does someone [like Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi] who does not accept the supervisors, rules, and the arbitrators of the election sytem even take part in this race in the first place?

Except that he has a different goal in his mind. Maybe these people felt the need to save Iranians, which has nothing to do with the goals of the election. Who gave these candidates the order and responsibility to lead or to write new statements every second day, which anger and worry people? The voters are being misled and that is a criminal act. The people who pretended to fully accept the "velayat-e-faqih" and the "Path of the Imam (Khomeini)", are now wearing a green scarf, but this is not the path of our Imam. His true path is the system of velayat-e-faqih. Thats what we call the "path of the Imam".

How can they claim that the accept the principles of the Imam but fight everything he stood for? Thats a wrong and bad thing to do and the Iranian people won't forget this bad behaviour. We shouldn't even give the enemy the opportunity to be happy even it is only for one second. They will soon regret this and the people of islam will defeat the enemy.

But why have our friends done that much demage? Why do they not even believe in the simple framework of democratic behaviour?...I feel sad when I read the statements of those experienced men and wonder why they use this kind of harsh language, which makes the enemy so happy. Why are they doing them this favour?

The Supreme Leader has the last word and he already stated how this matter should be treated. Our politicians shouldn't forget that we are responsible to defend and secure the national interest. Its our duty to do so. Even if we see that some injustice has been done to us, we must ignore it for the sake of the national interest, because the national interest is supreme and we all must secure it.