The Latest from Iran (25 August): The Trials Resume

NEW The 4th Tehran Trial: The Tehran Bureau Summary
NEW Video: The 4th Tehran Trial (25 August)
The Tehran Trial: The Regime Goes After the Reformists AND Rafsanjani
Iran Interview: Mousavi Advisor Beheshti on The Election
The Latest from Iran (24 August): The 4-D Chess Match

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



1940 GMT: Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Hashemi Rafsanjani, has asked for time on state television to refute the charges made against him in today's Tehran trial.

1830 GMT: Press TV English's website is now featuring the testimony of Iranian-American academic Kian Tajbakhsh (1500 GMT). It is playing up the angle that Tajbakhsh, who had been with the Soros Foundation in Iran, conspired with former President Khatami and Mohammad-Javad Zarif, the former Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations, from 2006 on "velvet revolution" after a meeting with George Soros: “Because of the support of some officials from the reformist camp…a safe place was created for the cooperation of domestic and foreign forces…and American political parties and non-governmental organisations found a way to start activities in Iran."

1745 GMT: #MediaFail. OK, I've gone for a run, had a shower, grabbed a cup of tea, chatted with the wife, checked out the Israel-Palestine latest, and....

CNN still has not noticed there was a trial in Tehran today. (OK, at 1737 GMT, one of their Twitter feeds did figure out "Iran resumed Tuesday its mass trial of political reformists", but they have yet to get anyone on the website to notice.)

On a related note, I have yet to see one "Western" media outlet recognise that Hashemi Rafsanjani, as well as the "reformists", was targeted in the proceedings today.

1730 GMT: Freelance journalist and blogger Fariba Pajooh has been arrested.

1720 GMT: One Non-Confession. Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, the Deputy Secretary General of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, has been unrepentant after today's trials. He explained that, as he was arrested within 2-3 hours of the election results, he could not have been involved in post-election disturbances. He declared, "I have always been a reformist but I am pro-Islamic Republic."



1550 GMT: Mehdi Hashemi, Hashemi Rafsanjani's son, has issued a short but blunt denial of the charges of money laundering and electoral manipulation levelled at him in the Tehran trial today.

1530 GMT: Days after public allegations that security forces forced the staff of Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery to bury 40 bodies of slain protestors, the managing director of the cemetery has been fired.

1525 GMT: And now Press TV English headlines, "Rafsanjani son implicated in fresh Iran trials". It focuses on the testimony of Hamzeh Karimi with the claim "that the Iranian Fuel Conservation Organization's assets were used to finance Rafsanjani presidential campaign" in 2005: “Mehdi Hashemi believed that election in Iran were financed with government funds. He did not believe in spending private savings for the election. So they step up a system for forgery and document falsification."

1515 GMT: No Doubt About It --- Target Rafsanjani. IRNA's lead story is a long overview of the trial today, and its headline goes after Rafsanjani's son, Mehdi Hashemi. Another family member, brother-in-law Abdullah Jafar Ali Jasebi, a former University chancellor, is also criticised.

1500 GMT: Bringing Out the American. The next showpiece testimony, presented in Fars News, is that of Iranian-American academic Kian Tajbakhsh, identified as the representative of the Soros Foundation in Iran. (For the regime, "Soros Foundation", with its Open Democracy Project, embodies "velvet revolution".) The objective? Tajbaksh's "evidence" that he had continued meetings with Mohammad Khatami after the latter's departure from office in 2005 apparently links the former President to the foreign efforts at regime change in Tehran.

1440 GMT: The head of the Parliament Research Center, Ahmad Tavakoli, has called for the lifting of the ban on the "reformist" newspaper Etemade Melli and the trying of Tehran's chief prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi in military judge's court for his failure in "restoring public rights and promoting justice and legitimate freedoms" in this case and others.

1400 GMT: The Fightback Begins? Mark  down this date: 18 September. If I'm right, that is the last Friday of Ramadan (if I'm wrong, feel free to correct). It is also Qods Day, which is traditionally a day when Hashemi Rafsanjani leads ceremonies.

Mowj-e-Sabz has just declared that this will also be true this year, with Rafsanjani leading Friday prayers in Tehran and the Green movement preparing to march.

1345 GMT: A Quick Note on Media Coverage. Reuters has been in the lead on "Western" coverage of the trial, though it has little beyond Saeed Hajjarian, and it is still unaware of the regime's accusations against the Rafsanjani family. Al Jazeera English is still stuck with an early-morning overview, as is the BBC.

And CNN International is hopeless. Its Twitter outlet tweeted an hour ago about "the latest on our Iran wire": the story, from 0742 GMT, is on Mehdi Karroubi's allegations of sexual abuse of detainees.

1320 GMT: We were going to post a special analysis tomorrow morning of the significance of today's developments but, frankly, the move against Hashemi Rafsanjani as well as the attempt to break the reformists is so stunning that it cannot be too soon to highlight what may be a defining showdown in this crisis. So we've now published a snap analysis, "The Regime Goes After the Reformists AND Rafsanjani".

1220 GMT: Farhad Tajari, a member of the Parliamentary National Security Committee has told the Islamic Republic News Agency, "After a meeting with [Mehdi] Karoubi yesterday and based on our thorough and complete investigation.....We believe the claims [of sexual abuse of detainees] are baseless."

1215 GMT: Press TV English's website has published its first account of the trial, focusing on the Hajjarian statement, read by fellow Islamic Iran Participation Front member Saeed Shariati. Hajjarian did not admit --- "" have never been involved in cruelty and enmity towards the Iranian nation and the Islamic establishment" --- but expressed "hatred with all the moves that threatened the country's security". He then resigned from the IIPF.

Ominously the prosecutor called for the "maximum punishment", i.e., the death penalty, for Hajjarian.

1145 GMT: An EA correspondent confirms that the lead item on the Islamic Republic News Agency website claims, from today's "confession" of journalist Masoud Bastani, that the now-defunct website www.jomhouriyat.com was a "war room" for attacks against the Ahmadinejad Government and that the idea of claiming fraud in the election was passed to it through Mehdi Hashemi, Rafsanjani's son.

1140 GMT: Meanwhile, more "confessions" in the trial. Fars is now featuring the testimony of Shahab Tabatabai, the head of the youth branch of the Islamic Iran Participation Front. The headline claim is that Mir Hossein Mousavi suffered from the "illusion" that he would win a first-round victory in the Presidential election.

1130 GMT: We're checking the accounts of the trial with the help of correspondents. Here is the latest reading of the allegations linking Mir Hossein Mousavi and Hashemi Rafanjani: "Rafsanjani and Mousavi knew Ahmadinejad was winner when the preliminary count showed Ahmadinejad had a wide lead. They decided to create a 'velvet revolution' and demonstrate 'vote fraud'. Rafsanjani's son, Mehdi Hashemi, was involved with Saham News, which was coordinating the demonstrations with the BBC, and he was geting paid through the Azad University in the form of a cheque."

1100 GMT: It looks like we read this correctly. Rah-e-Sabz summarises that the indictment and "confessions" implicate Hasemi Rafsanjani's nephew, Ali Hashemi, for stimulating demonstrations and his son, Mehdi Hashemi, for spreading disinformation.

1030 GMT: If our translation is correct, the regime has used the "confessions" of journalists Hamzeh Karami and Masoud Bastani not only to draw the picture of a foreign-directed network for velvet revolution and not only to allege the implementation of this through Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign, but also to implicate Hashemi Rafsanjani's son, Mehdi Hashemi. IRNA also carries an account of the effort "to create doubt and undermine the Ahmadinejad Government's decisions".

1020 GMT: Away from the trial, members of Parliament are holding meetings with President Ahmadinejad's Ministerial nominees in advance of votes of confidence beginning Sunday.

The Press TV article, quoting "principlist" MPs, indicates that the chances of Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar, currently Minister of Defence but proposed to move to Interior, depend on his speech to Parliament: “The controversy surrounding Najjar's military background and how it will affect the interior ministry all depends on how he will defend his programs on the voting day in Parliament.” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki is in better shape, though approval is not certain, and Minister of Industry Ali Akbar Mehrabian may remain if he can provide “an acceptable explanation” about his involvement in a fraud case.

1010 GMT: Fars is featuring more "confessions" from defendants, all of which point towards a foreign-instigated "velvet revolution". One defendant has spoken of the involvement of the US Government-funded Radio Farda and training at a site in Czechoslovakia.

It appears, though we cannot be certain, that at least one of the statements may refer to the involvement of sites connected to Hashemi Rafsanjani and, in particular, his son Mehdi Hashemi in this alleged conspiracy. We are double-checking translations to verify.

0925 GMT: Fars News Agency has now published a set of photographs from the 4th Tehran trial.

0740 GMT: Press TV has also published the general indictment of the defendants, based on their alleged statements, in the 4th Tehran trial. "Before the election, statistical evidence was provided that the difference [between candidates] was so great that [President] Ahmadinejad did not need to cheat"; however, the defendants claimed fraud to implement the "velvet revolution". The had "a direct relationship with the colonial and television networks of the BBC and the advertising propaganda machine of the British regime". Even while the voting was in progress, police closed "illegal networks". (Inadvertently, this claim highlights the significance of the testimony of Mousavi advisor Alireza Beheshti, which we carry today in a separate entry.)

0730 GMT: Fars News Agency has published, from Press TV, the statement of Saeed Hajjarian in the 4th Tehran trial. Hajjarian says he is innocent but apologised for "formidable errors" during and after the election. He then goes into a lengthy exposition of the "Western theory of velvet revolution" as "a serious lesson for all political activists".

0700 GMT: Reuters has first summary in English of the 4th Tehran trial. It lists the defendants we name below but, citing Islamic Republic News Agency, says, "Saaed Hajjarian, a former deputy intelligence minister turned architect of Iran's reform movement, was also among the accused".

0545 GMT: The fourth Tehran trial of post-election political detainees has opened, and there are some high-profile reformist politicians, activists, and journalists and the first Iranian-American to stand trial, Kian Tajbakhsh. According to Fars News, other defendants include Behzad Nabavi, Mohsen Safaei Farahani, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, Mohsen Mirdamadi, Saeed Shariati, Mohsen Aminzadeh, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Shahab Tabatabai, Masoud Bastani, and Saeed Laylaz.

We're checking to see if Saeed Hajjarian, as rumoured over the last 72 hours, is also being tried today. Hajjarian's lawyer said he was forced to resign from the case was replaced by an attorney appointed by the State.

The 4th Tehran Trial: The Tehran Bureau Summary

The Latest from Iran (25 August): The Trials Resume
Video: The 4th Tehran Trial (25 August)
The Tehran Trial: The Regime Goes After the Reformists AND Rafsanjani

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

At the end of a dramatic and surprising day, perhaps one of the most important since 12 June, Muhammad Sahimi of Tehran Bureau offers a concise summary of the 4th Tehran trial. This picks up on a lot of the developments we've noted in our live blog, bringing them together in one place. Even more importantly, Sahimi notes the goals of the regime that we've identified: 1) to break the reformists through charges of treason; 2) to humiliate Saeed Hajjarian, one of the key figures in the movement; and 3) the objective missed by all others in the Western media, the curbing of Hashemi Rafsanjani:

Stalinist Show Trials, Part Four

The fourth installment of the Stalinesque show trials of the leaders of the reformist movement was held today in Tehran. In this part of the big show, some of the most important reformist leaders were featured, including Dr. Mohsen Mirdamadi, secretary-general of Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), the most important reformist group in Iran; Mohsen Safaei Farahani, Saeed Shariati, Abdollah Ramazanzadeh, Shahabolddin Tabatabaei, and Dr. Saeed Hajjarian, all leading members of the IIPF; Mostafa Tajzadeh, a member of the IIPF and the Islamic Revolution Mojahedin Organization (IRMO), another leading reformist group; Behzad Nabavi, a leading member of the IRMO, and Hedayatollah Aghaei, a leading member of the Executives of Reconstruction Party (ERP), a reformist group close to former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Also present in court were Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh, who used to work for the George Soros Open Society, and three of the journalists arrested, Jalal Karami, Masoud Bastani, and Mohammad Quchani, a leading reformist journalist and editor of many reformist newspapers that have been closed by the hardliners. [Overall, 42 journalists were arrested, but some were later released]. Mohammad Reza Jalaeipour, who was a leader of the Mir Hossein Mousavi campaign, and a doctoral student at Oxford University in Britain, was also present in court. The court has apparently ordered the release of Quchani and Jalaeipour before the court session took place, but they were still brought to court for an appearance.

Once again, the prosecutor read a long “indictment” that had been prepared by Saeed Mortazavi, Tehran’s notorious Prosecutor General and the Prosecutor of the Revolutionary Court. Once again, the “indictment” was not a legal document, but a political manifesto of the hardliners, almost all of which had been published over the past few years by the daily newspaper Kayhan, the mouthpiece of the security-intelligence apparatus, and Fars News Agency, which operates more like a propaganda machine.

Once again, the reformist leaders were accused of having links with foreign powers, and in particular Britain and the United States, through a variety of channels, from the Open Society to people who are, or were at some point, supposedly members of western intelligence agencies.

Read rest of article....

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

NEW Is Rafsanjani (or Ahmadinejad) A Spent Force? The Sequel
Text of Latest Karroubi Statement “You Will Not Force Me Into Silence”

The Latest from Iran (18 August): Which Way for the Government?

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



1700 GMT: More, Much More on that Assembly of Experts Meeting. The Executive Committee's agenda appears to have been a delay in the next meeting of the Assembly, which was due to take place within the next 10-12 days, for a month because of Ramadan.
This rules out any quick intervention by the Assembly in the political crisis.

But the big question: who asked for the delay? Was it the head of the Committee, Hashemi Rafsanjani, to give himself time for his next moves? Or was it the other members --- former head of judiciary Hashemi Shahroudi, Mohammad Yazdi, Prosecutor General Ghorban Ali Dorri Najafabadi, and Ahmad Khatami --- all of whom are more supportive of President Ahmadinejad?

1605 GMT: The Executive Committee of the Assembly of Experts has met, but there are no details of the agenda or content of the discussion.

1550 GMT: There is still no news on whether the President has formally submitted his Ministerial nomination to Parliament.

1415 GMT: Report that Mohammad Reza Jalaiepour, an activist close to Mohammad Khatami, will be released from detention today. Journalist Zhila Bani Yaghoub has been released on $200,000 bail.

1405 GMT: Mehdi Karroubi has written to Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani to confirm that he is ready to present his evidence of the abuse of detainees.

1230 GMT: Mowj-e-Sabz claims that a group of senior clerics have met the Supreme Leader and criticised the behaviour of his son, Mojtaba, but "to no avail".

1225 GMT: Did the President Miss the Deadline? The official Parliamentary News Agency has an item at 1530 local time (1100 GMT), 30 minutes before the deadline for the President to submit his Cabinet nominations. Aboutourabi Fard, the anti-Ahmadinejad Deputy Speaker, says no letter had been received.

It is now almost an hour after the deadline.

1220 GMT: The new head of Iran's judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, is moving briskly with appointments: Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejeie has become Prosecutor General, replacing Ghorban Ali Dorri-Najafabadi.

Hmmm....Would this be the same Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejeie fired as Minister of Intelligence by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a few weeks ago? Perhaps someone should give the President the latest news.

1130 GMT: EA source says that President Ahmadinejad's nationally-televised address, announcing his Ministerial nominations, has been postponed until tomorrow night after 9 p.m. local time.

1055 GMT: The Rah-e-Sabz website, quoting "reliable sources from Tehran", reports that Karroubi is resurrecting his plan from 2005 for the "Saba" satellite channel.

The plan was shelved four years ago after direct intervention by Ali Larijani, then chair of the National Security Council, who deemed the plan "an act against national security". Karroubi then founded the Etemade Melli newspaper to reach the masses.

Now Karroubi is threatening to get serious with the satellite channel should the regime's ban on the newspaper remain in place. Initial launch preparations are underway and "a group of film makers based inside the country" is willing to take part. The headquarters would be set up in another Mideast country (an EA correspondent suggests the United Arab Emirates), and the goal would be to air the "real news" that the state media neglects.

1045 GMT: To the Wire. Mehr News says President Ahmadinejad has still not decided on the appointments of three Ministers. Tabnak, however, says only one post (Justice) is still to be determined for the final submission to Parliament. The names of those Ministers who have been proposed, in both articles, are those posted earlier in Press TV/Fars accounts (see 0900 GMT).

0940 GMT: Saham News claims that a commission is investigating the Mosharekat and  Mojahedin political parties with a view to amending the law to prohibt contacts and exchange of views and information with foreign embassies and acceptance of foreign financial aid. An EA source confirms that this process started about six weeks ago.

0900 GMT: The President's Cabinet? Press TV, citing Fars News Agency, reveals Ministerial nominees. Among the appointments: Manouchehr Mottaki remains as Foreign Minister, Kamran Daneshjou at Science, Research and Technology, Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar as Minister of Interior, Mohammad Hosseini leading Ministry of Culture and the Islamic Guidance, and Ahmad Vahidi as Minister of Defense.

0855 GMT: And Yet More Support. The Association of Iran Alumni and Union of Islamic Associations of University Students have declared that they will not abandon Karroubi and other reformist leaders.

0850 GMT: The Green Wave of Support. We reported yesterday on the "reformist" front coming out in support of Mehdi Karroubi's position on abuse of detainees. Norooz have now published the text of the statement from the Islamic Iran Participation Front.

0820 GMT: Clarification on Reformist-Clerics Meeting (0740 GMT). Another EA correspondent explains, "Javad Shahrestani is not an Ayatollah, and most probably not even a mujtahid. He runs sistani.org from Qom and is the person who brought the Internet to the holy city and transformed it into a technology hub. However, he is not high on religious credentials. The fact that people refer to him as 'Ayatollah' underlies the attempt to indicate the higher level of these figures close to the opposition."

0740 GMT: A reader lets us know that the full English summary, provided by a Twitter activist, of Ayatollah Sanei's attack on the regime (full video in separate entry) is now available on the Internet.

0730 GMT: More Opposition Moves. An EA correspondent has verified news we saw yesterday, "The reformists Abdollah Nouri, Gholamhosein Karbaschi [former Mayor of Tehran and top advisor to Karroubi], and other reformists have been having separate meetings with Ayatollah Montazeri and Ayatollah Shahrestani, the son-in-law of Ayatollah Sistani [the leading Shia cleric in Iraq]. These reformists have requested that the Shia high clergy become more involved in the current issues of the country."

0650 GMT: We asked moments ago "whether some in the Government have realised that the high-profile hard line may be counter-productive".

Hmmm, maybe not. Hojatoleslam Ali Saeedi, the Supreme Leader's liaison with the Revolutionary Guard, said yesterday, "[The] leaders of the recent unrest are still out of prison." Rounding up those leaders "could be the will of the nation and the media".

Saeedi also defended the regime's high-profile display of "confessions" by figures such as former Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi:

These confessions were of utmost importance, since they shed light on the core of "the ordeal" and the rings linked to it....It was not unexpected that the foreigners would take us for the likes of Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. However, it was strange that some of our compatriots were deceived by the enemies and played by their rules."

0630 GMT: Deadline day for President Ahmadinejad, as he has to present his selections for Ministerial posts to Parliament. The furour over the President's relations with the legislature, which had peaked with controversies over the 1st Vice President and Ministry of Intelligence, has quieted in the last week, but several key MPs have warned that Ahmadinejad must put forward candidates with expertise and judgement.

On another front, our Enduring America debate over the challenge of Hashemi Rafsanjani continues. After yesterday's spirited discussion between two of our correspondents and our readers, we've posted a sequel with the views of a third EA analyst. There is a clear split in our community on not only Rafsanjani's position but that of the President: some see Rafsanjani playing a clever game as Ahmadinejad loudly struggles, others see the President in the ascendancy. And, thanks to our readers, important factors such as the Revolutionary Guard, the "principlist" political bloc, and the Army have also been brought into the arena.

For me, however, the emerging story yesterday was the clear signal that the Green opposition has not gone away. While the organisation of public protest is still fragmented, many key secular and clerical figures rallied around Mehdi Karroubi's demand that the Government investigate and punish those responsible for abuse of detainees. Karroubi reiterated the protest in his statement, "You Will Not Force Me Into Silence", and Mir Hossein Mousavi, Ayatollah Bayat-Zanjani, and the "reformist" front were among those who offered high-profile endorsements. These complemented the "hot" Internet story of the day, the video of Ayatollah Sane'i's scathing attack on the regime.

As I've said on several occasions, the regime may be keeping the opposition vibrant --- ironically --- by trying to break it with detentions, confessions, and trials. Today's planned 4th trial of post-election political prisoners has been postponed until next Tuesday, raising the question as to whether some in the Government have realised that the high-profile hard line may be counter-productive.

If this is just a pause, however (and one of the rumours yesterday was that politician Saeed Hajjarian would be amongst the defendants), we will not only be considering the President's Cabinet and Rafsanjani's future. The Green Path of Hope, which Karroubi and Mohammad Khatami joined yesterday, may be more than a symbol.

The Latest from Iran (16 August): New Challenge to Khamenei?

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

NEW Iran: “Beloved and Popular” Mr Ahmadinejad Wants to See You in New York!
Iran: The Battle over the Judiciary and the Republic’s Future
The Latest from Iran (15 August): Battles Within the Establishment

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



2200 GMT: Two late-night breaking stories. The first is the temporary ban on Etemade Melli newspaper after its publication of a letter from Mehdi Karroubi.

The second story is potentially bigger. Press TV's website reports that former President Mohammad Khatami met former members of Parliament and said, "We are the real protectors of the Islamic Republic not those who showed in recent months that they are uprooting the republic and Islamic nature of the establishment." Khatami expressed concern about the "illegal" attitude adopted towards the Iranian nation after the election: "Certain ongoing moves run counter to legal principles."

What Press TV fails to note is that those former members of Parliament issued a statement a few days ago raising the issue of the authority of the Supreme Leader. So this meeting may be part of the move to invoke Law 111 over the prudence and justice of Khamenei.

2005 GMT: Agence France Presse reports, "Iran released 24-year-old French academic Clotilde Reiss on bail Sunday six weeks after she was arrested on suspicion of spying, the French presidency said, adding that she is in good health."

2000 GMT: Revolutionary Road has posted a summary in English, including the names of the defendants, in today's third trial of post-election political detainees.

1905 GMT: And it's not just Press TV that is giving airtime to the opposition and "enemies" of the regime. An EA correspondent reports that Iranian state television, including IRIB Channel 1, is also carrying the denial of charges by an attorney for one of the defendants in today's trial in Tehran (see 1625 GMT).

1855 GMT: Press TV's website is now summarising, in fact almost reprinting in full, the latest statement from Mir Hossein Mousavi: “Our election campaign was conducted under the Constitution and the principles which the Iranian nation holds dear. We still remain committed to the same slogans.”

The article prints, without any critical commentary, Mousavi's memories of Election Night:

[At first] we thought that mismanagement was the cause of chaos. I, myself, made contacts with authorities of the country. On the election day, I called the Judiciary Chief [Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi] twice, the Prosecutor General [Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi] two times, the Majlis Speaker [Ali Larijani] twice, and the Office of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] four times to raise issues about the pre-planned scenarios.

Mousavi, the former prime minister who worked under the founder of the Islamic Revolution, added that he had dispatched a team to see Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli, “but, surprisingly, he refused to meet” with them.

Mousavi's challenge to the regime is also featured: “We are confident that an atmosphere of mistrust would not have been created in the country if a fair attitude had been adopted [after the election], to the demands of the Iranian people, and if the media had been prevented from attributing the nation's will to foreigners and diverting facts.”


1700 GMT: In Case You Missed It. Yesterday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement calling on "Iranʼs leadership to quickly resolve all outstanding American citizen cases". These include the detentions of Iranian-American academic Kian Tajbakhsh, whose situation we have profiled on Enduring America, and three American hikers, who were seized when they crossed the Iraq-Iran border.

1640 GMT: Mir Hamid Hassanzadeh, who ran Mir Hossein Mousavi's Ghalam News website during the Presidential campaign, has been released on bail after 11 days in detention. Dr Saeed Shirkavand of the Islamic Iran Participation Front has also been freed on bail.

1625 GMT: Tehran Trial Twist. For the first time, an Iranian state media outlet has carried details of a denial of the charges against post-election political detainees. Press TV's website leads with, "The defense attorney of one of the post-vote detainees has described as 'severe' an indictment that charged his defendant with throwing a hand-made grenade."

The article continues with a specific description of the allegation against Meisam Ghorbani and the attorney's rebuttal rather, than as has been typical of state media reporting, focusing on the prosecution's description of foreign intrigue for a "velvet revolution".

1610 GMT: A Moscow Tilt against Ahmadinejad? The Russian company Megafon now denies that it will start a new mobile phone operation in Iran.

1600 GMT: More Cabinet Rumours. Hossein Sobhaninia, the deputy head of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Affairs Commission, has told Mehr News Agency that Saeed Jalili (currently head of the President's National Security Council) will be next Foreign Minister and that the current Defence and Interior Ministers, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar and Sadeq Mahsouli, will swap positions. He added that he was incensed by Ahmadinejad's failure to consult with the Commission before these cabinet changes.

1150 GMT: Yeah, Yeah, Whatever. Besides announcing some of his Cabinet choices on Iranian television, President Ahmadinejad trotted out the "foreign interference" line, on the same time that 28 more defendants went on trial. Ahmadinejad told the "West", "This time you clearly interfered in Iran's domestic affairs and you thought you would be able to harm the Islamic nation. You should be held accountable for your actions but we know very well the fuss you created in the world is not a sign of your authority but rather it is a sign of your weakness and downfall."

1110 GMT: An EA correspondent writes, "In the end the Intelligence Ministry did not end up in the hands of [Basiji commander] Hossein Taeb, but it appears that the IRGC [Revolutionary Guard] is as present as ever. According to Fars News, [Heydar] Moslehi was Imam Khomeini's representative in the Khatam al-Anbia and Karbala military bases during the Iraq war and, more importantly, the Supreme Leader's "representative with the land forces of the IRGC and deputy of the Islamic Propaganda Organisation". Hence he is a solid Khamenei acolyte with strong ties to the IRGC. He is also currently a deputy to Ahmadinejad for Islamic University Affairs and Khamenei's representative in the lucrative Waqf Foundations Qrganisation.

1100 GMT: Fars News has now published the indictment and photographs from today's Tehran trial.

1050 GMT: The two women announced today by President Ahmadinejad in his Cabinet choice, to lead the Welfare and Health Ministries, are Fatemeh Ajorloo, a conservative MP from Karaj, and Marzieh Dastjerdi, a gynaecologist.

According to Dastjerdi's biography, just published by Mehr News, she is a solid stalwart of Iran's health establishment, having served in the women's section of the Cultural Revolution Council and the top management of the Health Ministry. She is currently on the board of trustees of the Medical Sciences College of Tehran, of which she is also head of international relations.

1030 GMT: An Iranian website is reporting a statement from the "conservative" Society of Teachers and Researchers of Qom, whose members include Mohammad Yazdi and Ahmed Khatami, calling on the Government to ensure detainees' rights and to curb illegal actions committed during arrests and detentions.

1015 GMT: Confusion on the Internet over the demonstration of support for Etemade Melli, originally proposed by Mehdi Karroubi for Monday. As we reported earlier (0720 GMT), Karroubi's office cancelled the demonstration after threatened attacks by Government backers did not materialise on Saturday. A Facebook site run by supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi, however, continues to maintain the call for protest.

Because the newspaper is closely connected with Karroubi's party, also called Etemade Melli, and because the information on the party's website is co-ordinated with Karroubi, we are treating his office's announcement --- still the lead item on the website --- as the latest information.

1000 GMT: Back to our first story of the day. President Ahmadinejad has just spoken live on Iranian TV. He says the full Cabinet will be named on Tuesday, but some names have been confirmed. Two women, for the Welfare and Health Ministries, will be proposed. Hojatoleslam Moslehi will be nominated as Minister of Intelligence. Ahmadinejad promised at least one more female minister in the full Cabinet.

0940 GMT: A New Challenge to Khamenei? On Friday, we reported and analysed the first wave of a constitutional move against the Supreme Leader's authority, with the statement of former MPs and Ayatollah Dastgheib's move for an emergency meeting of the Assembly of Experts.

This may now be building from "significant" to "important" story with the revelation, in Mowj-e-Sabz, of "a second wave". A number of high-ranking clerics from Qom, Mashad, and Isfahan have sent an open letter to the Assembly of Experts, asking them to re-evaluate the credentials of the Supreme Leader.

Using the words of Law Number 111 of the Constitution, the clerics assert that the necessary conditions of prudence and justice that are essential for any Supreme Leader have not been met. Therefore, according to the principles of Islamic jurisprudence set by Ayatollah Khomeini, Khameini is and must automatically deposed.

Some cautions with the report: Mowj-e-Sabz has a marked political stake in the story, as it is the website of the Green opposition. And the names of the clerics are not known, as they have been withheld out of consideration for their safety. Still, if true, the report indicates the growing pressure against the Supreme Leader.

0755 GMT: Fars News has an initial report on today's trial of 25 detainees for incitement of "velvet revolution". The indictment accuses them generally of "creating chaos and general disarray after the recent elections" and specifically of making bombs and distributing weapons.

0750 GMT: Propaganda of the Day. Keyhan writes, "Girls that have been recently arrested in the latest unrest and their families" want Mehdi Karroubi to be taken to court and be punished. Keyhan claims that these girls and their families believe, "From the time Karroubi published his letter our friends and relatives look down upon us and our reputation has been besmirched....Karroubi is a power-hungry liar and we can only regain our reputation by proving the falsity of his statements in court."

0730 GMT: Further to our first update on 72 hours for the President. Ali-Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's press spokesman, says the President will introduce his cabinet to Parliament on Tuesday or Wednesday.

0720 GMT: Mehdi Karroubi has responded to the attacks upon him in Friday prayers in Tehran:

Unfortunately a number of Friday Imams have abused the sacred position of Friday prayers and have used the market of false accusations, lies and infamy to sell their religion and have insulted the holy institute of Friday prayers....I had written a letter because I was concerned [about issues] and felt that it was my duty to respond, some individuals welcomed this letter others criticized it; however, this issue should not become a pretext for destruction, false accusations and insults. I welcome both approbation and criticisms; however, I can not remain indifferent to those who insult and those who have sold their religion for filthy lucre and I will most certainly respond to them in the near future.

Meanwhile, Karroubi's office has called off the demonstration of his followers scheduled for Monday: "Because the demonstration of the critics that was scheduled Saturday did not occur and the operation of Etemade Melli (newspaper) is continuing with no impediments, we are requesting that all supporters to demonstrate their good intentions by refraining from gathering arround the office of Etemade Melli. We would like to take this oppurtunity to thank public support that has been shown towards the personnel, editors and reporters of this newspaper....We would also like to thank the security forces that have maintaned calm and order around the office of the newspaper.

0700 GMT: Amidst a relatively quiet morning, we've concentrated on a special analysis on the fight over Iran's judiciary, marked by the appointment of Mohammad Sadegh Larijani as its head yesterday, and the wider contest between clerics, politicians, and the Revolutionary Guard.

At the same time, we're now starting to watch the clock on the future of the President. Not sure many have noticed, but Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has 72 hours to get approval from Parliament of his choices for Cabinet ministers. Otherwise, under Iranian law, the way is out for dissolution of the Government and new elections.

The Latest from Iran (2 August): Assessing the Trial

NEW Trials in Iran: The Latest from Mousavi
Latest Iran Video: The Abtahi "Confession" (2 August)
NEW Iran: Putting the Opposition on Trial

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



2045 GMT: According to Mowj-e-Sabz, "principlist" members of Parliament have been warned not to criticise televised confessions.

1650 GMT: Muhammad Sahimi at Tehran Bureau offers a thorough summary and analysis of yesterday's proceedings. The article is particularly effective in depicting the prosecution's attempt to turn the trial into a demolition of opposition groups by linking them to "foreign agents" and, parallelling our own interpretation, exposing the lack of evidence for these assertions.

1630 GMT: Our correspondent Mani has  noted the statement of former Vice President Dr Ebrahim Yazdi, who was detained earlier in the post-election conflict:

We must ask: what has happened in the Islamic Republic of Iran, that prominent Iranians who have served as consultants, presidents, prime ministers, ministers, ambassadors and deputy prime ministers are now according to the prosecutor's claim ready to conspire with foreign powers to overthrow the Islamic Republic? The claim of the perseution is an attack and challenge to the integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the last 30 years. [Mani's comment: "This challenge is exactly what Rafsanjani means when he refers to 'the cost of questioning the foundations of the establishment'."]

This trial is a symbol of the existence of internal fighting in the Iranian government and has no goal other then the dominance of one part of the power structure over the others. The ones who are running this trial will be forced by public opinion to scuttle it.....Shia theological tradition explicitly states that coerced confessions from an imprisoned person is absolutely immoral and is against the foundations of islamic law and is therefore illegal.

1615 GMT: Best Line So Far on the Tehran Trial. Mir Hossein Mousavi says the proceedings were "sufficiently ridiculous to make a baked tukey laugh".

1600 GMT: We wrote today, in a separate analysis, about the attempt to use the Tehran trial to portray Hashemi Rafsanjani as an enemy of the regime and of Rafsanjani's response via his leadership of the Expediency Council. A bit more on the Rafsanjani statement:

Besides calling the charges, as laid out in the testimony of Mohammad Ali Abtahi, "absolutely false", the Expediency Council's communiqué said,  "In a meeting that happened after one of the deliberations of the Expediency Discernment Counci, Mr. Khatami postponed declaring his official postion until he had a meeting with his party the 'Association of Combatant Clerics'. Mr. Mousavi had already declared his position, and Mr. Rafsanjani had insisted upon all individuals following all legalities when they declare their postions or state their demand."

Therefore, Rafsanjani "has not supported any of the candidates and he has had no hand in the post-election events, and his opinion about resolving the current untoward conditions has not changed since his sermon in the Friday prayers 15 days ago." The statement ends by turning the allegations in the trial back against Rafsanjani's opponents, "God willing, all of us are not prone to appease a certain faction with statements and extraction of confessions at the cost of questioning the foundations of the establishment."

1555 GMT: The opposition website Mowj-e-Sabz has more on the Khatami statement, and this extract stands out. The former President is making an appeal to key members of the system to break from the politics of prosecution:

I do not think that Ayatollah Shahroudi, the head of the judiciary, agrees with this trend [in the court], especially now that all the people are expecting the judiciary to act against the terible abuses against the detainees that has happened during the arrests and in many prisons,...especially since the supreme leader has ordered a serious response to these issues.

1530 GMT: More Reaction to the Trial. Mohammad Khatami, via his website, has said:

The trial on Saturday was a show and the confessions are invalid ... What was called a trial was a violation of the constitution. Such show trials will directly harm the system and will further damage public trust. These confessions have been taken under extraordinary conditions. The detainees were not informed in advance about the court session and lacked access to lawyers.

1510 GMT: Mir Hossein Mousavi’s close aides, Alireza Beheshti has stated that the Mousavi campaign has gathered the names of 1700 detainees whose whereabouts are unknown.

Afternoon Update (1440 GMT): Ali-Akbar Javanfekr, President Ahmadinejad's press secretary, has resigned from his post. Javanfekr stated that " there is a need for fresh blood to take over the responsibility,  and one must make way for these individuals".

The Islamic Iran Participation Front, one of the reformist parties has responded to the trials via its news site Norouz:

The show goes on: Wholesale killings and suppressions, wholesale arrests and wholesale trial and sentencing. The trial of the political activists arrested after the presidential elestions has started. As it could have been expected and just as political activists and parties had warned the trial was held eschewing all legal presuppositions favoring the defendants.

The sole reporting news agency in the court was the pro-government and mendacious Fars news agency. Considering the track record of this agency in propagating falsehoods, it is obvious that none of the statements of this agency possess any credibility.

Norouz states that a credible source located in the court has stated that none of the statements of Fars are true and the court is effectively a kangaroo court.