The Latest from Iran (21 February): Catching Up

2220 GMT: Student activist Majid Tavakoli returned to Revolutionary Court today, 2 1/2 months after his detention on 7 December. There are no details of the hearing.

2105 GMT: On the Academic Front. Dr Mohammad Sattarifar has been expelled from his post at Allameh Tabatabei University.

2100 GMT: The reformist Islamic Iran Participation Front has stated that it will continue its activities as scheduled.

2055 GMT: What Are Mahmoud (and Ali) Doing Today? Trying to out-do each other in the bashing of the West, it seems.

Ahmadinejad used a meeting with the speaker of Azerbaijan's Parliament to declare, "The so-called powerful countries are merely after their own interests. They are willing go so far as to sacrifice other countries and nations for their interests....The weakening of the so-called powerful countries will completely change the state of affairs on the regional and international scale."

Larijani's audience was the Parliament, as he warned President Obama about following the polices of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and declared that the 22 Bahman rallies had thwarted the US-Iran "plot" against Iran.

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Iran: “It’s All Over” for the Green Movement?
The Latest from Iran (20 February): Questions

2010 GMT: Drawing a line. Peyke Iran claims that Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani has convinced lawmaker Mostafa Kavakebian not to press his plan for further examination of detention centres.


1955 GMT: Iran's Nuclear Cooperation? Islamic Republic News Agency is quoting the spokesman of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Shirzadian that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived on Saturday yesterday, to study Iran's nuclear safety system. The delegation is expected to spend two weeks on safety evaluation, procedures, and international requirements.

1820 GMT: Well, well, have a look at Khabar Online, the "conservative" website which is now almost non-stop in its challenge to the President. Khabar reports on Saturday's meeting between Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi without a hint of criticism and throws in a good kick on the "magically changing flag" issue:

The report [from Karroubi's Saham News]...reads that the reformist leaders had a conversation about "eliminating a symbol of Iranian national flag". Actually it refers to a ceremony attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran for the head of the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). There, in a graphic design behind Ahmadinejad the green stripe of the country's national flag [green, white and red] had turned to blue.

Green is also symbolizes the opposition Green Movement led by the two former officials.

1635 GMT: Nukes, Nukes, Nukes! Today's hyperbole posing as analysis comes out of The Washington Post, where James Lindsay and Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations spend several paragraphs feigning deep thought before setting up for First, Containment But Prepare to Attack:

If Tehran remains determined to go nuclear and preventive attacks prove too risky or unworkable to carry out, the United States will need to formulate a strategy to contain Iran. In doing so, however, it would be a mistake to assume that containment would save the United States from the need to make tough choices about retaliation. If Washington is not prepared to back up a containment strategy with force, the damage created by Iran's going nuclear could become catastrophic.

The piece is notable not for any insight but for a shift from Takeyh, who had been putting forward a rights-first approach to Iran up to 22 Bahman.

1620 GMT: Rafsanjani Watch (cont. --- see 1330 GMT). It hasn't taken long for regime defenders to respond to the alliance between Hashemi Rafsanjani and Moshen Rezaei to get changes in the Iranian system, especially the supervision of elections. Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of Kayhan, has warned that the Expediency Council --- headed by Rafsanjani and served by Rezaei as Secretary --- is trying to get rid of the Guardian Council.

1420 GMT: Alireza Khaliji, the son-in-law of Mohammad Reza Beheshti, martyr Ayatollah Beheshti’s eldest son, has been released from prison. Opposition activists claim the arrest was merely to put pressure on Mir Hossein Mousavi --- his chief advisor Alireza Beheshti is the uncle of Alireza Khaliji.

1400 GMT: Parleman News reports that journalist Hasan Zohouri, a specialist on cultural affairs arrested in the lead-up to the 22 Bahman rallies, was released last night.

1330 GMT: Rafsanjani Watch. Could this be an encounter with political significance? Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani has met Mehdi Karroubi's son Ali, who was taken away and beaten on 22 Bahman. Reports claim that Ali Karroubi's account of the experience brought Rafsanjani and his wife to tears.

0945 GMT: Don't Look Here, Look Over There! Iranian state media are pretending not to notice Hashemi Rafsanjani's comments on the internal political situation. Instead, it's all Nukes, Nukes, Nukes. From Press TV:

“The [International Atomic Energy Agency] report was clearly custom-made for Western powers,” said the former Iranian President. “There is no way an international organization with an independent approach would make such comments.”

“The tidal wave of threats and accusations against Iran's nuclear activity has certainly been unprecedented, but [Western powers] should come to realize that they have no chance of forcing Iranians [into giving up their enrichment program],” said Rafsanjani.

Rafsanjani went to add that one expected that "foreign enemies of Iran would not opt for "aggressive behavior" after millions of Iranians took part in rallies — held during the 31st anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution — and threw their weight behind the Islamic establishment.

0905 GMT: There are Sanctions...And There Are No Sanctions. While the French Government talks tough about economic punishment for Iran's nuclear stance, this bit of Auto News:

Iran's state-owned car manufacturer Iran Khodro unveiled for the home market on Saturday the Peugeot 207i, a locally built version of the French automobile firm's 207 model. The Peugeot 207i will hit the market at the beginning of the next Iranian year which starts on March 21....

Pierre Foret, representative of Peugeot in Iran, said the launch of the 207i was the French car maker's attempt to "develop its market in Iran"

0855 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Persian2English reports that the Revolutionary Court has sentenced human rights lawyer Mohammad Oliyaifard to a year in prison for “propaganda against the system”. Oliyaifard is prominent for his pro bono (no fees) work defending juveniles in death penalty cases.

0845 GMT: Police News and Rumour. Iranian media have reported that Tehran's police chief, Brigadier-General Azizollah Rajabzadeh, is retiring after only six months in charge.

The rather tasty rumour is that Rajabzadeh was beaten up by a woman who is a martial arts specialist. The more prosaic reason for his sudden departure is the perception that his forces failed to keep order during the Ashura demonstrations on 27 December.

0840 GMT: Speaking of that debate over the state of the Green Movement, we've got a special analysis by Josh Shahryar on "Cricket, Andre the Giant, and Protests".

0835 GMT: The Green Movement Debate. Another voice to add to this weekend's discussion of whether the opposition in Iran has been crippled: expatriate intellectual Abdolkarim Soroush declares that the movement is "unstoppable".

0815 GMT: We're catching up with a lot of news from Saturday. Much of it is in our morning analysis, "Re-alignment v. Crackdown: Which 'Wins'?", as politicians like Hashemi Rafsanjani manoeuvre for some changes within the system to prevent implosion but the Government persists in its strategy of threats.

Elsewhere, reformists have called on Minister of Higher Education Kamran Daneshjoo to demand release of students from detention, an end to punitive jail terms, and exclusion of armed forces from universities.

The nightly ritual of gatherings and protests by families of detainees continues outside Evin Prison. Once again, some prisoners are being released to those waiting.

On the economic front, claims are being made in the pro-Larijani Khabar Online that $9 trillion (yes, trillion) is wasted because of the lack of modern technology in Iran's oil fields means 24% productivity, instead of rates, as in Norway, of 48 to 65%.

In Tehran Bureau, "Hamid Faroknia" of the Iran Labor Report has a lengthy, detailed analysis of the effects of President Ahmadinejad's economic policy bringing in cheap imports: "farmers [driven] to bankruptcy; industrial workers arbitrarily denied wages".

The Latest from Iran (1 February): The Anniversary Begins

2120 GMT: The Most Important Story of the Day --- There Wasn't A Story. We'll probably lead with this in the morning analysis but let's be clear, especially with regime defenders continuing to hold onto the turnout of 30 December as proof of the Government's legitimacy:

Where were the events today on the first day of the Anniversary of the Revolution celebrations? Normally, Hashemi Rafsanjani would give a speech in a grand event in Imam Khomeini’s shrine, surrounded by people. This year there was a small gathering, mainly officials, in Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery; member of Parliament Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel gave the speech. Seyed Hassan Khomeini, the Imam's grandson, did not participate after his muted reception of President Ahmadinejad (see 1345 and 1430 GMT).

2105 GMT: Brother, Where Art Thou? For the second time in recent days, Davoud Ahmadinejad has indulged in a bit of criticism of his brother's Government. He has declared that it must answer the denunciations of prominent member of Parliament Ali Mottahari, as "freedom has not been defined".

2050 GMT: Well, That Settles It Then. Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi has said that his ministry has found clues in the the case of "nuclear physicist" Masoud Ali Mohammadi. These establish that "a combination of Israelis and counter-revolutionaries" are involved, even though there have been no arrests.

2045 GMT: Khatami Comes Out for the Rallies. We've posted an English translation of Mohammad Khatami's statement today.

1905 GMT: Marking Out the Protests. Effectively defending the right of protesters to gather for rallies, including 22 Bahman (11 February), while staying within the system, former President Mohammad Khatami said today, "We have always invited the people to peacefulness."

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The Latest from Iran (31 January): No Backing Down

1855 GMT: Really, They Were Very, Very Bad. The regime, trying to justify last week's executions of Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour, has released details of their purported interrogations:

Rahmani-Pour, during his preliminary interrogation rounds, admitted to being a member of Tondar, an offshoot of Kingdom Assembly of Iran, as well as having plans to strike the Tehran Bazaar, the statement said.

He also confessed to making explosives to strike his targets but added that he was unable to carry out his plans due to the presence of Basij forces in the areas, it said.

Rahmani-Pour, who was executed on Thursday, told his interrogators that through his connections with the pro-monarchy group, he had been convinced that the Pahlavi regime should be reinstated in Iran. He then said that he had gathered more than 100 kilograms (220 lb) of chemicals to make explosives, the statement added.

In addition to his charges, amongst which he was blamed for the deadly bombing of a religious compound in Shiraz, he was accused of conducting an anti-revolutionary campaign.

According to the statement, the other man executed Thursday was Mohammad-Reza Ali-Zamani, who was also associated with Kingdom Assembly of Iran.

"Ali-Zamani had illegally entered Iraq's Kurdistan, where he applied for asylum. There, he met with Forood Fouladvand [the leader of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran]," read the statement.

It added that Ali-Zamani had received trainings regarding "nuclear terrorism" as well as making dirty bombs.

1655 GMT: In the midst of a long academic stint, so back with an evening update about 1930 GMT.

1520 GMT: Blaming the Professors. Today's academic news comes from Allameh Tabatabei University, where the President, Sadredin Shariati, has blamed faculty for stirring up unrest on Ashura (27 December). Shariati has singled out professors such as Mohammad Satarifar, a member of the Mousavi campaign team, as instigators.

Last month several staff of the University were effectively purged by Shariati, who obtained his position on the basis of his service as Friday Prayers leader at the University.

1430 GMT: More Khomeini News. Let's see the Government try to claim this legacy....

An EA source reported that, after snubbing President Ahmadinejad (see 1345 GMT), Seyed Hassah Khomeini went to the house of Alireza Beheshti, the detained chief advisor to Mir Hossein Mousavi and son of the late Ayatollah Beheshti, a hero of the 1979 Revolution.

1350 GMT: Where is Zeidiabadi (see 1025 GMT)? An Iranian activist claims that Ahmad Zeidiabadi, journalist and academic, has been moved to Rejaie Shahr Prison, which usually holds "hard core" criminals. Last week journalist Masoud Bastani was moved to the same facility.

1345 GMT: The Legacy of the Revolution? Kalemeh reports that Seyed Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, has snubbed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the President's speech at the Khomeini shrine.

1325 GMT: So Was The Cleric Arrested? Hojatoleslam Hadi Ghaffari has denied reports (see 0910 GMT) that he was detained. The "hardline" newspaper Kayhan had reported that Ghaffari was arrested because authorities had discovered a cache of weapons in the storage area of his Tehran mosque in Tehran. Ghaffari claims that the area was rented out to a respected businessman who stored rice and that any weapons belonged to a Basij unit which disbanded years ago.

1320 GMT: Walking the Tightrope. A day after issuing his defense of the trials and possible death penalties for those accused of "mohareb" (war against God), the head of Iran's judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, has reportedly tacked back and declared he would not give in to political pressure from "hardliners" to carry out more executions: "These demands (by hardliners) are political in nature and are against the law and Sharia."

Not sure this is much of a shift from Larijani, who also said on the judiciary's official website, "In reviewing detainees' cases, we will only consider the law and Islamic Sharia law." Feels more like an assertion of his authority of determining if and when a protester should die.

1050 GMT: Questioning the Detentions. Amnesty International have launched a new campaign, calling on the Iranian authorities to reveal the whereabouts of two music journalists, Behrang Tonekaboni and Kayvan Farzin.

Both Tonekaboni and Farzai were arrested at the offices of Farhang va Ahang, a monthly music journal, on 5 January. Tonekaboni’s mother Lili Farhadpour, 47, a journalist and a member of Mothers for Peace, was arrested at her home on 20 January.

1035 GMT: Condemning the Executions. More than 80 expatriate Iranian intellectuals have signed an open letter denouncing last Thursday's killings of Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour.

1030 GMT: Today, we've had a football special; now we've got boxing. We've posted the video of the clash in Paris which ended in a fight between the Iranian Ambassador and French police.

1025 GMT: Ahmad Zeydabadi, the reformist academic, journalist, and activist, has been moved to an unknown location, probably with Evin Prison.

0915 GMT: Interpreting the Revolution. High-profile Tehran University academic Sadegh Zibakalam has said in a discussion on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting that the 1979 Revolution was not for Islam, but for a freedom which people believed could be fulfilled through Islam.

0910 GMT: Cleric Detained? Rah-e-Sabz is reporting that Hojatoleslam Hadi Ghaffari has been arrested. In June, just after the Presidential election, Ghaffari rose to prominence when the audio and video of his criticism of the Government and Supreme Leader circulated on the Internet.

0840 GMT: We've posted one of our regular Iran Football specials, "The Green Movement Shoots! It Scores!", as supporters and a former Iran football manager "hijack" a programme on Iranian state television.

0720 GMT: Sunday's Modest Declaration "We Freed the Human Race". So said President Ahmadinejad in a Cabinet meeting:

The Islamic Revolution opened a window to liberty for the human race, which was trapped in the dead ends of materialism....If the Islamic Revolution had not occurred, liberalism and Marxism would have crushed all human dignity in their power-seeking and money-grubbing claws. Nothing would have remained of human and spiritual principles.

0715 GMT: Video Shows: Threat and Defiance. Footage has been posted of Saturday's trial of Ashura detainees.

0700 GMT: About an hour ago, Iranians marked the triumphant return of Ayatollah Khomeini from exile in Paris, as schools, trains, and boats were to rang their bells at 9:33 a.m., the local time when his plane touched down in 1979. Press TV gives the straightforward line of Iranian state media.

This is the first of 11 days of commemoration, celebration, and protest, culminating in the events of 22 Bahman (11 February). No mass events are planned by the Green movement today, but the regime continues to put out its threats against any show of resistance. Sunday it was the turn of Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, to declare that trials and executions were within the "rule of law".

We have posted the video of Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, speaking on CNN, putting out the same Government message.