Iran Video: Ahmadinejad's Right-Hand Man Rahim-Mashai v. the Protestors

In the midst of its report on the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad road show in New York, Voice of America Persian captured an extraordinary moment.

At the 2:41 mark in the video, Iranian activists catch up with the President's Chief of Staff and close ally, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai near the United Nations and challenge him over human rights in Iran. Planet Iran summarises the conversation:

The lady in the black shirt says: “Inside Iran all of our most esteemed journalists are being tortured….”

Rahim-Mashai brazenly responds: “VOA…what does it mean?”

The voiceover: “The Voice of America’s reporters however were attacked by him" as Rahim-Mashai covers the VOA camera lens.

The woman in the lavender colored shirt asks: “What do you have to say for yourself about the case of Sakineh Mohmmadi-Ashtiani [the woman initially sentenced to death by stoning for adultery; the execution has been suspended as the case is completed]? Mr. Ahmadinejad claims that the sentencing was not even passed on her case.”

Rahim-Mashai snickers and lies: “It was not at all passed!”

Woman in lavender shirt: “The judiciary passed the sentence! So why is the judiciary saying that, for now, the sentence is voided.”

Rahim-Mashai: “Who says? Voided? The case has not even been processed!”

Human rights activist Naghmeh Mosaed in the green shirt says: “She was supposed to be executed!”

Rahim-Mashai: “No such thing!”

Woman in the lavender shirt: “So okay, she won’t be stoned to death then.”

The man in the black and white striped t-shirt says: “Yeah right, if it wasn’t for the international pressure, that it was stopped…and you lot aren’t scared of our people…”

Rahim-Mashai to the man: “If the international committee had any real care, they’d stop the nonsense about the nuclear issue and not concentrate on this Sakineh."