The Latest from Iran (25 November): Down, Down, Down

Claimed footage, posted yesterday, of a recent strike by workers in Tabriz in northwest Iran

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2045 GMT: The Lesser-of-Two-Evils Watch. Kayhan editor Hossei Shariatmadari, criticising the Green Movement for saying the Iranian system should apologise to the people, has remarked, "We would rather bribe the US than the people."

2035 GMT: Elections Watch. Solat Mortazavi, the head of Iran’s Elections Headquarters, has repeated that two leading reformist organizations, the Islamic Iran Participation Front and the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, will not be allowed to field candidates in March's Parliamentary elections.

Mortazavi told a workshop for provincial elections officials that the Supreme Leader has instructed officials to ensure that the “enemy” does not turn the elections into a challenge to the Islamic Republic. He said individual reformists are not barred from the elections so long as the Guardian Council declares them eligible.

The two reformist organisations were dissolved by court order last year. Many of their members have been arrested and given long prison sentences.

2025 GMT: An Admission. Mohammad Reza Jafari, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, has acknowledged that the Quds Force of Guards has been active in Iraq, adding that the Americans had ultimately failed in their mission there.

Jafari also spoke of the explosion on 12 November at a Guards base, offering condolences to the martyrs. He said that Israel had not been involved in the blast and that, while "we still can not announce the details of this technology", Guards' efforts in a new, important project would "be announced in the near future".

1703 GMT: (Dis)Unity Watch. This sounds like a bit of pleading from Mohammad Nabi Habibi, the head of the Motalefeh Party, amidst the continued tensions in the pursuit of a common front for March's Parliamentary elections, "Principlists must unite temporarily and stand behind the Supreme Leader to defy domestic and foreign enemies."

1655 GMT: Acceptable Culture Watch. Iran Police Chief Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam has explained that documentary filmmakers and bands can cooperate with foreign broadcasters, but not Persian-language satellite networks, with a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

1650 GMT: Wall Street Shuffle. Gholamreza Jalali, the head of Iran's Civil Defense Organisation, has declared: "Thanks to Ayatollah Khamenei's international policy, the voice of the Basij militia can be heard in Occupy Wall Street."

1500 GMT: Picture of the Day. An image from today's Basij militia parade:

1455 GMT: Arresting the President's Men. Ali Akbar Javanfekr, President Ahmadinejad's media advisor, has reportedly left hospital against the advice of doctors to appear in court on Saturday.

Javanfekr has been sentenced to one year in prison over a special edition of his newspaper Iran. He was hospitalised, following a raid on the newspaper's offices earlier in the week, with angina.

1445 GMT: Your Friday Prayer Update. Ayatollah Jannati has the podium today in Tehran, with a message for the regimes in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain: "Let the people determine their destiny, or you will suffer the fate of the ousted rulers of Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya."

Jannati also had words for countries who have criticised Tehran over human rights, "Instead of accusing others, cure yourself."

Jannati may have been upstaged, however, by the Friday Prayer leader of Tabbas, Ahmad Moaddab, Tabbas FP, who explained, "The Islamic Republic can save humanity as the only model for the world."

1425 GMT: Death of a Protester. Alireza Miandehi Sabouri, shot in the head during the mass post-election protest on 15 June 2009, has died in the US after a stroke.

Sabouri was struck as he trying to rescue demonstrators wounded in front of a Basij militia base near Azadi Square. Although he regained consciousness, fragments of the bullet remained inside his skull.

1415 GMT: All the President's Men. And now another twist on Monday's raid on the offices of Iran newspaper....

A reporter claims that the security forces' motive was not to seize the head of the newspaper, Ahmadinejad advisor Ali Akbar Javanfekr, to serve a one-year sentence. Instead, the raid was prompted because Iran was going to print a special issue on "dirty hands" in the $2.6 billion bank fraud. All copies were seized, and some staff in the printing office were arrested.

1405 GMT: The Battle Within. Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of Kayhan has told an audience in Qom that the "silent sedition" has no right to participate in elections. He added that the President's team is related to the evil genies of the British.

1400 GMT: (Dis)Unity Watch. Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, the head of the Assembly of Experts and the "7+8" Committee seeking conservative/principlist unity, says that there has been no final decision on a joint committee of the Committee and the Islamic Constancy Front, which has held out against co-operation. Mahdavi Kani said the sides "must put aside minor differences".

0919 GMT: Sanctions Watch. Washington continues to roll out its strategy to ratchet up economic pressure on Iran, with sources saying South Korea might ban imports of Iranian petrochemical products after discussions with the US.

The sources at the South Korean Ministry of Economy said that crude oil imports from Iran would not be affected.

The US, Britain, Canada, and France have all announced new sanctions this week.

0917 GMT: Parliament v. President. Four ministers --- Economy, Justice, Education, and Energy --- will appear in Parliament next week to answer questions.

0915 GMT: More Tough Talk. As part of "Basij Week", the head of Iran's armed force, Hassan Firouzabadi, and Tehran Governor Morteza Tamaddon have attended a parade of 50,000 Basij in front of the "spy nest" of the old US Embassy.

Firouzabadi told the parade that the Basij would not tolerate any deviation from velayat-e faqih (clerical supremacy) and the principles of the Iranian system.

0859 GMT: Foreign Affairs (British Front). Gholamreza Karami of Parliament's National Security Council has challenged the Majlis resolution to downgrading relations with Britain, saying it "does not solve problems".

0854 GMT: Arresting the President's Men. An interesting postscript to Monday's raid by security forces to seize Presidential advisor Ali Akbar Javanfekr in his offices at the newspaper Iran, arresting 40 people and ransacking the building....

A blogger who works for the newspaper reveals that the original edition of Iran for the day after the raid featured photos and headline, "Black Day for Press". The banner and pictures were withdrawn before the newspaper was published.

0838 GMT: (Dis)Unity Watch. Assadollah Badamchian has chastised the Islamic Constancy Front, "Don't weaken the army of velayat-e faqih (clerical supremacy) by talking about 'silent seditionists'."

Badamchian's remarks points to the difficulties among conservatives/principlists in achieving unity. The "7+8" Committee, seeking a common line for March's Parliamentary elections, has been rebuffed by the Islamic Constancy Front, led by Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi. The Front said that representatives of Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani and Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf were "silent seditionists".

0835 GMT: Tough Talk Alert. General Yahya Rahim Safavi, the military advisor to the Supreme Leader, has announced, "Officials should not restrict themselves to slogans but confront foreign threats actively."

0645 GMT: Enemies, Enemies Everywhere. Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi used an appearance alongside Ayatollah Khamenei on Thursday to offer this announcement on next March's Parliamentary elections: "Different political groups intend to take action against the Supreme Leader."

0635 GMT: Elections Watch. Ahmad Montazeri, the son of the late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, has asserted that there will be "no real elections" with the supervision of the Guardian Council.

0620 GMT: We begin this morning with a comment from an EA reader in Tehran:

The currency situation is very worrisome and when the Finance Minister says, "Please stop buying dollars and coins," it means, "We're screwed if you keep this up".

Yesterday a local friend of mine asked me when I thought the currency would turn around. I told him the rial would rise agains the dollar when 1) Relations are re-established between Iran and the US or 2) when Iran "wins" a war against the US. So I guess you could say I think the prospects of the rial are dim.

The Iranian rial sank another 0.9% on Thursday to 13560:1 against the US dollar. Only two months ago, the Central Bank was intervening to keep it above 13000:1 --- a "red line" level" --- by putting foreign currency on the market.