The Latest from Iran (20 April): Ahmadinejad's Powers of Intelligence?

2140 GMT: Ahwaz Watch. Most Iranian media may be avoiding any reference to clashes in Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran, which activists claim have killed up to 15 people, but the conservative site Tabnak has made an indirect but blunt approach....

Tabnak, linked to Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei, has written that militant Wahhabi groups are being supported by Gulf states to foment separatist unrest in the region and that the British are encouraging this.

Tabnak claims that the "British Ahwazi Friendship Society", a group claiming to promote Ahwazi Arab culture, is co-ordinator of the Wahhabi separatists of the "Arab People's Front".

Iran and the Green Movement: Life, Death, Rebirth (Ansari)
Iran Cartoon of the Day: A New Game of Intelligence (Kowsar)
Iran Breaking: Ahmadinejad Takes Over Ministry of Intelligence?
Iran in Pictures: An EA Caption Competition
Iran Feature: How the Civil Rights Movement Challenged the Regime...And Then Made A Mistake (Boroumand)

2130 GMT: The House Arrests. Fereshteh Ghazi of Rooz Online reports Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, held under strict house arrest for more than two months, have called family and were "in very good humour".

1730 GMT: Trouble in the Air. The Iranian embargo on fuel for "Western" aircraft at Tehran airports, imposed in retaliation for restriction on refuelling of Iran Air's planes in Europe, has taken a casualty. Austrian Airlines said it will cut back from five to three Vienna-Teheran-Vienna flights per week, at least until 8 May.

1710 GMT: At the Movies (Political Prisoner Edition). Director Jafar Panahi, sentenced to six years in prison, will be awarded the Carrosse d'Or (Golden Coach) at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

The Carrosse d'Or (or Golden Coach), awarded by the Société des Réalisateurs de Films (SRF), rewards film-makers' courage and independence of thought.

The SRF said: "Because no film-maker, no author can remain indifferent to the violence of such a decision, the SRF has promised to break the silence imposed on Panahi, for freedom of expression."

1510 GMT: Where's Mahmoud? On a day dominated by discussion of rifts, President Ahmadinejad referred to divisions --- albeit not the ones inside the Iranian establishment.

Speaking in Sanandaj in Kurdistan, Ahmadinejad pointed at America and Israel, "They say they want to create a new and greater Middle East under the US and the Zionist regime's dominance. I am telling you that a new and greater Middle East will be established without the existence of the US and the Zionist regime."

1345 GMT: A Matter of Intelligence. Both IRNA and Fars publish the text of the Supreme Leader's one-paragraph letter, posted on Ayatollah Khamenei's website, about the status of Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi (see 1210 GMT).

1330 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Film and television actor Ramin Parchami, arrested in the 14 February protests, has been sentenced to one year in prison.

1210 GMT: A Matter of Intelligence --- the Supreme Leader's Compromise. In our initial update today (0500 GMT), we summarised, "What will that Supreme Leader do?...Ahmadinejad's move puts Ayatollah Khamenei under pressure to make some response."

Well, Press TV is reporting a public intervention by the Supreme Leader to try and resolve the dispute over the Ministry of Intelligence.

Ayatollah Khamenei's office published a letter to Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi, "Strength, coherence and keen awareness of Iran's Intelligence Ministry are among the significant power pillars of the Islamic establishment. I hereby ask you to make greater efforts to carry out important internal and international mission of the Intelligence Ministry."

The Supreme Leader said the Intelligence Ministry must not allow even a minor flaw or failure to arise in the way of fulfilling legitimate duties of the key ministry in cooperation with the government and other intelligence bodies.

So Moslehi keeps his office, but the Supreme Leader gives him a public reprimand, thus supporting the public statement by Ahmadinejad's right-hand man, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, that the Ministry was "weak" in its efforts.

With the declaration, Khamenei also stems what could have been a messy public fight: 216 of Iran's 290 members of Parliament had signed a letter to Ahmadinejad announcing their support for the Moslehi and urging the president to stop “enemies from taking advantage” of these developments.

What this compromise does not answer to my knowledge, however, is the supposed trigger for the dispute: does Moslehi's firing of a deputy, Hossein Abollahian, for being too close to the President's office stand? Or will the Minister of Intelligence be forced to retain him?

And while the website that reported Ahmadinejad's move to take over the Ministry has now pulled the article, will the conservative media --- who have been at war with each other in the context of battles over the Presidency and Rahim-Mashai --- all fall into line?

1135 GMT: A Matter of Intelligence. Jahan News, noting the removal of last night's story about the President's takeover of the Ministry of Intelligence, says the Minister, Heydar Moslehi, showed up for work this morning despite stories of his resignation.

Jahan does not indicate if Moslehi attended this morning's Cabinet meeting.

1130 GMT: Hidden Imam Watch. Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi has indicated that those associated with a controversial "documentary", which heralds the imminent return of Shi'a's 12th Imam, may be prosecuted.

Doulatabadi said the charges were "distributing the CD without permission" and "publishing lies which disturb public opinion". He claimed two million free copies of the CD had been handed out.

Doulatabadi said the financial costs are also being investigated. The director the film, Ali Asghar Sijani, has claimed that the Revolutionary Guards provided part of the $15 million budget.

The film has provoked political conflict because of its representation of Ayatollah Khamenei as the earthly leader welcoming the "Hidden Imam" and Ahmadinejad as a major prophet.

1100 GMT: A Matter of Intelligence. DolateYar, which claimed from an "informed source" last night that President Ahmadinejad had removed Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi and taken personal control of the Ministry, has removed the article from its website.

0900 GMT: A Matter of Intelligence. Confused about all the personalities in the power struggle over the Ministry of Intelligence?

Writing for Rooz Online --- but before last night's breaking news about an alleged Ahmadinejad takeover of the Ministry --- Mohammad Reza Yazdanpanah outlines some of the manoeuvres amongst the President's office, other politicians, and the competing media factions.

0730 GMT: A Matter of Intelligence. It looks like Parliament is now entering the contest over the Ministry of Intelligence....

Tabnak reports that MPs are drafting two letters, first to ask the President about the Supreme Leader's reported nullification of the resignation of Minister of Intelligence Heidar Moslehi, and second to declare support for Moslehi.

Those behind the letter claim they have 150 signatories from Parliament's 290 members.

0500 GMT: We pick up this morning where we left off last night, with the claim of DolateYar, a site reportedly close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, from an "informed source" that the President has pushed aside Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi and taken personal charge of the Ministry.

There is no sign of the story in other Iranian outlets. Press TV sticks with Ahmadinejad's Tuesday speech, "“Thank God that the enemies put sanctions on us. As soon as they told us 'We won't sell gasoline to you, we started producing petrol inside the country and in fact moved toward utmost self-sufficiency.”

The pro-Ahmadinejad IRNA, which has been in a running battle with conservative sites who claim the Supreme Leader had nullified Moslehi's forced resignation, prefers to headline this morning with Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi's meetings with a Chinese politician.

Before the claim of Ahmadinejad's takeover emerged, MP Hassan Kamran had declared that Parliament's National Secuirity Commission supported Moslehi. The head of the Basij militia, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, took the careful position that the Basij does not enter politics but follows the Supreme Leader.

But what will that Supreme Leader do? If true, Ahmadinejad's move puts Ayatollah Khamenei under pressure to make some response. The Supreme Leader's office did not follow up the reports of the nullification of Moslehi's resignation with publication of the letter, let alone a statement by Khamenei. 

That allowed the pro-Ahmadinejad press to seize the initiative by saying the Supreme Leader had made no such intervention. And possibly it encouraged the President --- and his controversial right-hand man, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai --- to take even more aggressive action.

We will see. There is a Cabinet meeting this morning: will Moslehi show up or has he indeed been consigned to the political wilderness by a President who has claimed more powers of intelligence?