The Latest from Iran (17 May): Reacting to Ahmadinejad

2025 GMT: Sanctions Watch. US authorities have added another Iranian state-owned bank to its sanctions list.

The US Treasury claims Iran's Bank of Industry and Mines, the 21st to be listed by Washington, is handling transactions on behalf of two previously sanctioned institutions, Bank Mellat and Europaesch-Iranische Handelsbank.

2010 GMT: Execution Watch. Iran’s Supreme Court has approved the death sentence for Habibollah Latifi, according to his family.

Latifi was arrested in November of 2007 and sentenced to death in 2008 for "mohareb" (war against God). His execution was halted at the last minute in December 2010 at the request of lawyers, as people congregated in front of the prison in Sanandaj in Kurdistan.

Latifi is one of 14 Kurdish prisoners on death row.

Earlier today, Abdollah and Mohammad Fathi were hung in Isfahan for "mohareb".

2005 GMT: Reconciliation? Former President Mohammad Khatami, on his personal website, has urged the regime's leadership and the people to forgive each other and reach out for the sake of the country's future.

Khatami, referring to a meeting with veterans of the eight-year Iran-Iraq War, said, "If there has been any wrongdoing, let us all forgive each other and look toward the future."

The former President expressed grave concern over the "toxic atmosphere" of Iran's politics. He urged the regime not to regard every criticism as sedition, allowing political parties and groups to function and participate in elections.

Khatami also referred to the economy, noting the lack of growth and questioning the regime's claim that it has created 2.5 million jobs.

1345 GMT: Execution Watch. The father of Abdollah and Mohammad Fathi has confirmed that they were executed early this morning in Isfahan Prison.

The brothers were arrested in March 2010, charged with “involvement with anti-revolutionary groups”, “taking action for armed struggle”, “enmity against God” (mohareb), and “armed robbery”.

Their father, Bijan Fathi claimed, “The confessions that the sentences were based on were obtained under severe torture. Throughout the entire judicial process, my sons were deprived of all of their basic lawful rights, like the right to have an attorney and the right to defend themselves.”

1330 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. An appeals Court has overturned the one-year prison sentence of human rights activist Dorsa Sobhani, giving her a suspended five-year term.

1320 GMT: Sanctions Watch. Despite US sanctions, 16 economic officials from Iran will attend the Futurallia meeting of the World Trade Organization, scheduled for Thursday to Saturday.

The Head of the World Trade Center of Iran, Mohammad Reza Sabzalipour, said trade organisations from from 30 countries are expected to take part and hold direct talks. The Iranian delegation mainly works in chemicals, foodstuff, chocolate and financial industries.

Sabzalipour called the invitation a good measure to lift sanctions.

1235 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Sources say Taghi Rahmani, journalist and consultant to Mehdi Karroubi, has been detained again, only days after he was released on $150,000 bail.

1225 GMT: Campus Watch. Rah-e Sabz reports 13 students have been expelled from Mashhad's Sajjad University for "heresy".

1145 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Michael Theodoulou and Maryam Sinaiee of The National parallel our "Ahmadinejad the Prize Fighter" analysis of the President's political manoeuvres: "Iranian President Retreats on One Front, Attacks on Another in TV Talk".

1120 GMT: Economy Watch. The Central Bank has finally published Iran's statistics for economic growth in the year ending 20 March 2010. The bank claimed the economy grew 3.5% with oil receipts and 4.3% without oil receipts.

1115 GMT: Turn Off Your TVs. Iranian authorities have declared that all foreign satellite channels are illegal and said advertisers on these channels will be punished.

1005 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The lawyer for director Mohammad Rasoulof, sentenced to six years in prison but currently free on appeal, said a travel ban on his client had been lifted.

Rasoulof's latest movie was recently accepted by the Cannes Film Festival.

1000 GMT: Journalist Watch. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said this morning that Al Jazeera reporter Dorothy Parvaz, allegedly moved from Syrian detention to Iran two weeks ago, had committed several violations, but he stopped short of saying she was in Iranian custody.

Mehmanparast said Parvaz, who hold American Canadian, and Iranian citizenship, "traveled to Syria with expired Iranian passport, planned to work without a press permit and had several passports on her".

Parvaz disappeared on arrival in Damascus on 29 April. Syrian authorities later said she was in detention but then altered the story to say she had gone to Tehran with the Iranian Consul to Damascus.

0950 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi puts out a reminder to the President's inner circle, "Superstition and mysticism are dangerous".

Ahmadinejad advisors have been criticised and even arrested in the current crisis for alleged connections with sorcery and exorcism.

0845 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The Times of London has picked up on the news, which we reported on Sunday, that prominent defence attorney Houtan Kian has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Kian was detained last October when he spoke to German journalists about his client Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, condemned to death for adultery and conspiracy in the murder of her husband.

0815 GMT: On the High Seas. Two Iranian ships carrying Shiite activists to Bahrain were turned back in the Persian Gulf on Monday by warships belonging to the six nations of the Gulf Co-operation Council, according to the website of the Iranian activists.

The members of the Islamic Revolution Supporters Association said the Iranian regime did not prevent them from sailing. However, halfway to Bahrain, they decided to return to Iranian waters because of “the emergence of threats from the ships of the Peninsula Shield Force and the possibility of attacks”.

0710 GMT: Corruption Watch.Alef, which has led the attacks on the Government over the past week, is on the warpath again --- this morning it claims to publish further details of impropriety over a $450 million contract for a development on Kish Island.

Last week the website, linked to key MP Ahmad Tavakoli claimed friends and associates of Presidential aide Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai were connected to the deal.

0635 GMT: Grounded. Iran Air's office in Rome has been shut down after 45 years.

Peyke Iran claims the closure occurred suddenly, without notice to passengers who held tickets for the Tehran-Rome route.

0630 GMT: No Comment. A headline this morning in the Tehran Times: "Iran Will Spare No Effort to Help Establish Democracy in Egypt: Larijani".

0620 GMT: The President's Right-Hand Man. Another ripple of resumed challenge to Ahmadinejad's camp....

Fars claims that the Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution has awarded a licence to a non-profit institution, linked to Presidential Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, as "an international university for all Iranians".

The website adds a hint of discontent in the final draft, asserting that several members of the Supreme Council have boycotted meetings recently "to protest the decision-making process".

0600 GMT: After the political drama of recent weeks, Monday brought little headline reaction to President Ahmadinejad's Sunday night speech. State broadcaster IRNA featured the nationally-televised interview, of course, but Fars had dropped it from the headlines on its website by yesterday morning. Press TV, Iran's international outlet, limited its summary to Ahmadinejad's declaration that Tehran was ready for resumed nuclear talks with the "West" and --- more importantly --- his announcement that he was taking charge of the Ministry of Oil.

Conservative critics of the President also were relatively quiet. Khabar Online, the outlet of Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani, offered no headline response, and Alef, the website linked to Larijani's key ally Ahmad Tavakoli, maintained silence after a week of sustained attacks on Ahmadinejad. Senior clerics, whose claims of "sorcery" and Ahmadinejad "bewitched" by his controversial aide Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai had brought more attention to the conflict, also withheld contributions. 

However, there were ripples of a response later in the day. Gholam-Reza Mesbahi-Moghaddam, a key MP on economic affairs, resumed the theme of  the "diversionary current" (read Rahim-Mashai and his allies) that continue to commit sedition by fighting Islam and the Islamic Republic.

And Khabar Online, below its headlines, offers the prospect of resumed challenge: there are stories ofParliament's opposition to the merger of Ministries --- the front-line political issue at the moment --- with Larijani criticising the combination of the Ministries of Sports and Youth.