The Latest from Iran (28 July): An Opposition Move on the Elections?

2045 GMT: Politics Watch. A move within the Iranian establishment today, as clerics and former Government officials have announced their "Islamic Constancy Front". Those involved include Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, his clerical ally Morteza Agha-Tehrani, former Government spokesman Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, and former Minister of Interior Sadegh Mahsouli.

Mehr has no less than four stories emphasising the Front's declaration that it strengthens the unity of conservatives and principlists.

1310 GMT: Slain Scientist Watch. Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi, commenting on last weekend's murder of postgraduate student Dariush Rezaeinejad --- initially reported as a scientist connected with the Iranian defence establishment --- said that his service has some clues but has found no links to foreign intelligence services so far.

Moslehi added there was "good news" in the investigation of the November 2010 killing of scientist Majid Shahryari.

1300 GMT: Haircut Watch. Mehr uses a photo essay to highlight the work of the morality police in shutting down hair salons dispensing inappropriate styles for men.

What better excuse could we have for referring you to EA's classic haircut coverage from July 2010, "The Latest from Iran (5 July): Talks and Conflicts" and "Iran's New Haircut Law: First Culprit Identified!"

1255 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. An appeals court has confirmed a 20-month prison sentence for theologian Ahmad Ghabel.

1245 GMT: Elections Watch. Former MP Fatemeh Rake'i has said that, under current circumstances, there is no motivation for reformists to run in next March's Parliament elections. She claimed that the publication of a fake list, which supposedly had names of 20 reformists who would participate, shows that hardliners are concerned about the silence of reformists and are trying to provoke them.

And Ayatollah Haeri Shirazi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, has admitted that people might not participate in elections, even as he declared that reformist candidates must run.

1242 GMT: Oil and Politics. Former Deputy Minister of Oil Hadi Nejadhosseinian claims that the Ahmadinejad Government "has ploughed the oil industry under and lost Iran's best chances for development".

1240 GMT: Press Watch. The head of Iran's judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, is not happy with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting:"What does IRIB have against publishing crime news that it attacks the judiciary?"

1210 GMT: Claim of Day. The hot item on the Iranian portal Balatarin is a document claiming to be a transcript of a secret meeting between the Supreme Leader and legislators.

In the record of conversation, Ayatollah Khameini refers to the refers to the recent "Do Do (Two Two)" protests against the President --- the button 2 is used to record a "No" vote in Parliament. He said, "Do Do" was unacceptable; however, he added that "if we say the Majlis is cruel and unjust, people won't participate in elections." The Speaker of Parliament, Ali Larijani, supposedly apologised and said, "MPs will obey you."

1200 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. The President has issued a statement on his website today that "the government owes its success to the long history and ideals of the people, Imam Khomeini, and martyrs".

Ahmadinejad, responding to recent criticism that he is withholding data --- especially on the economy --- from the public said, "The executive authorities of the country provide reports with detailed, accurate and continuous progress and prosperity of the country's unique activities and measures."

However, one website, Digarban mischievously finds something even more controversial in the statement: the President did not the Supreme Leader in the list of those to whom the government owed its great achievements.

1150 GMT: Loyalty Watch. Back from an academic break to find this declaration from Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, the Supreme Leader's office manager: "Ayatollah Khamenei is an expert in all areas."

Golpayegani was promoting the Supreme Leader's speech last week to librarians about the need for Iranians to read more, even amidst a climate of censorship and closure of bookshops, publishers, and printing houses.

0720 GMT: Oil Watch. Lots of chatter this morning about President Ahmadinejad's nominee to head the Ministry of Oil --- Rustam Qassemi is an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander who has led the Guards' engineering branch, Khatam al-Anbia.

Qassemi tells Khabar Online that he has gathered experience through involvement with projects in the South Pars oil and gas fields and wants to return this expertise to the service of Iran. Critics might note that South Pars has been beset by delays in the last year, especially after Khatam al-Anbia tried --- and failed --- to fill the gaps of projects left by foreign companies amidst expanding sanctions.

Nikahang Kowsar offers his cartoonist's vision on the nomination:

0630 GMT: Web Watch. An EA reader brings a website, Rangin Kaman (Rainbow), to our attention. Launched in December 2010 in Persian and English, the site brings news with the promotion of “freedom”, “democracy” and “secularism”.

0620 GMT: Press Watch. Two staff of the conservative website Ayande News were reportedly arrested yesterday afternoon.

0610 GMT: Opposition Watch. More on the possible significance of the statement of the Coordinating Council of the Green Path (see 0550 GMT) about the 2012 elections and the political situation....

Mojtaba Vahedi, the US-based aide to Mehdi Karroubi, has declared that acceptance of the eight conditions of the Green Path is "equal to the downfall of the Islamic Republic".

Vahedi, saying the Green Path had reacted to the demands of society as it was not expecting free elections, set out the statement's step beyond Mohammad Khatami, noting that the former President had not mentioned the issues of supervision by the Guardian Council and involvement of the Revolutionary Guards.

0600 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The Committee to Protect Journalists raises the case of editor, journalist, unionist, and Karroubi aide Mohammad Davari, whose five-year sentence was recently extended by a year.

Davari, the editor-in-chief of Karroubi's website Saham News, was initially imprisoned for his coverage --- in print and film --- of the post-election abuses of detainees. The additional years was added for his participation in teacher protests in 2006.

0550 GMT: Yesterday Kalameh, the outlet of Mir Hossein Mousavi, published a "preliminary" statement by the Coordinating Council of the Green Path, the opposition collective that emerged in the aftermath of the house arrests of Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi in February.

Amidst weeks of heated discussion of whether reformists and activists should be involved in Parliamentary elections next March, the Council set out eight essential demands. These included freedom of all political prisoners, including Mousavi and Karroubi; changing the supervision of the elections --- now led by the Guardian Council --- so it is led by a group acceptable to all parties; assuring that all factions, including those of ethnic and religious groups, can freely campaign; ending censorship and restrictions on organisations, labour unions, and media; and keeping security and intelligence services out of politics and the elections.

The demands overlap with those emphasised by former President Mohammad Khatami as he has reinforced his call for conditions to be met before joining the elections; however, they go further with the explicit reference to organisations beyond the campaign, such as the labour union and the ethnic and religious groups. What remains to be seen is whether these demands mobilise discussion and co-operation beyond the Council amongst reformists and activists.