The Latest from Iran (13 September): The Danger of Half-Naked Men

See also Iran Latest: Ahmadinejad "Unilateral Pardon" for US Hikers Bauer & Fattal in 48 Hours
Iran Feature: A Guide to The Political Battle Within Tehran's Establishment
Iran MediaFail: America's NBC News Proudly Presents "A Day in the Life of Ahmadinejad"

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2110 GMT: Denial of the Day. According to Fars, via Khabar Online, President Ahmadinejad's office continues to deny that 1st Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, suspected of involvement in fraud, has been dismissed.

2000 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Here's a wrinkle in the hard-line blogosphere in Iran: the blogger "Grain of Character" has asked the Supreme Leader to end his support for Presidnet Ahmadinejad and allow his istizah --- an interrogation possibly leading to impeachment -- by Parliament.

1420 GMT: Economy Watch. Iranian Students News Agency reports that Iran's export of automobiles has fallen 60%.

1400 GMT: Ahmadinejad's "Gift". We have moved our coverage of President Ahmadinejad's declaration that he will give a "unilateral pardon" within 48 hours to US hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer to a separate entry.

1330 GMT: Reformist Watch. Former President Mohammad Khatami has denied reports on Monday that he met prominent conservative Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri to discuss the political situation and the possibility of reformist participation in March's Parliamentary elections.

Khatami's office also dismissed claims that the cleric had been in poor health.

1320 GMT: On the Border. HRANA reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Salmas in West Azerbaijan have published and distributed a pamphlet asking tribal forces and residents of border regions to fight against the insurgent Kurdish Workers’ Party (PJAK).

The IRGC, which has been fighting PJAK in northwestern Iran and shelling insurgent camps in Iraq over the last month, requests in the pamphlet, “We ask courageous Kurds and honorable tribes in Salmas County not to tolerate injustice and oppression perpetrated by PJAK and to defend your honor, lives, properties, families and country by waging war against this group. Don’t remain silent until the last of these mercenaries are wiped off the face of this earth.”

0850 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. In an interview with the Human Rights Activist News Agency, the lawyer for detained attorney Houtan Kian claims the political prisoner has been abused in prison --- he claims Kian has lost a great deal of weight and suffers from a broken nose and burns to the genitals.

Kian represented Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the woman condemned to death by stoning for adultery and conspiracy to murder her husband. He was arrested in October 2010 during a raid on his office as he was being interviewed by German journalists.

0740 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Ali Akbar Mohammadzadeh, a student activist at Sharif University student activist, has been sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to six years in prison for “illegal assembly” and “propaganda against the regime".

Mohammadzadeh was in court without his original lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, after the date of the trial was suddenly changed. Neither Nikbakht nor his last-minute replacement were allowed to review the prosecution's files.

Student activist Javid Fakhrian has been sentenced to one year in prison for anti-regime propaganda.

After the protests of 14 February, Fakhrian was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence several times. He was eventually arrested and released after 33 days.

Fakhrian was also detained in 2009 amidst post-election demonstrations.

Mohammad Ghaffarian, a student at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison and 70 lashes.

0735 GMT: Protest Watch. Human Rights Watch, calling on Iranian authorities to allow peaceful protests over the issue of Lake Urmia, claims --- from family members and other witnesses --- that several hundred protesters and activists have been arrested since late August.

HRW offers detail for its claim, "Several thousand demonstrators, some of whom clashed with riot police, attended a large rally in Orumiyeh [Urmia] on August 27. Authorities arrested approximately 300 demonstrators in Orumiyeh alone, local activists told Human Rights Watch, but have since released dozens. Dozens of others were arrested in Tabriz, Orumiyeh, and several other cities on September 3 after local activists called for additional demonstrations."

Protesters are criticising the regime for allowing the desiccation of Lake Urmia --- more than half of Iran's largest lake has dried and turned to salt because of misguided irrigation, dams, development, and drought.

0615 GMT: Corruption Watch. Kayhan has identified the suspect in a $2.6 billion bank fraud as financier Amir-Mansour Aria, linking him to "deviant current" around President Ahmadinejad.

Iranian officials have said the suspected fraud involved the use of forged documents to obtain credit at one of Iran’s top financial institutions, Bank Saderat, and several other banks to purchase assets that included state-owned companies like the Khuzestan Steel Company.

Kayhan claims that Aria, who owns more than 35 companies, including a mineral water manufacturer, a soccer team, and a firm importing meat from Brazil, is close to Ahmadinejad’s Chief of Staff, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai.

0610 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. President Ahmadinejad has used a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to declare that enemies of the two countries are promoting insecurity and blocking progress in the region: “The power of the colonialists lies not in their own might, but in the weakness of some regional countries --- as long as they remain divided, they will stay weak."

0530 GMT: We begin by returning to a story we noted on Tuesday --- the Deputy Head of State broadcaster IRIB has issued a memorandum to executives forbidding "love triangles", "half-naked men", and "unnecessary mingling" between women and men in TV programmes.

The reason for the warning at this time is unclear, although Reuters notes the popularity a few years ago of an Iranian soap opera,  Forbidden Fruit, about an old man who decided to leave his wife after falling in love with a young girl.

There still might be a chance of a glimpse at male flesh and forbidden fruit, however --- the memorandum says the love triangle may be shown if it is explicitly condemned.