The Latest from Iran (8 March): Let the Political In-Fighting Resume

See also Iran Document Special: The UN Report on "Violations of Fundamental Human Rights"
The Latest from Iran (7 March): "The People Are Not Happy"

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2150 GMT: At the Movies. Pro-regime filmmaker Farajollah Salahshour has expressed his anger about his daughter's congratulations to Oscar-winning director Ashgar Farhadi "for depicting social problems".

2145 GMT: Hunger Strike Watch. Al Jazeera English notices the hunger strike of blogger, physician, and dissident Mehdi Khazali, now in its 60th day.

1915 GMT: A Special Day. A belated note that today is International Women's Day. Google marks the occasion:

But the distinctly Iranian presentation comes from Kanoon Nevisandegan (Writers Assocation):

1857 GMT: Compare-and-Contrast Press Watch. A slightly different emphasis in two outlets today --- first Iran's Press TV:

The US president has said ... that he wants to bring the Iranian nation to its knees through sanctions, which reflects a continuation of [being under] a delusion in this regard,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with Head of the Assembly of Experts Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani and the body’s members on Thursday.

“The lingering of this illusion will deal a blow to the US officials and will lead their calculations to failure,” the Leader further pointed out.

Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the recent comment by Obama who said he is not thinking of a war with Iran, and noted, “This remark is a good one and is a sign of taking a distance from illusion.”

Now US Government-owned Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

ranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has welcomed recent comments by U.S. President Barack Obama emphasizing diplomacy -- not military action -- to resolve the standoff over the Iranian nuclear program....

Khamenei's website quoted him telling clerics from Iran's Assembly of Experts that Obama's words are "good talk" and show "an exit from illusion."

1847 GMT: Elections Watch. Hannes Bode writes EA with a follow-up to a Wednesday post that the number of "reformists" in the new Parliament is low, possibly below 10....

Bode claims that a check of 60 "independents" who have been elected, shows at least three linked to the Steadfastness Front linked to 2009 Presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaie, three to the Unity Front of principlists and conservatives, four to smaller principlist lists, and even four to the "deviant current". Others appear to be indirectly linked. Bode concludes that about half of the "independents" are actually principlists.

1840 GMT: Fake Degree Watch. A member of Parliament's Education Committee has repeated the allegation that Farhad Daneshjoo, the new head of Islamic Azad University, has a degree from a British university that did not exist at the time.

Daneshjoo claims he graduated from "Westminister University" in 1989, but Westminster was then a polytechnic, only becoming a university in 1992.

Daneshjoo was appointed by President Ahmadinejad as part of a struggle with former President Hashemi Rafsanjani for control of the university system.

1710 GMT: Drumsbeats of War Watch. Wow, this looks like a really productive idea from The Atlantic, one guaranteed to encouraged reasoned, calm discussion....

War or peace in the Middle East amounts to a coin toss. The probability that the United States or Israel will strike Iran in the next year is 48 percent according to a new project that predicts the chances of conflict--the Iran War Clock. And as a result, the clock is set to 10 minutes to midnight.

How does the Iran War Clock work?

We've assembled a high-profile panel of experts from the policy world, academia, and journalism to periodically predict the odds of conflict.

1700 GMT: CyberWatch. Back from an extended academic break to find a summary of Wednesday's "order" by the Supreme Leader for the creation of an Internet oversight agency with top military, security, and political figures.

State TV reoprted that Ayatollah Khamenei said the Supreme Council of Cyberspace would be tasked with preventing harm to Iranians who go on-line.

The Council will be headed by President Ahmadinejad and includes Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards General Mohammad Ali Jafari, Iran's police chief Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam, Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani, and head of Iran's state media.

1100 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Press TV, quoting Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Reza Bahonar, says President Ahmadinejad --- despite the earlier denial of his Vice President --- will appear in Parliament for questioning on Wednesday.

1000 GMT: CyberWatch. The regime's censorship of websites has long drawn criticism, but here's a twist --- now it is being denounced by a group of hard-line cyberactivists loyal to the clerical establishment.

In an online statement, the cyberactivists said the selective filtering of hard-line content and the detentions of those running websites were "irrational", warning of damage to the country's "holy" cyberwar.

"What is the common reason for the blocking of 'Teribon', 'Serat', and 'Bibak'? Does the criticism of one of the establishment's top officials deserve such dealing?" the statement challenged.

In recent weeks, there have been a series of reports that sites supporting President Ahmadinejad and his inner circle have been blocked inside Iran.

0730 GMT: The six-month prison sentence imposed on activist Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, has been confirmed by a Revolutionary Court.

Hashemi, arrested during last year's protests, is accused of "propaganda against the system". She has also been banned for five years from political and media activities.

0650 GMT: The bickering within the Iranian system eased during the protracted counting/manufacturing of votes in the Parliamentary election, but it is back with a flourish.

Courtesy of current MPs, reports on Tuesday said Ahmadinejad  is expected in Parliament for interrogation next Wednesday. However, Vice President Mohammad Reza Mirtajoddini said, "Nothing is definite and the time is to be decided by the President himself.

Ahmadinejad challenged the Guardian Council on Wednesday, appointing members to a body to supervise the Constitution. The Council had declared the supervising panel "illegal".

Conservative MP Elyas Naderan, a leading critic of the President, wrote in an article on Alef --- the website of another critical MP, Ahmad Tavakoli, that the Islamic Constancy/Resistance Front is the "deviant current" which considers the parliament as a “platform" for not only the Presidency but, more worringly, activities beyond that.

The Constancy Front won 60 of the 225 seats declared in the first round of balloting; however, 54 of those went to candidates who also ran for the "rival" Unity Front.

Tavakoli was also in the headlines on Wednesday, having accused 1st Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi of involvement with a "Great Fraud"  in a speech last week. Rahimi has now filed a legal complaint over the remarks.

Ayatollah Gharavi, a member of Qom's Theological Lecturers Association, said, "Unfortunately in the current social atmosphere, destruction and extremism exists. Worse, some of these extremisms and destruction are under cover of support for the Supreme Leader and begin in Qom."