The Latest from Iran (15 March): The Regime Supports the Right to Protest
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 5:282150 GMT: A Royal Retreat. Iranian MP Hamid Resai has announced that the visit of King Abdullah II of Jordan to Iran has been cancelled: “In view of the current critical situation, the Jordanian Abdullah’s trip to Tehran did not meet the approval of senior Islamic Republic officials.”
A number of MPs had protested the invitation of the Jordanian monarch to celebrate Iranian New Year, in a ceremony hosted by President Ahmadinejad at the ancient capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis. They noted the rise of protests in Jordan calling for political and economic reforms.
2145 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Reformist Ahmad Hakimipour and journalist Nazanin Khosravani have been released from prison.
Khosravani, detained for 135 days, was freed on $60,000 bail.
2130 GMT: Fire Festival. Claimed footage of people celebrating and singing original Iranian National Anthem tonight: