The Latest from Iran (25 December): Awaiting a Hanging

2250 GMT: All-is-Well Alert (Overseas Edition). Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi has assured a conference, "All Iranians who live outside of the country are not in the opposition. The number of Iranian expatriates who are opponents of the system is limited."

Moslehi said, however, that there is still work to be done: "Foreign intelligence agencies have provided facilities and equipment to [the opponents] to help them make their voices widely heard."

2240 GMT: Execution Watch. Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani has commented on the imminent hanging of Kurdish prisoner Habibollah Latifi: "Even illicit Arabs stopped war and killing in [the religious month of] Moharram."

2225 GMT: All-is-Well Alert. The Deputy Minister of Commerce, Mohammad-Hossein Nekoui-Mehr, has said that the Government has taken special measures for decreasing food prices amidst subsidy cuts.

Nekoui-Mehr added that about 7,000 products are currently being monitored by the Ministry to stop any increase in the prices of general commodities.

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The Latest from Iran (19 November): Politics and Human Rights

1225 GMT: Your Friday Prayer Summary. Hojatoleslam Kazem Seddiqi taking the pulpit today, and he has an interesting call to economic arms for the faithful: the Government's subsidy cuts plan deserves the "efforts and sacrfices" of the people.

In case you think that message is a sign of regime nerves, Seddiqi got back to safer ground with declaration that the people had unitied to defeat sedition after the 2009 Presidential election. He also praised the formation of a government in Iraq.

0915 GMT: Diversion Alert. The editors of The Washington Post, meanwhile, would be much happier if we could all just keep our eyes focused on bombs: "Why Give Iran a Reason Not to Fear a Military Attack?"

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