Monday
Jun292009
The Latest from Iran (29 June): The Challenge Survives
Monday, June 29, 2009 at 19:33
The Latest from Iran (30 June): Opposition, It’s Your Move
The Latest from Iran (28 June): The Regime Fails to Wrap Up the Election
Latest Video: Rally at Ghobar Mosque (28 June)
NEW Iran: Identifying the Killed and Detained
NEW Iran: More on "Two Twitterers" (and on the Idiocy of "The Times")
NEW Iran: For Those Still Detained (A Daily Show Tribute)
Receive our latest updates by email or RSS- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
2215 GMT: Very little political movement tonight --- the interesting manoeuvres start tomorrow with reaction to the Guardian Council's attempt to close off further dispute over the election. Meanwhile, multiple sources report that "Allahu Akhbars" are louder than ever from Tehran rooftops.
1920 GMT: Multiple reports that, after Guardian Council affirmation of election result announced, protesters responded with loud shouts of "God is Great".
1915 GMT: Getting in Line. It looks like the regime has pulled one key figure back into place. Ali Larijani, the head of the Iranian Parliament, has declared that the unrest is "a not very important event" which will be overcome by the Islamic Republic. Larijani also pointed to foreign demons, saying that CNN had provided money and cellphones to portray a negative image of Iran.
1810 GMT: OK, There Was an Error. A spokesman for the Guardian Council said that President Ahmadinejad's vote total has been revised upwards after the recount.
1705 GMT: The Decision is Made. Iran state media has announced, "The secretary of the Guardian Council in a letter to the interior minister announced the final decision of the Council... and declares the approval of the accuracy of the results of... the presidential election."
The timing, as well as the politics earlier in the day (there was a last-gasp meeting with Mousavi representatives to get their acceptance), indicate the Council, or those behind it, is ready for a showdown with the opposition.
1700 GMT: It is difficult to verify the size of the "human chain" in Tehran today, but there are numerous reports of attempts to disrupt the gathering and of clashes: "Daneshju Park is full of Basij and special gaurds and militia forces are being organized in the park 4 dealing human chain....Alleis [sic] which are leading to Valieasr street are full of armed forces and Basij cyclists....Office of the Islamic Association of Sistan and Baluchestan University set on fire by anonymous people."
1400 GMT: An audio file of the Sunday speech of Faezeh Hashemi (text here), the daughter of former President Rafsanjani, has been uploaded. To call it strong is an understatement: Hashemi maintains that the Basiji and security forces behind President Ahmadinejad will remove the Supreme Leader if he does not support them.
1355 GMT: We're keeping eyes and ears open for news of the latest mass demonstration, a "human chain" from north to south of Iran. On Iranian state media, police commanders have warned that the gathering is unlicensed and will not be tolerated.
According to reports, the chain has begun on Vali-e Asr Street.
1345 GMT: An important blogger during the crisis, Saeed Valadbaygi of "Revolutionary Road", writes, "We have been attacked by Police and we had to move to new places to live and start out activities." Yesterday Valadbaygi broke the news of the arrests of two student activists and of the well-known Iranian comedian Reza Attaran at the Qoba mosque rally.
1335 GMT: Mehdi Khazali, the son of Ayatollah Khazali (a strong supporter of President Ahmadinejad), has been arrested. The younger Khazali has in the past accused Ahmadinejad of having Jewish roots.
1330 GMT: Reports that the representatives of Mir Hossein Mousavi met today with the Guardian Council but, according to the speaker of the Council, there was "no clear result".
1200 GMT: And here's why the question below is important: opposition candidates are moving to challenge the Guardian Council's ability to rule on the vote. Mohsen Rezaei's brother has declared that "70 percent" of the votes in some ballot boxes are filled out with the same pen in the same handwriting. He has stated that it makes "no sense" for the Council to declare there is no fraud before a special committee of enquiry is appointed to investigate the electoral process.
1145 GMT: Hold Your Breath. Still no word from the Guardian Council on the "recount". Instead state media are playing up the story that "no Iranian presidential candidates had filed complaints as a Monday deadline approached".
CNN reports that development but then does not ask the important question: when the deadline passes (it is now 4:30 p.m. in Tehran), will the Guardian Council act immediately to declare the legitimacy of the Presidential vote?
900 GMT: Fars News Agency is reporting that President Ahmadinejad has asked the Ministry of the Judiciary to investigate the killing of Neda Agha Soltan.
In a sign that the opposition campaigns are re-emerging, a key advisor to Mehdi Karroubi has resumed updates on Twitter.
655 GMT: Juan Cole is normally one of the shrewdest commentators on the Arab and Islamic worlds, but he misreads the Iran situation this morning. First, towed along in the blind wake of the "mainstream" media, he misses the significance of Sunday's Qoba mosque gathering. Second, he weakly describes the former President's speech, "Rafsanjani Defers to Khamenei". Rafsanjani is far too clever and calculating to defer to anyone --- this is more a case of biding his time.
0600 GMT: Let's Try Again. Iranian state media, including Al Alam Television, reports that the Guardian Council is "beginning" its partial recount of the Presidential vote.
So the regime is trying to retake the initiative, but it is still unclear how quickly. After all, the Council was supposed to "begin" the recount several days ago. Will this be a recount on the lines of the original verdict, which only took three hours after polls closed, or will it be a more drawn-out process? My suspicion is that this is a political, rather than a logistical (or statistical), question: a quick declaration indicates that the regime believes it is in a strong position.
0545 GMT (now cross-posted on "What to Watch For Today"): Beyond the blurred vision of the "mainstream" media (Al Jazeera English has now been reduced to prefacing every event in Iran with the adverb "apparently"), here is a solid fact:
The Iran crisis did not end yesterday.
Indeed there wasn't even the public resolution, as we predicted 24 hours ago, of a Guardian Council declaration that the election was complete, fair, and over. The Council remained silent, leaving the public political arena to others. Part of the area was occupied by the regime's diversion of "foreign interference", raised by the Supreme Leader and the head of intelligence, but the portrayal of the crisis as the work of Iranian employees of the British Embassy (some of whom remain in detention this morning, according to reports) remained incomplete.
Instead, part of that space was filled with the clearest demonstration (yes, "clear", despite the hyper-caution of Al Jazeera and BBC English) that protest continues. The hundreds of arrests, media shutdown, and threat of violence could not stop thousands from gathering in front of Qoba (Ghobar) mosque in Tehran for a memorial rally. It is uncertain how many thousands showed up, filling the mosque, the square outside, and possibly surrounding roads, but a glimpse of the short video that made it out of Iran (see our Latest Video section) leaves no doubt that this wasn't a rogue gathering of "hundreds" of dissidents.
And part of the space was filled with the refusal and even defiance of some within the Iranian establishment. Mehdi Karroubi made a wildly-acclaimed appearance at Qoba (see Latest Video). Hashemi Rafsanjani's daughter Faezeh was there, and reports indicate that Mir Hossein Mousavi spoke to the gathering via mobile phone and loudspeaker (there was a claim, probably a bit of insurgent propaganda, that he was close to the rally but could not get there because of the size of the crowd).
Away from Qoba, Rafsanjani made his first high-profile appearance since the election. His careful game --- praising the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei but also declaring the legimitacy of protest --- indicated that he will support a continuing "legal" examination of the election, rather than moving against President Ahmadinejad from the inside. Others have now gone further, however. Some clerics from Qom are now expressing their dissatisfaction; one ventured to criticise Khamenei, allegedly calling the Supreme Leader a "corpse-washer".
This does not add up to a teetering regime --- the flip side of the sweeping predictions yesterday that the political challenge was over. The demonstrations can go only so far without the support of the Revolutionary Guard and military (which can be ruled out) or a high-profile political challenger. For some, Mousavi can fill that role symbolically, but he is too limited in movement and organisation to have a decisive effect. We also are seeing nothing outside Tehran, making it impossible to guage the level of challenge to the regime beyond the capital.
Make no mistake, however. In Tehran the movement may have been crippled by mass arrests and battered by the security forces, but it continues.
The Latest from Iran (28 June): The Regime Fails to Wrap Up the Election
Latest Video: Rally at Ghobar Mosque (28 June)
NEW Iran: Identifying the Killed and Detained
NEW Iran: More on "Two Twitterers" (and on the Idiocy of "The Times")
NEW Iran: For Those Still Detained (A Daily Show Tribute)
Receive our latest updates by email or RSS- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
2215 GMT: Very little political movement tonight --- the interesting manoeuvres start tomorrow with reaction to the Guardian Council's attempt to close off further dispute over the election. Meanwhile, multiple sources report that "Allahu Akhbars" are louder than ever from Tehran rooftops.1920 GMT: Multiple reports that, after Guardian Council affirmation of election result announced, protesters responded with loud shouts of "God is Great".
1915 GMT: Getting in Line. It looks like the regime has pulled one key figure back into place. Ali Larijani, the head of the Iranian Parliament, has declared that the unrest is "a not very important event" which will be overcome by the Islamic Republic. Larijani also pointed to foreign demons, saying that CNN had provided money and cellphones to portray a negative image of Iran.
1810 GMT: OK, There Was an Error. A spokesman for the Guardian Council said that President Ahmadinejad's vote total has been revised upwards after the recount.
1705 GMT: The Decision is Made. Iran state media has announced, "The secretary of the Guardian Council in a letter to the interior minister announced the final decision of the Council... and declares the approval of the accuracy of the results of... the presidential election."
The timing, as well as the politics earlier in the day (there was a last-gasp meeting with Mousavi representatives to get their acceptance), indicate the Council, or those behind it, is ready for a showdown with the opposition.
1700 GMT: It is difficult to verify the size of the "human chain" in Tehran today, but there are numerous reports of attempts to disrupt the gathering and of clashes: "Daneshju Park is full of Basij and special gaurds and militia forces are being organized in the park 4 dealing human chain....Alleis [sic] which are leading to Valieasr street are full of armed forces and Basij cyclists....Office of the Islamic Association of Sistan and Baluchestan University set on fire by anonymous people."
1400 GMT: An audio file of the Sunday speech of Faezeh Hashemi (text here), the daughter of former President Rafsanjani, has been uploaded. To call it strong is an understatement: Hashemi maintains that the Basiji and security forces behind President Ahmadinejad will remove the Supreme Leader if he does not support them.
1355 GMT: We're keeping eyes and ears open for news of the latest mass demonstration, a "human chain" from north to south of Iran. On Iranian state media, police commanders have warned that the gathering is unlicensed and will not be tolerated.
According to reports, the chain has begun on Vali-e Asr Street.
1345 GMT: An important blogger during the crisis, Saeed Valadbaygi of "Revolutionary Road", writes, "We have been attacked by Police and we had to move to new places to live and start out activities." Yesterday Valadbaygi broke the news of the arrests of two student activists and of the well-known Iranian comedian Reza Attaran at the Qoba mosque rally.
1335 GMT: Mehdi Khazali, the son of Ayatollah Khazali (a strong supporter of President Ahmadinejad), has been arrested. The younger Khazali has in the past accused Ahmadinejad of having Jewish roots.
1330 GMT: Reports that the representatives of Mir Hossein Mousavi met today with the Guardian Council but, according to the speaker of the Council, there was "no clear result".
1200 GMT: And here's why the question below is important: opposition candidates are moving to challenge the Guardian Council's ability to rule on the vote. Mohsen Rezaei's brother has declared that "70 percent" of the votes in some ballot boxes are filled out with the same pen in the same handwriting. He has stated that it makes "no sense" for the Council to declare there is no fraud before a special committee of enquiry is appointed to investigate the electoral process.
1145 GMT: Hold Your Breath. Still no word from the Guardian Council on the "recount". Instead state media are playing up the story that "no Iranian presidential candidates had filed complaints as a Monday deadline approached".
CNN reports that development but then does not ask the important question: when the deadline passes (it is now 4:30 p.m. in Tehran), will the Guardian Council act immediately to declare the legitimacy of the Presidential vote?
900 GMT: Fars News Agency is reporting that President Ahmadinejad has asked the Ministry of the Judiciary to investigate the killing of Neda Agha Soltan.
In a sign that the opposition campaigns are re-emerging, a key advisor to Mehdi Karroubi has resumed updates on Twitter.
655 GMT: Juan Cole is normally one of the shrewdest commentators on the Arab and Islamic worlds, but he misreads the Iran situation this morning. First, towed along in the blind wake of the "mainstream" media, he misses the significance of Sunday's Qoba mosque gathering. Second, he weakly describes the former President's speech, "Rafsanjani Defers to Khamenei". Rafsanjani is far too clever and calculating to defer to anyone --- this is more a case of biding his time.
0600 GMT: Let's Try Again. Iranian state media, including Al Alam Television, reports that the Guardian Council is "beginning" its partial recount of the Presidential vote.
So the regime is trying to retake the initiative, but it is still unclear how quickly. After all, the Council was supposed to "begin" the recount several days ago. Will this be a recount on the lines of the original verdict, which only took three hours after polls closed, or will it be a more drawn-out process? My suspicion is that this is a political, rather than a logistical (or statistical), question: a quick declaration indicates that the regime believes it is in a strong position.
0545 GMT (now cross-posted on "What to Watch For Today"): Beyond the blurred vision of the "mainstream" media (Al Jazeera English has now been reduced to prefacing every event in Iran with the adverb "apparently"), here is a solid fact:
The Iran crisis did not end yesterday.
Indeed there wasn't even the public resolution, as we predicted 24 hours ago, of a Guardian Council declaration that the election was complete, fair, and over. The Council remained silent, leaving the public political arena to others. Part of the area was occupied by the regime's diversion of "foreign interference", raised by the Supreme Leader and the head of intelligence, but the portrayal of the crisis as the work of Iranian employees of the British Embassy (some of whom remain in detention this morning, according to reports) remained incomplete.
Instead, part of that space was filled with the clearest demonstration (yes, "clear", despite the hyper-caution of Al Jazeera and BBC English) that protest continues. The hundreds of arrests, media shutdown, and threat of violence could not stop thousands from gathering in front of Qoba (Ghobar) mosque in Tehran for a memorial rally. It is uncertain how many thousands showed up, filling the mosque, the square outside, and possibly surrounding roads, but a glimpse of the short video that made it out of Iran (see our Latest Video section) leaves no doubt that this wasn't a rogue gathering of "hundreds" of dissidents.
And part of the space was filled with the refusal and even defiance of some within the Iranian establishment. Mehdi Karroubi made a wildly-acclaimed appearance at Qoba (see Latest Video). Hashemi Rafsanjani's daughter Faezeh was there, and reports indicate that Mir Hossein Mousavi spoke to the gathering via mobile phone and loudspeaker (there was a claim, probably a bit of insurgent propaganda, that he was close to the rally but could not get there because of the size of the crowd).
Away from Qoba, Rafsanjani made his first high-profile appearance since the election. His careful game --- praising the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei but also declaring the legimitacy of protest --- indicated that he will support a continuing "legal" examination of the election, rather than moving against President Ahmadinejad from the inside. Others have now gone further, however. Some clerics from Qom are now expressing their dissatisfaction; one ventured to criticise Khamenei, allegedly calling the Supreme Leader a "corpse-washer".
This does not add up to a teetering regime --- the flip side of the sweeping predictions yesterday that the political challenge was over. The demonstrations can go only so far without the support of the Revolutionary Guard and military (which can be ruled out) or a high-profile political challenger. For some, Mousavi can fill that role symbolically, but he is too limited in movement and organisation to have a decisive effect. We also are seeing nothing outside Tehran, making it impossible to guage the level of challenge to the regime beyond the capital.
Make no mistake, however. In Tehran the movement may have been crippled by mass arrests and battered by the security forces, but it continues.
2115 GMT: A slow evening, probably the slowest since the start of the crisis. There are still reports of "God is Great" from the Tehran rooftops but no evidence of significant public or private shifts.
2030 GMT: Tehran Bureau, which has been doing sterling work through this crisis, comes through again. It has just posted 
UPDATE 1115 GMT: We are posting the video of Al Jazeera's interview with Neda Agha Soltan's fiancee, Caspian Makan.