The Latest from Iran (19 June): How Does Mahmoud Respond?

2115 GMT: Cyber-Shutdown. After the filtering of a number of Wordpress-based news sites, including EA, Iran has reportedly blocked Rapidshare and Hotfile.

2055 GMT: The Oil Squeeze. Iran acknowledged on Saturday that oil swap deals with Caspian Sea producers had stopped this month, but said it was seeking talks with some oil companies on new terms.

The swaps, in which Iran imports crude into Caspian ports and supplies the equivalent barrels of oil from the Persian Gulf, were reportedly supsended after Tehran steeply raised fees on operations to avoid an oil glut following lower sales of its own oil.

The four companies affected are Select Energy Trading, Dragon Oil (Emirates), Swiss Vitol, and Irish Caspian Oil Development.

NEW Iran: Working Together? The Women’s Movement & The Greens (Kakaee)
NEW Iran Analysis: Why the 2009 Election is Not Legitimate (Ansari)
Iran Request: Nonsense about “Twitter Revolution”. Please Stop.
Iran Analysis: How Europe Can Help (Mamedov)
Iran Document: The Tajzadeh Criticism and The Reformist Way Forward (Sahimi)
The Latest from Iran (18 June): Hardliners Criticise Ahmadinejad

2040 GMT: The Battle Within. Rah-e-Sabz sees more rifts within the establishment. Member of Parliament Jalal Yahyazadeh has complained that the radical positions of hardliners have isolated moderates, so the "hard-line" camp is not as united as it should be. Reza Akarami asserts that the economic situation is not good, and Ahmadinejad has not fulfilled vows made during his first series of provincial tours.

2030 GMT: The Day in Hijab. Hojatoleslam Ebrahim Raeesi has given assurances that Iran's judiciary supports the security forces in the enforcement of proper hijab.

According to Peyke Iran, Ebrahim Kalantari, the Supreme Leader's deputy in Tehran University, has said that there will be classes for relationships between girls and boys and that a think tank for hijab will be established soon

1910 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Ali Badragheh, dean of the Eslam Shahr campus of Azad University, has reportedly been arrested.

1905 GMT: Freedom of the Press Update. The economic daily Pool has suspended publication after being warned by the supervisory press authority for publishing "false material and accusing Iranian officials".

1900 GMT: Economy Watch. More than 400 workers of the Godeleh Sazi steel plant are on the sixth day of a strike. The walkout began when only 40 of 500 employees passed hiring examinations.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad opened the plant to great fanfare in April.

1855 GMT: Reformists Banned. The Iranian judiciary has upheld the ban on political activity of the two leading reformist Iranian parties, the Islamic Iran Participation Front and the Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution.

The IIPF had filed a complaint against the decision of the Political Parties Commission in March to withdraw its permit. Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said that the Commission's request to dissolve the two parties has been sent to the Revolutionary Court.

1845 GMT: The Flight of the Journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that at least 29 Iranian editors, reporters, and photographers have fled the country in the past year, “the highest annual tally from a single country in a decade”.

At least half of those who fled Iran are currently in Turkey living in “precarious situations". They are reportedly threatened by individuals, believed to be working for the Iranian regime, saying that family in Iran will suffer if the journalists speak publicly about political issues.

As dire as this report is, the situation may be even worse. EA sources have reported that
the number of journalists who have left Iran is far greater than 29.

1700 GMT: Remembering. Daneshjoo News reports "thousands", watched by security forces and plainclothes agents, attended the memorial in Mashhad for protester Mostafa Ghanian. The service was held at Imam Reza's shrine.

Ghanian, 26, was killed by snipers on 17 June 2009 while he was calling Allahu Akbar (God is Great) from the roof of an eight-story building in the Saadat-Abad section of Tehran.

1630 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Reports come in that journalist and human rights activist Emaduddin Baghi will stand trial on Tuesday.

The father of student activist Salman Sima has confirmed that his son has gone on hunger strike in Evin Prison.

Sima was arrested on the anniversary of the election, 12 June, his third post-election detention. His father said that Sima was asked to pick up items at the Ministry of Information Followup Office and was stopped and taken away by a plainclothes agent on his motorcycle on the way.

1625 GMT: Threatening Khomeini. Back from a break to find that some hardliners have not given up on the assault on Seyed Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the late Ayatollah Khomeini. Member of Parliament Hossein Fadaee has accused the younger Khomeini of plotting to become the next Supreme Leader, supported by former Presidents Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami.

1150 GMT: Counter-Attack. Minister of Defense Ahmad Vahidi has accused the United States of "deception" and insisted Tehran's missiles are only for self-defence after US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates charged that the Islamic republic could rain missiles down on Europe.

"The Islamic Republic's missile capability has been designed and implemented to defend against any military aggression and it does not threaten any nation," Vahidi said in a statement carried by state media.

1145 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. University professor Rahmatullah Bastani has been acquitted.

0816 GMT: Admissions? We noted yesterday that Iran's police chief, Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, may have been a bit too open as he tried to minimise the opposition and justify the actions of his forces.

Keep in mind that Rooz Online is an opposition outlet, but its summary of Ahmadi-Moghaddam's remarks, if close to accurate, is telling:

Speaking to the monthly Soroush, Iran’s police chief confirmed the validity of a video clip showing Basij forces and special guards attacking the Tehran university student dormitory in early morning hours of June 15, 2009. At the same time, he asked reporters not to focus excessively on the crimes committed at Kahrizak and the Tehran University dormitory. In his descriptions and presentation, he implied that it was the volunteer paramilitary Basij forces and not the police who were responsible for the attack on Tehran University’s dormitory. The request to enter Tehran University according to him was made by its president, Farhad Rahbar.

And despite the large number of casualties and arrests that have taken place in Iran since June 12, 2010, Ahmadi-Moghaddam gave his forces a mere “unsatisfactory” grade in handling the protests.

But, in perhaps his most significant remarks, the head of the Islamic republic’s law enforcement forces said that none of the ballot boxes were opened and counted until 11 pm on Friday, June 12.

However, the first reports of Ahmadinejad’s victory with claims of 24 million votes were released between 10:30 and 11pm on Friday, June 12 by website and news agencies such as Fars, IRNA (the Islamic Republic’s official news agency), and Raja News.

Similarly, the Islamic republic television announced its first results based on 11 million counted votes at 11:30pm the same night. In light of Ahmadi-Moghaddam’s remarks, it is not clear how the interior ministry officials were able to count 11 million votes in less than half an hour.

In another segment of his remarks, Ahmadi-Moghaddam said, “One week before the election, I gathered the provincial governors here and told them that you will face crises until at least the first week of summer. I said the election would end in either Mr. Mousavi’s favor, in which case we would have one kind of crisis under the name of a victory celebration and there would be attempts to capture the next targets; or Mr. Ahmadinejad would win, in which case his opponents would claim fraud. Of course, we couldn’t accurately predict the extent of the problem, but we thought that we would certainly have problems and you must definitely be prepared.”

0815 GMT: We've posted an analysis by Parisa Kakaee of the relationship between the women's movement and the Green Movement.

0655 GMT: We start this morning with a stroll down Memory Lane, as Ali Ansari reminds us why the 2009 Presidential election is still not legitimate.

0645 GMT: No doubt about it. On Friday, the big story from Iran came courtesy not of the opposition but of the "establishment", with the escalating fight between hardliners and the President.

Always buffeted by those in Parliament who don't like his economic plans, his advisors, or him, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad now faced the wrath of clerics and officials unhappy with his criticism last week of the "morality police". You know it's serious when Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the head of the Guardian Council, used Tehran Friday Prayers to give the President a loud spanking.

We'll be watching for the fallout today. So far no response from Ahmadinejad. And Iranian state media? Well, it's trying to pretend the dispute does not exist: Press TV's summary of the Jannati speech closes its eyes under the headline, "New Sanctions Gave West Away", and the Tehran Friday Prayer does not show up on the front page of the Islamic Republic News Agency.

The Latest from Iran (1 June): Latest on Emad Baghi

1445 GMT: Ahmadinejad Slogan "Where's My Crowd?". Video is circulating of the President's speech in Ilam province today. There appears --- as with Ahmadinejad's recent addresses --- to be a distinct lack of an audience.

1415 GMT: Iran's European Partner for Nuke Talks? Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, meeting the leader of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, has welcomed "open and constructive" negotiations between Iran and the European Union over uranium enrichment.

Iran Document: Rahnavard “Honour Women, Release Political Prisoners”
The Latest from Iran (31 May): Mousavi & Karroubi Call for 12 June Demo

1300 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. An EA correspondent reports that, after 162 days in solitary confinement, journalist Emaduddin Baghi has met his family.

The correspondent reports that, although Baghi's "body is really weak", he is "strong like a mountain from spiritual point of view".


Almost half of Baghi's interrogations have been about his viewpoints and theoretical work on human rights, with pressure on him to deny all that he has written. Almost half have been about his connections with international human rights organizations. Interrogators have declared, “We have arrested you to prove that international organizations such as Amnesty International, PRI [Penal Reform International], Martin Ennals Award, European Christian Political Movement, etc. are unable to release and help you. We arrested you to say that they are nothing”.

The remainder of Baghi's interragations have been related to his interview with the late Grand Ayatollah Montazeri.

Baghi is still suffering from backache and, because of problems with his lungs, it is difficult for him to breathe. He also has heart problems.

0955 GMT: Shutting Down the Press. Iranian authorities have arrested two female journalists, Azam Veisameh and Mahbubeh Khansari, working for reformist newspapers.

0800 GMT: President v. Parliament. President Ahmadinejad has declared that the Iranian Parliament has ratified 130 laws which conflict with Sharia law and the Constitution.

Deputy Speaker Mohammad Reza Bahonar offers a sharp response. Reacting to Ahmadinejad's denial of 1 billion Toman (more than $1 million) missing from the 2006 Iranian budget, Bahonar said the Government "has a long list of breaking the laws".

0755 GMT: The Importance of Women. Publisher Shahla Lahiji offers the incisive analysis that Iranian women have entered the scene of politics as "founders and innovators"

0718 GMT: Getting Back to the Point. Given our fussing over "Western" mis-coverage of the nuclear issue today, it's only right that we give credit to Nazila Fathi of The New York Times for continuing to keep her eye on the main story:"Iran Moves to Thwart Protests Ahead of Election Anniversary".

0715 GMT: And Iran's Reaction? Tehran's line on the International Atomic Energy Agency report is straightforward: you're missing our moves for resolution.

Iran's Ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said that Iran was surprised to see the report fail to cover the recent Iran-Brazil-Turkey agreement on a process for discussion of a uranium swap: "It was very surprising because we expected that this important historical event, which was the result of positive, constructive and … honest approach … and is one hundred percent related to the IAEA activities, should have been reported here."

0705 GMT: Nuke MediaWatch (Please, Just Stop). Joby Warrick of The Washington Post continues the "Western" mangling of the latest development on Iran's nuclear programme, the release of the International Atomic Energy Agency report.

Warrick and his editors simply overlook not only the detail but the summary of the report --- the IAEA would like more co-operation from Tehran but oversight of the uranium enrichment process has improved --- to trumpet, "Nuclear watchdog complains of stonewalling by Iran".

0655 GMT: Warning from the Supreme Leader's Brother. Seyed Hadi Khamenei, a prominent reformist, has warned that the "Hojjatieh", a "radical" sect of Islam whom some have linked to President Ahmadinejad, is trying to claim and distort the line of Ayatollah Khomeini.

0555 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The sentence of 3 1/2 years and 50 lashes for filmmaker and journalist Mohammad Nourizad --- for insult and propaganda against the regime --- has been upheld by the Revolutionary Court.

0545 GMT: Go On, Repent. A slightly different take on compromise (see 0520 GMT) from Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi as he apparently tries to defuse any forthcoming protest.

Dowlatabadi said, in an interview with Iranian Students News Agency, that --- "following the glorious march of regime’s supporters on February 11, 2010 and the defeat of enemies" --- the head of Iran's judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, has ordered pardon for those who have repented and complied with the requirements of the law.

0520 GMT: A Cleric Calls for Compromise. Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani, the Secretary General of the Society of Combatant Clergy, has asserted, “We cannot call some people who slipped up after the election enemy because they did not mean hostility including those who have had good revolutionary records.”

While asking for a conciliatory line towards opponents, Mahdavi-Kani maintained that the Islamic system can only be preserved through velayat-e-faqih, the clerical authority of the Supreme Leader. He called on "principlists" to maintain their unity and
avoid divisions.

0510 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Dr. Sara Tavassoli, arrested after the Ashura demonstrations of 27 December, has been sentenced to six years in prison and 74 lashes.

Tavassoli is the daughter of Mohamad Tavassoli, chairman of the political office of the Freedom Movement of Iran. Her husband, Farid Taheri, is detained in Evin Prison.

The sentence of Omid Sharifi-Dana, another Ashura detainee, has been reduced from 6 to 3 years.

0445 GMT: After spending Monday covering the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla, a day for us to regain our focus on developments inside Iran.

The major development yesterday was the meeting between Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, followed by their formal request to the Tehran provincial governor for a permit to march on 12 June, the anniversary of the Iranian election.

There is little chance that the request will be granted, but the step is essential to set the marker, "Well, we tried." Then attention will turn to whether Mousavi, Karroubi, and other opposition figures call for a demonstration in defiance of the refusal or whether they advocate other steps of resistance before, during, and after 12 June.

Once again, this development will probably get little attention in the "Western" press. The shiny nuclear issue again offered a distraction with the publication of the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran's uranium enrichment.

The report is a far-from-dramatic restatement of the IAEA's main line --- as Reuters summarises, "The report...repeated that the IAEA remains concerned about possible current activity in Iran to develop a nuclear payload for a missile, and that Tehran must respond to the agency's queries as soon as possible."

Beyond that, however, there are a couple of important takeaway point: Iran has added a second set of centrifuges to refine uranium to 20 percent --- a step repeatedly signalled by this year --- although they are not yet operational. At the same time, Iranian authorities have granted the IAEA inspectors "better oversight" at the Natanz site.

And how did David Sanger and William J. Broad of The New York Times, handle this news? True to form (and the line of the "unnamed officials" upon whom they rely), they set the button at panic mode: "U.N. Report Says Iran Has Fuel for 2 Nuclear Weapons".