The Latest from Iran (3 June): Karroubi Video Message

2210 GMT: Made-Up Story of the Day? We close with a supposed "exclusive" (exclusive because no one else is reporting it) from Fars News. The website claims that Mehdi Karroubi was driven from the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini today by a crowd shouting, "Death to the Hypocrite".

Fars' visual support for the story? A picture of Karroubi from last year's Tehran Book Fair.

2115 GMT: Karroubi Watch. Mehdi Karroubi has released a lengthy video message. We've posted the first of six parts below. You can also link to Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6.

We are looking urgently for an English translation.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEn4cHR10rM&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

NEW Iran Document: Majid Tavakoli “The Will of My Nation Led to Victory”
Iran Document: Mousavi “Imam Khomeini, Revolution, and the Green Movement” (2 June)
Latest Iran Video: Ahmadinejad in Ilam “Where’s My Crowd?”
The Latest from Iran (2 June): Where’s My Crowd?

1800 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi says that, following the Supreme Leader's pardon of 81 detainees, a number of prisoners have been released. Still no names of those freed.


1650 GMT: Propaganda Corner. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran claims that Fars News has published a fabricated letter of resignation by Morteza Semyari, the secretary of the Cultural Commission of the student organisation Daftar-Tahkim-Vahdat.

1645 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The sentence of 3 1/2 years in prison and lashes for journalist and filmmaker Mohammad Nourizad was confirmed earlier this week. The response of Nourizad, who has been imprisoned in part because of letters to the Supreme Leader?

He has written another letter to Ayatollah Khamenei before the Supreme Leader leads Tehran Friday Prayers this week: “The damage and harm that we (the religious government of Iran) have caused Islam and religious beliefs of the people is beyond the damage and harm throughout history."

1520 GMT: Reports are coming in that Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard met representatives of Iranian women's organisations today.

1515 GMT: Rafsanjani Watch. An admission.... As I tried to read the various political contender set up position for the anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini's death --- with both the Supreme Leader and Mir Hossein Mousavi "claiming" Khomeini --- I read summaries of a statement by former President Hashemi Rafsanjani but did not post them.

I did not post the original from the Iranian Labor News Agency or the abridgements from outlets like Radio Zamaneh because the language seemed, well vague: "Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of Iran’s Assembly of Experts urged those faithful to the Islamic Revolution and Ayatollah Khomeini not to let “the Revolution to fall in the hands of strangers.” Rafsanjani called on the public not to let the Islamic Revolution to be derailed from its “original and true” path because, once deviations in the Islamic Republic occur, “it will be very difficult or impossible to overcome them”.

So has Rafsanjani issued a veiled warning to the Government, cautioned the opposition not to be too strident, or taken a seat on a tall fence? Answers on a postcard or in our comments section....

0900 GMT: Film Corner. Jafar Panahi, the acclaimed film director released last week after more than three months in prison, has said, "Sometimes I feel that the mere thought of writing a film can be a crime here, just the idea that to do so may be penalized. It may even be enough to go to jail....Now I have to make films in my dreams, sometimes in my head."

0855 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. RAHANA claims several students and activists were released last evening.

Khabar Online reports that Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi is meeting families of detainees on a weekly basis, apparently in an effort to get prisoners to repent.

Kodoom updates on detained teachers.

0835 GMT: Economic Battles. Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani has criticised President Ahmadinejad for not implementating the law on privatisation correctly.

The Supreme Audit Court has presented examples of deviations in oil revenues, with $1 billion missing in 2007.

0830 GMT: A Green IRIB? The pro-Government Raja News, in a surprising admission and/or an attack on possible subversives within Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, declares that Mir Hossein Mousavi was favoured over President Ahmadinejad by employees of IRIB by a 7:1 margin.

0820 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Rooz Online reports on detained activists in Iranian Azerbaijan.

0810 GMT: Home Box Office in the US has released a new documentary on the death of Neda Agha-Soltan, "For Neda".

(Documentaries from November 2009 by the BBC and by the US Public Broadcasting Service are available elsewhere on EA.)

0700 GMT: The Supreme Leader''s Latest Move. Dave Siav0shi at Iran News Now posts a sharp assessment of yesterday's announcement of pre-election pardons, "The Shrewd Calculus Behind Khamenei’s Release of 81 Political Prisoners".

The names of those pardoned are still unknown.

0635 GMT: We have finally tracked down an English translation of Sunday's letter from detained student activist Majid Tavakoli, "The Will of My Nation Led to Victory", and posted it in a separate entry.

0610 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Kamran Asa, the brother of the slain protester Kianoush Asa, has been re-arrested.

Kamran Asa was first jailed on 16 December and detained for two months.

0550 GMT: One more day before the pace of the politics --- and, possibly, the public contest over the Government and the regime --- quickens.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death in 1989 of Ayatollah Khomeini and all sides are staking out their positions. Both the Supreme Leader and the President appear at Friday Prayers, and Mir Hossein Mousavi has released his statement --- posted in a separate entry --- to claim the legacy of Khomeini and Revolution for the opposition.

And where there is political manoeuvring, there are also the steps to limit debate. Rooz Online has a summary of "the third round of mass arrest of journalists and political activists". It notes the detentions of journalists Azam Veisameh and Mahboubeh Khansari and claims that security agents failed in their attempt to arrest several reformist activists and one political prisoner’s wife.

The pro-Government Raja News has claimed that Veisameh and Khansari “communicated with foreign media” and discussed “information about certain issues”.

Iran Document: Mousavi "Imam Khomeini, Revolution, and the Green Movement" (2 June)

Khordaad 88's translation of an interview with Mir Hossein Mousavi on the website linked to him, Kalemeh:

Kalemeh: We are approaching the anniversary of the death of Imam Khomeini [on, 4 June].This year the ceremonies seem different from previous years. On one side, old opponents of Imam inside and outside the country try to desecrate his image and they are supported by foreign media. On the other side, there are those in State TV and amongst the strong advocates of imprisonment who promote an image of the Imam that advocated oppression. What is your opinion on the goals that these groups seek? And what may this end with?

MOUSAVI: If the unintended collaboration of the State TV and opponents of Imam in THE desecration of his image is allowed to continue and is not met with a response, it would end with nothing but hatred towards our past.

The Latest from Iran (2 June): Where’s My Crowd?

These new images are introduced by constant meddling in the original perception of Imam and the Revolution. Those who have directly experienced those years with Imam perceive an image of him that has no proximity to what is being promoted right now.



The Revolution won its victory with the messages of independence, freedom, and the Islamic Republic. It was these messages that gained the support of people. People gave Imam a unique welcome in the days of revolution in 1978. In Imam’s funeral, people came out in numbers four times greater. I don’t think such crowds came out to just see and get some time off.

The clips from those days clearly show the waves of emotions and opinions that people had toward Imam. Let us remember that people showed that much emotion after enduring the hardships of the war, and the early days of the revolution. If Imam’s image was even slightly close to what the State TV claims it was, then we would not have had so many people pouring the streets on his funeral, or at least we would have witnessed people being more indifferent. I think there is a lot of light to be shed on this distorted image of Imam promoted by his opponents outside, and the authorities inside who are now turning into guards that constrain freedom.

Kalemeh: There are expensive programs being organized for anniversary of Imam’s funeral. Why do you think such a course of action is taken?

MOUSAVI: Please pay attention to the fact that the system still gets a significant amount of its legitimacy from Imam and the collective memory of people from that great character. In the current context, those currently in power who have violently constrained the legitimate freedom of others and filled the prisons, and those who promote superstition and advocate a stone-age Islam, need to excessively spend this great social asset.

Instead, when one brings forth this [correct] image [of Khomeini], one is also highlighting the differences between those times and now which questions the corrupt and despotic nature of policy approaches today. A right look back at the early years of the Revolution shows how far we have deviated from those goals and values that we first set.

Note that saying pay attention to those years does not mean to return to those days. The goal is to remember the roots and the directions that we set for the revolution: justice, freedom, and spirituality.

We want to use the Islamic Revolution to launch [our nation] to [a bright] future. We don’t want to create a chaotic emotional environment and lose our direction to that future. We must constantly remind our younger generations that what is happening today is different than what happened during the time of Imam.

I am confident that if...the youth of today were there yesterday, they would be amongst the martyrs like Martyr Bakeri, Bagheri, or Hemmat. Similarly, if the youth of that time were here today, they would be the leaders of the Green Movement of Hope and would probably be in prisons, held captive for their national and religious beliefs.

Kalemeh: You talked of the early years and the initial goals of the revolution. But how can one talk of those years in an environment of today that is bombarded with propaganda?

MOUSAVI: There are countless papers and books written, and that continue to be written on the Islamic Revolution in Iran for obvious reasons: the Revolution’s great impact on the region and throughout the world. After the rRvolution, not only Iran started to look very different, but also the whole region started to change.

However, what we need today in the back and forth around the media and propaganda is promotion of a clear and visible image of that time and the Imam. As I said, there is a immature attempt to highlight ostensible similarities between now and Imam’s time, and this must be stopped. For instance, you can discuss the theoretical perspective of Imam on parliament. You can break down his ideas to what was in religious scholarship and what was acceptable to people and to recognition of Parliament, whether from the religious perspective or acceptability of it lays on the people. Parliament is composed of representatives of people, and these representatives come out of the people themselves.  Accordingly, the parliament is “at the forefront of the affairs”.

But more important and more effective is to recount memories that demonstrate the means of political action at the beginning of the revolution. For example,I was talking to Mr [Mehdi] Karroubi about election process during Imam’s era. He recited a memory that helps us get a more clear understanding of Imam Khomeini’s personality and the values that were dominant in society at the time.

In the third Parliamentary election two candidates,  a poor, hardworking intellectual teacher and  a person with ties to Imam Khomeini’s family , were running in the region of Khomein. Although a person close to Imam Khomeini was supporting the second candidate, people chose the first one. The person who was a relative of Imam sent a letter to him questioning the results. Imam replied laughing ,  “What is a better indication of a fair election than that a person related to me, who also enjoys the support of yourself , runs for election but people choose a simple teacher who does not have such supporters?"

Isn't this one of the beauties of election that we should be grateful for? Compare this with the case that occured during the 6th parliamentary election in Tehran [region] when 700 ballots were cancelled to replace  an intellectual [Alireza Rajaie] who enjoyed no [state] support with an individual [Gholam Ali Haddad Adel,  father-in-law of the Supreme Leader’s son Mojtaba Khamenei] with relations [to high establishment officials]. Or the implementation of “approbation supervision”, that did not exist during Imam’s time, which is in reality a mean of dividing the election in two stages. If you pay attention carefully, you will see how this term that has no root in the Constitution or  public wisdom has been [mis]used to disqualify a large number of valuable and caring individuals. The result has been to undermine the status and role of the parliament.

I ask all the conservative members of the Parliament, who have not stained their faith with tyranny: doesn’t thinking about all these humiliations directed toward Parliament make you feel worried and empty?  Is the current situation you are in fitting to the meaning of [Imam Khomeini's] sentence “The Parliament leads all affairs”? [3] You have been incapable of scrutinizing even a small portion of the government's financial irregularities and of receiving a proper response. What answer would you give God and his servants whom you represent? Does the current situation in the Parliament have any resemblance to parliaments during the time of Imam Khomeini?...

Some people in this country are destroying everything including Imam’s image and the first 10 years of revolution.  This was a project that was started in the 10th presidential election [of 2009]. As I said, a proper introduction of Imam Khomeini and a fair introduction of the Revolution will expose and scathe the politics of oppression and superstition.

Kalemeh: You are known as the prime minister of Imam Khomeni. In your speeches, statements, and interviews you always speak about the bright era in the first decade of the revolution and Imam’s path. In general and in the political sphere of Iran , have different dimensions of Imam’s personality been exaggerated?

MOUSAVI: Dr. Shariati once said, “ Peak of the Damavand [highest mountain in Iran] does not need a proof that it is the tallest.”Imam was an extraordinary person. He brought an irreversible change in our history and ended the monarchy , a system that prided itself in humiliation of peasants in face of their kings. Some images from the epoch of Shah could mislead our youth. But [they ] should be reminded that one of the posters published repeatedly in newspapers of the time showed a poor peasant kissing Shah’s shoes.

In response to your question, I should reiterate that Imam was an extraordinary man. But he did not perceive himself as such. He despised praise and eulogy. Once he banned national TV from showing his picture and said ,“ Whenever I open TV, I see myself. It make me want to puke.” He had the same ban [on his picture] for newspapers for a period.

People who have experienced that era remember that, when the top elected member of Parliament from Tehran praised him,  he ferociously interrupted him....A similar case occurred with the head of the Expediency Council, who was also Imam Khomeini’s student. When he lauded Imam Khomeini in public, Imam rejected his words publicly.

It is not strange if we see him as a symbol of a new system that is progressive, seeks freedom, and demands justice. Without his charisma and his relationship with people, our nation would not have resisted for eight years of war [with Iraq]. Without our nation’s belief in him, we would not have survived numerous terrorist attacks during that era.

Kaleme: Some members of Green Movement raise a question as why you repeatedly speak about Imam Khomeini or use his picture?

MOUSAVI: I referred to the necessity of introducing Imam Khomeini to the youth. But I should also discuss another point, which I have no doubt  all supporters of Green Movement agree on , and that is integrity.

I cannot pretend against my attachment to and admiration for Imam Khomeini and Revolution. Since the formation of Green Path of Hope, I clearly introduced myself as a companion of the Green Movement so I can discuss my beliefs transparently. A characteristic of this movement is transparent and honest discussion of thoughts and ideas. Exchange of ideas does not harm us.

We should remember that one of the best posters regarding the movement was the one that read, “Lying is disallowed.”. What kind of expectation requires me to ignore a 10-year period full of experiences and various events? Not only me but a large number of our people have thousands of memories from Imam Khomeini. They have been influenced by that era and are not willing to keep quiet in the face of injustice and distortion toward Imam’s character. Is it correct to ignore this great political capital? Is not this what the prison guards want us to do?

Kalemeh: You introduced yourself as a member of the Green Movement, and talked about your devotion, and love for the Imam and the revolution. You talked about how it is necessary to protect the spiritual asset that is the experiences during the Imam era. But haven’t these talks stopped you from critically viewing those times? Don’t you think that there are problems with those times as well?

MOUSAVI: I have heard this issue before, especially after the speech of Tehran’s Attorney General [Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi]. There is also a letter published on one of these websites addressing this very issue. As a Shiite Muslim, one of our beliefs is that after the 14 innocent ones, all the rest of God’s people are not innocent and the commit sins, unless God keeps the innocent. The same reasoning applies to Imam’s era.

However, I don’t see it necessary to criticize when internal and external enemies have aimed for the Imam’s image and that era. Obviously, in the context of today, even a slight allusion to a problem would be greatly magnified just like the plot of the tearing of the picture of Imam, that was abused by enemies outside and inside the country.

Today, the enemies of the Green Movement are looking everywhere for a prey or an excuse to destroy that bond that connects us together. Millions in our country like and appreciate Imam, and I am one of them. Recognition of this affinity [to Imam] and the freedom that brings about is a great asset that we cannot make a mistake about, especially in the current conditions. Let me repeat again, we do not expect a companion [of the movement] to lie, no matter how small a member that person is.

The Latest from Iran (2 June): Where's My Crowd?

2040 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Ayatollah Khamenei's website says that the Supreme Leader has pardohttp://farsi.khamenei.ir/message-content?id=9499ned 81 opposition supporters.

The website did not identify the prisoners. It said the pardons were made on the occasion of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad's daughter, Fatemeh.

NEW Iran Document: Mousavi “Imam Khomeini, Revolution, and the Green Movement” (2 June)
NEW Latest Iran Video: Ahmadinejad in Ilam “Where’s My Crowd?”
The Latest from Iran (1 June): Latest on Emad Baghi

1615 GMT: Requesting the March. The Facebook page supporting Mir Hossein Mousavi reports that, complementing the request of Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi,  eight reformist parties and organizations asked for permission to hold a rally on 12 June (22 Khordaad), the anniversary of the Presidential election.


The eight groups (Assembly of Former Members of the Parliament, Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution Organization, Islamic Association of Medical Society of Iran, Association of Women Journalists, ssembly of Alumni of Islamic Iran, Islamic Iran Participation Front, National Will Party, and Assembly of Followers of Imam) asked for a rally moving from Imam Hossein Square to Azadi Square in Tehran at 4 p.m. (1230 GMT).

The authorities in the office of the Governor of Tehran Province refused to accept the letter, saying that they can only give permits for rallies that are held in closed spaces. The Ministry of the Interior has also received a copy of the request.

1340 GMT: We have posted the translation of Mir Hossein Mousavi's statement today on Ayatollah Khomeini, Revolution, and the Green Movement.

1230 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. An Iranian activist reports that Mehdi Boutorabi, founder of Persian Blog, and teachers Mahmoud Beheshti Langeroudi & Alireza Hashemi have been released on bail.

0945 GMT: Most Wanted. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has issued a 36-page report "naming 15 leading officials responsible for carrying out the brutal repression against peaceful protestors and civil society activists".

0825 GMT: Political Prisoner Follow-Up. Yesterday an EA correspondent updated us on prison conditions and the health of detained journalist Emaduddin Baghi, who recently met his family after five months in solitary confinement.

Another EA correspondent adds that Baghi and Amir Aboutalebi, an aide to Mir Hossein Mousavi's advisor Alireza Beheshti, are in the same cell. They have been told that, if they want to be released, they should write a letter of apology to the Supreme leader.

0815 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Zahra Shams, a law student at Mashhad's Ferdowsi University, has been released after almost a month in detention.

0800 GMT: Un-Free Press Update (with a Bit of Football).The sports daily "Goal" has been banned, with another 10 newspapers and 3 magazines warned. (The threatened publications are the newspapers Vatan-e Emrooz, Farhikhtegan, Mardomsalari, Aftab-e Yazd, Jahan-e Eghtesad, Arman-e Ravabet-e Omoumi, Jomhouri Eslami, Jahan-e San'at, Karoon, and Alborz-e Varzeshi and the magazines Behdasht-e Ravan va Jame'e, Rah, and Honar-e Musighi.)

An EA correspondent notes a significant number of journalists from Vatan-e Emrooz and Farhikhtegan have been imprisoned, with others from Jomhouri Eslami and Jahan-e Eghtesad detained.

0745 GMT: Iran Propaganda Special. Fereshteh Ghazi reports on rifts within the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, which is broadcasting a series of "portraits" of political figures from 17 to 26 Khordad (7-16 June). Ghazi claims the series was actually put together by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and IRIB only does only the editing.

The distortion of the views of Iranian reformist Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, which we have noted in recent days, is apparently only the first installment of this propaganda extravaganza.

0620 GMT: After an evening talking to the Security Studies Group at Oxford University about the Obama Administration's foreign policy, it is back to the Iran front this morning....

Ahmadinejad: "Where's My Crowd?"

We have posted the video of the far-from-significant crowd that attended the President's speech in Ilam Province on Tuesday.

Remembering Kianoush Asa

A far different video from Tehran's Elm-o-Sanat University, where about 400 students remembered their classmate Kianoush Asa, reportedly killed during the 15 June demonstration protesting the outcome of the Presidential election.

HomyLafayette has a close-up report and more videos.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIN3Xfj2nPY&feature=channel[/youtube]

Political Prisoner Watch

The prison sentence of Ph.D. student Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai has been reduced to one year on appeal. Tabatabai was originally given a two-year term.

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".