Matlin's America: The President of Everything?

Take a look at the President’s job description. “You will have executive power for four years and be the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Subject to Senate approval, you will have power to make treaties, appoint ambassadors and other officers, and to grant reprieves and pardons for crimes against the state. From time to time, you will provide information to Congress about the state of the union and recommend measures as you judge necessary.”

As I read the terms of Article II of the US Constitution, I have to ask, "Why is President Obama expected to solve the Louisiana oil spill, and why has he been so roundly criticised for the failure of [British oil company] BP and the regulators?"


I think there is common agreement that Congress, not the Presidency, was usually the most powerful branch of American government until the Great Depression of the 1930s. True, there were some remarkable presidents after Andrew Jackson and before Franklin D. Roosevelt, for example, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. But can you imagine Calvin Coolidge hot-footing down to the Gulf to inspect the damage? If you could get him to say anything, likely it would have been, “Hmmf, this is for the State of Louisiana”. Actually, on reflection, I doubt Taciturn Cal would have said that much.

Franklin Roosevelt introduced the concept of presidential expansion, but I’m not sure he would have put his toe into the Louisiana waters problem unless he regarded it as a potential disaster for the American economy as a whole. Likewise Harry Truman, whose patience was tested to the ultimate in the post-war years by disputes between management and unions, would not have regarded the spill as a national issue. He would have offered help to the Governor of Louisiana and told him to get on with it. As for Dwight Eisenhower this Republican would surely have followed Truman’s example.

So when did this notion of the pro-active President, the man who can fix everything start? Where did it come from? Not from John F. Kennedy, whose record on civil rights proves he was not inclined to solve all matters. Lyndon Johnson, arguably the most socialist-minded president of them all, might have regarded the spill as his responsibility but only if he deemed the commercial existence of Big Oil in jeopardy. If it was just a local issue? I don’t think LBJ would have gotten involved.

The demands of the media since LBJ left the White House have caused Americans to think that the President should be involved at the centre of every disaster, national or not. For example, Hurricane Katrina caused untold misery in the South but, surely, it was a problem for the states concerned. Yet the Federal Emergency Management Administration and, by extension, President Bush were criticised.

In FEMA’s case the criticisms were totally justified, especially in its lack of foresight and planning. Yet, although I am no apologist for the Bush Administration, how was he meant to handle the clean-up? Yes, be appalled at his nonchalant attitude but where in his job description was the obligation to get his hands wet?

Nowadays, when a tragedy or disaster happens which sells newspapers, the media immediately raises the question: What is the President doing? The trouble is that Obama does not seem to feel strong enough to tell that media and the voters, “This is not my job.”

Iran Document: Mehdi Karroubi on Khomeini, the Rule of Law, and Protest in 2010 (4 June)

Earlier this week we posted a video made by Mehdi Karroubi for the commemoration of the death of Ayatollah Khomeini. Khordaad 88 provides this translation:

We approaching the anniversary of [the death of] Imam [Khomeini]. As usual we wanted to hold speeches, organize rallies and travel to the provinces. Unfortunately, last year’s election and the unseen cases fraud were a series of unfortunate incidents for our country.

I believe, like many others, that the mood that those events had set are going to continue and disrupt the usual ceremonies for the anniversary of departure of Imam. Of course, presence of people on that magnificent day is great and very important, but events that followed after the election has definitely left their stain on these ceremonies. For example, there were three nights of programmes every year. This year, there is only one day limited to a Friday prayer. We see that the rest of the programmes are organized by the forces in Basij and Revolutionary Guards, and it is people within the military who give the most interviews.


The organizers of course commit to what they do, and it’s their duty too, but in their interviews they don’t give content to speeches on the day, instead they decide the ways that others should act, namely the siblings of the great Imam Khomeini.

Well, the grandchild of Imam [Seyed Hassan Khomeini] will speak, and he knows what to say and how to say it. We usually get a chance for interviews, but this year they either didn’t do interviews, or when they did they did not reflect it in the news. They seem to be afraid....

That is why I was thinking that I should talk about Imam, about his resistance and tolerance, about his firm decision making, about his proactive thinking and vision for the future. I wanted to talk about the decisions that opened up blockades that seemed like a dead-end. These require long discussions that deserve more extensive time. Accordingly, I was thinking that this year, I will talk about what we are facing in the country.

Some talk as though Imam belongs to them. They talk as though they are the only followers and the rest are not. They accuse whoever is critical of the election results. They accuse them of being agents of Mossad and the CIA. They don’t stop at any insults. They say things like these people should not have objected to the election results, or that they were traitors from the beginning and the election is just a reason for us to see the true treacherous faces of dissidents. They believe that, even if the dissidents were good people, they failed to prove themselves during the crisis that unfolded after the elections. They are very active in attaching these allegations to us, and they have all the media outlets to do so.

We try to be patient, and sometimes we reply, but today I was thinking because of the anniversary of Imam, I must add some new points.

We deny their allegations. We have not deviated from the path that Imam laid out. We are resisting based on the goals of that very path. If you see a problem in that, let’s sit down and debate and our dear people will judge. We ask them to find whomever they want and we’ll sit down and debate. But they haven’t responded, and probably won’t in the future.

Because they know very well how they are unravelling all the roots of this revolution. They know very well how they are undermining all the goals that Imam had in mind. They know how they are creating a deviation from Imam’s path and imposing their own frameworks on Imam’s path.

Now I have to allude to some very important and key points that Imam had in mind for the revolution which these people [in power now] have tried to undermine. Maybe in the end, we will know who has really gone astray from the path that Imam laid out. Maybe we will know which groups have become captive to the sweet taste of power and have forgotten all about the goal and aims of Imam.

First point:

Imam said two words: “Islamic Republic.” Regarding the "Republic" Imam said that "vote of the people is the main criteria". He said all the entities in the government should be directly or indirectly result of the vote of people. Criteria for all power should be the vote of people.

Let me point out what happened in the Third Parliament [1990], one year after the departure of Imam. They created the "expediency monitoring" program that barring the people from entering the parliament election process. They filtered out many who had been in the Parliament for 4, 8 or even 12 years. They filtered out many others outside the Parliament. They tried to create a parliament that they wanted.

When the Parliament was created it hosted people of all thought and views. It was a Parliament that contributed two presidents to the establishment. When those two were martyred, it contributed more. It contributed ministers of Labor, of Education, of Internal Affairs, and of Culture. That Parliament is now turned into this new [useless] Parliament a new Parliament that legislates a bill to quicken the process of executions.

I respect the great members of the Parliament, but we must understand what costs we had to pay to have this Parliament. So I am saying that, with the selective "expediency monitoring" process, they created a filter for the vote of people through the Guardian Council. They hold the right to approve or disapprove the eligibility of people to enter the parliamentary election process. They denied people who served as representatives of people for more than 20 years with the tiniest excuses. They removed many people who were of great value to the establishment.

In 1369 [1990], a year after Imam Khomeini’s passing, during the second Assembly of Experts election...they decided to make the Guardian Council (appointed by the Supreme Leader) responsible for checking candidates’ eligibility. Some wanted to take part in choosing the supreme leader and monitor his role, which is the constitutional responsibility of the Assembly of Experts. I want to add that members of the assembly also have some oversight on the Supreme Leader’s appointments into different committees. Many innocent and devoted individuals such as Ayatollah Ehsanbakhsh and Mr. Najmy where disqualified from the second round elections for the Assembly of Experts.

The first issue that arose was seemingly random qualification process. I can never forget Mr. Abasifard. His candidacy was tested once; he was approved but he was not elected. He joined the Judiciary as an officer which put him in a better position to run for office. Two years later, when he decided to run for office again, his candidacy was tested once more. I was in Qom when I heard about this and told one of my friends there that they probably want to get rid of him. I couldn’t explain why a person would have to be tested twice in two years any other way. I was right. He was tested once more and disqualified. Then he went to Khuzestan to run for office from there. This time, his candidacy was approved and he was elected. Two or three years ago, they once again disqualified him. This means that the Guardian Council must first approve his election. How is this following Imam’s teachings that asked us all to put people’s votes first and to depend on elections?

They have justified weakening the Republic by pretending to make the country more Islamic. But let me assure you that the Islamic nature of this government is seriously in jeopardy.

Another point:

Imam Khomeini used to create a balance between different parties. He protected the parties within the regime, but he also warned them if they stepped out of line. He dealt with the issues that arose from this.

For instance, we had a meeting with the clergymen about the second election in which Mr. Fakhr Al Din Hejazi was disqualified. Imam Khomeini sent a message and ask why Mr. Hejazi, an outspoken veteran, who had previously been elected with the most number of votes was sacked. Or in another meeting when Ayatollah Yasrabi was disqualified from running in the first Assembly of Experts...Imam called one of the participants. He asked why Ayatollah Yasrabi was sacked and asked the council to qualify his candidacy.

Or in the third Parliamentary elections, after Mr Sheikh Mohamaad Yazdi did not get elected, Imam Khomeini immediately made him a member of Guardian Council , or another example is Ayatollah Tabasi who was from city of Mashhad and was the head of the Imam Reza holy shrine trusteeship[1] . Some of our friends had organized a meeting at Gohar Shad Mosque....A few speakers in the meeting were not on good terms with Mr.Tabasi and they showed that in their speeches. Ahmad Khomeini [the Imam's son], at the request of Imam Khomeini, called the organizers to object and said Mr Tabasi is Imam Khomeini’s representative and head of the trusteeship; your conduct there is not advisable. In other words Imam always tried to keep a balance between various sides; there are more stories than those I recounted.

Now this is not the case. The approach is one-sided and partial, and this has led to many problems for the country. Take the example of Parliament which was formed by means of disqualifying thousands of legitimate candidate and  installing current members, yet they still have serious issues with the Government and the Parliament is incapable of performing its responsibilities.

Another important point I want to discuss with you is regarding the issue of Marjah [senior clerics]. The most important [religious and social] capital of Shia...are the Marjas. They have been the support and refuge for Shia Islam in difficult moments of its meandering history.

I would like to refer you to the story of Grand Ayatollah Mizary Shirazi and his fatwa banning usage of tobacco during Iran’s constitutional revolution of 1906 or the stories of Ayatollah Haj Kazem Yazdi who lived in Najaf during the British siege of Baghdad. Despite warning from British that the city of Najaf will come under attack and he should leave, Yazdi refrained and said, "The people of Najaf are all my family, I cannot take them all with me or leave them behind." There the stories related to martyrdom of Ayatollahs in the same war. In the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, Shia Marjah played an important role due to a series of events which consequently gave them a unique and distinguished position in the affairs of the time.

More important than these is the story of Imam Khomeini himself. The fact that Imam Khomeini was a Marja was certainly the most important factor in overthrowing the previous regime.

Imam Khomeini was a great Marja, and he had numerous students. The head of Savak [the Shah's secret poice] unit in the holy city of Qom was a man named Sergeant Ghalghaseh.....In one of his reports he mentioned that among the scholars in Qom, Ayatollah Khomeini has the largest number of students. Between 500-600 students participate in his classes. At that time having 50-100 pupils was a large number; the average was around 10, 20 or even 30....

Savak tried to strip the title of Marja from Imam Khomeini....They wanted to establish the fact that Imam Khomeini is not a Marjaa and he is simply a dissident like some other Ayatollahs,  but because of Imam Khomeini’s influence they did not succeed.

Imam Khomeini considered it very important that the status and position of Marjah should be revered and respected. I was speaking in Friday Rrayers once, and in my speech I attacked one the Marjah of the time, who had been visited by Farah [former Queen of Iran under the Shah’s regime] and the Marja has given a ring to the Shah as a gift....I scolded him in my speech....Imam, who was listening to the speech, immediately called his associates and asked them to tell radio to remove those words from the speech that was going to be broadcast....

Another story in this regard was when Ayatollha Taheri Khoraam Abadi was going to Pakistan and the Shiite population there requested a representative on behalf of Imam Khomeini as their Marja. Imam Khomeini told him to let people themselves decide which Marja to follow. Do not interfere with that issue and only focus on discussing the Islamic Revolution.

The late Imam [Ayatollah Khomeini's] vigor along with his victory [in the Revolution] would return some who would have otherwise wandered away. Before I became the Imam’s representative in [the] Hajj [institute], some of the officials there had told the clergymen of the caravans to answer people’s religious queries based on Imam [Khomeini's] fatwas. When he heard of this, he was very disappointed and told them that this is not correct as people follow different Grand Ayatollahs.

The Imam completely respected the rights of the clergy and other grand Ayatollahs. But look at how the Grand Ayatollahs are treated today and what has become of them and the religious seminaries. We know what role the Intelligence Ministry, the armed forces, and some of the clergy are playing in this, and what they and some of these organizations have done. They gather in front of the houses [of some of the grand ayatollahs] in front of the Jame’e Modaressin’s [Society of the teachers of the Qom Islamic Seminary] office and trigger various events.

Are they following the example of the late Imam?  Has this been our fault or the groups who now have the government in their control?

Three issues were very important for the Imam, one of them was abiding by the law. In the Imam’s example of governance, he insisted on following the law except for very urgent matters, for example matters, that came up during the war.

I want to relate a very interesting story in this regard for the dear listeners and readers:
During the first Parliament [after the RTevolution] we had to write the legal statutes for the Revolutionary Guards and Intelligence Ministry. It was stated that the head of the Intelligence Ministry must be a mojtahed [someone proficient in Islamic], and it was passed in the Parliament. Now the Imam had heard about this and was against it....The Parliament Speaker then said that we can take the law back and modify it if it displeases you, but the Imam replied that now that it has been passed and is part of the law, I will not interfere. We have many and many of these examples from the Imam....

The Imam abided by the law and insisted on it being implemented. He also was, both according to the example of his life and his will, against the armed forces interfering in politics. He believed that they should defend the revolution but not back any particular political group or party or interfere in elections.

Is this in the interest of the establishment? The armed forces, the Basij and Revolutionary Guards, taking the fate of the elections into their armed hands? We know that this is happening, and I’m clearly stating it without shying away. We see that representatives get into the Parliament with their support. I don’t mean to say that there are no honorable MP’s with people’s real vote behind them, but some members have entered the parliament backed by the Basij and Revolutionary Guards and have violated the rights of other candidates by doing so. And today their strings are pulled by the same forces, and they make speeches given to them and do nothing but what they are ordered to do.

The Imam emphasized that military force should not interfere with politics. Today everyone claims they attack people because they are against the military and Basiji, unfortunately by doing so they tarnish the image of so many institutions.  I do not mean to sound disagreeable however, the truth is that their sense of morality has been destroyed in the eyes of the people. If not, then let’s ask the people openly what they really think of these institutions.  Are the Basiji today the same as the Basiji of the past? What about the Imam’s teachings to live a simple life and not abuse the country’s assets or use them to create problems for the ruling government?

I have briefly presented some of the Imam’s strong points of view and ask these gentlemen to respond to them. We were protectors. We sought to have free elections. We sought for justice to prevail. We fought to make sure that military force is not used in elections. We worked hard to preserve the spiritual authority of the Marjaas.  In response, they attacked the homes of the Marjah. During Friday Prayers, they verbally attacked a well known Grand Ayatollah who was  abroad. One gentleman came and verbally attacked another Marja for political reasons –-- he verbally attacked him when I had heard the Grand Ayatollah speak only fondly of this gentleman.

What I am trying to say is that the Imam tried hard to make sure everyone is included and that we all work towards the Imam’s ideals.  We are resilient. We will continue to speak our minds and we won’t pay attention to all this blabber. They need to answer to the people. There are many open questions. The Imam would be disheartened with today’s events. He was very sensitive to the handling of the country’s assets. What would his response be if he knew the extent to which these assets are being destroyed?

The Imam was a leader who paid attention to the lives of our people.  He was kind and compassionate. He believed in their rights.  He was against willfulness and never allowed one person to infringe upon the privacy of another. If I had more time, I would tell you more about the way the Imam dealt with willfulness, even when it came from those close to him.

Peace to all,

Mehdi Karroubi

Iran Document: The Supreme Leader's Speech (4 June)

An excerpt from the Supreme Leader's remarks at the Tehran Friday Prayers commemorating the death of Ayatollah Khomeini. Translation by Iran Focus:

Today, in the first part of the sermon, I will share some points about the esteemed Imam [Khomeini]. We will study the Imam as a symbol or a criterion. This is important because the main challenge of all sizeable social developments, including revolutions, is to safeguard the principal course of action offered by the said revolution or development. This is the most important challenge for any powerful social change, in the sense that such a change embodies certain goals and is geared to move towards those goals, inviting others to join in. This sense of direction towards the goals of a revolution or social movement must be preserved. Otherwise, that revolution will turn into its complete opposite and operate against its own goals.

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The sense of direction for any revolution serves as its fundamental identity. If the sense of direction were to change and attention is diverted from the main path, then the revolution will not achieve its ends. This is significant because such change is gradual and intangible. It is not as if a 180 degree turn would take place right at the outset. Rather, it starts from smaller angles, and as it continues, the distance between the main path, which is the right one, will increase with such deviations on a daily basis.


Usually, those who seek to alter the identity of the revolution will not have an official flag or will not label themselves as such. They do not act in a way that shows their opposition to the [main] path, and sometimes, they even perform an action or make a statement to show support for the path of the revolution. They are creating a divergence to make the revolution move away from its direction and ultimately bring it down. In order to prevent this wrong direction or deviation from taking hold, there must be certain criteria. If such criteria are in place, and if they are clear and readily observed by the people, then a deviation would never take place. Moreover, if someone were to move in the direction of that deviation, they will be identified by the masses of people. But, if such criteria were absent, then the threat will become serious. Now, what is the criterion for our own revolution?

There is a threat. The enemy, the enemy of the revolution and the enemy of the Imam will not stand by. The enemy is trying to uproot this revolution. How? Through deviations from the path of the revolution. So, we must have a criterion, and the best criterion is the Imam himself and his path.

We must explicitly make reference to the Imam, along with his stance against the arrogant powers, against reactionary movements, against western liberal democracy, and against hypocrites and charlatans. One must make a direct reference to the Imam with regards to such matters. Those who were influenced by the Imam’s outstanding personality, and those who heard his positions, surrendered themselves. We cannot cover up or hide the Imam’s positions, or diminish the power of the ones we deem as too radical, so that certain people would appreciate it.

Those who follow the Imam must know that the Imam would not have joined a coalition that explicitly waves the flag of opposition against the Imam and Islam. It cannot be accepted that the US, Britain, CIA, Mossad, monarchists, and the Monafeqin [pejorative term used by the regime to refer to the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran] are all in agreement about an axis, and then the same axis claims to follow the Imam’s path. This is not acceptable.

Another fundamental point about the path of Imam is that he repeatedly stated that judgment about people must take place using their current circumstances as a criterion. The individuals’ past actions are not of concern. The past comes into play when the current situation is not clear. That is when we would resort to the past to discover how it was in order draw a line to the present. But, if the individuals’ current situation is the complete opposite of their past, then the latter would be irrelevant. This is the judgment that Imam Ali made in the case of Talhe and Zobeyr. You should know that Talhe and Zobeyr were not insignificant figures. Zobeyr had a glowing history, which very few of Imam Ali’s followers shared. After Abu Bakr became the caliph, during the very first days, a number of Muslims rose up during Abu Bakr’s sermon and opposed him. They told him, ‘you are wrong. Ali is right.’ The names of these people have been recorded in history, and it is not just recounted by the Shiites. It is all recorded in history books. One of the people who had risen up to defend Ali’s right was Talha bin Ubaidullah. Such was his background. Twenty-five years separate that day from the day Zubayr pulled out a sword against Ali. Now, our Sunni brothers want to excuse Talhe and Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and say their knowledge could only lead them to that point. Anyhow, whatever the case was, we are not in a position to say what their situation is as they face God. But, what did Ali do with them? He fought against them. He took an army from Medina to Kufa and Basra to fight against Talha and Zubayr. This means that their pasts simply vanished.

This was Imam’s criterion. [In 1979] there were some people who were on the plane alongside Imam and came to Iran from Paris. There were executed during the Imam's time for treason. There were also some who had contacts with Imam during the periods he was in Najaf and later in Paris. They were treated cordially by the Imam at the beginning of the revolution. But, later, their positions and deeds led Imam to reject them....

Gaza Flotilla LiveBlog (5 June): Israel Forces Board the Rachel Corrie

1930 GMT: The Israeli military has released an audio of its communications with the "7th flotilla ship" (no mention of the name "Rachel Corrie") to accompany its video of the boarding.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pU5HPudACE[/youtube]

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1920 GMT: Ha'aretz reports on demonstrations in Paris, Dublin, London, and Sydney. Swedish dockworkers will launch a week-long blockade of Israeli ships and goods.


1550 GMT: The Israel Defense Forces have issued a press release on the docking of the Rachel Corrie at Ashdod. The IDF is still omitting the name of the ship in the announcement (see 1000 GMT).

1445 GMT: The Rachel Corrie has entered the port of Ashdod in Israel.

1420 GMT: Pressing Israel. British Foreign Secretary William Hague has used today's events to reiterate a firm stance towards Israel on both Monday's attack and on the blockade of Gaza:

I am glad that the interception of the Rachel Corrie has been resolved peacefully....We want to see a full, credible, impartial and independent investigation into the events surrounding last week's interception of the Gaza flotilla, which resulted in the tragic deaths of nine people. We continue to stress to the Israeli government the importance of an investigation that ensures accountability and commands the confidence of the international community, and includes international participation.

We urgently need to see unfettered access to Gaza to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza and to enable the reconstruction of homes, livelihoods and trade. That is why we continue to press the Government of Israel to lift Gaza's closure.

1305 GMT: Eyewitness Testimony from Monday. Two accounts from passengers on the Mavi Marmara, the lead Flotilla ship where nine people died: journalist Abbas Al Lawati offers a detailedrecollection for Gulf News (Part 1 and Part 2), and filmmaker Iara Lee c9mments in the San Francisco Chronicle.

1240 GMT: The Israeli military has posted aerial video of the boarding of the Rachel Corrie:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl_hXkYOy1c[/youtube]

1045 GMT: The Israeli military is already putting out its line: "The difference between today and Monday:on Monday Israel Defense Force was facing radicals with ties to terrorism who had prepared attack."

1000 GMT: An interesting side note: in its press release, the Israeli military refuse to mention the name of the ship: Rachel Corrie.

Corrie, a member of the International Solidarity Movement, was crushed to death when she stood in the path of an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip in 2003.

0940 GMT: The Israeli military reports, "The crew of the Rachel Corrie has permitted IDF [Israel Defense Force] soldiers to board....The Rachel Corrie will be brought to the Ashdod Port where goods will be inspected and transferred to Gaza via land crossings."

Israel Defense Forces have followed this with a press release on their website.

0905 GMT: The Israeli military has just released this video of their contact with the Rachel Corrie:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDkqYrwuDP0[/youtube]

0840 GMT: Israeli military reports that the Rachel Corrie has rejected a fourth command to divert to Ashdod.

0830 GMT: The US Position. A White House statement had urged the Rachel Corrie to accept the Israeli demand to go to the port of Ashdod in Israel. National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said the ship should do so "in the interest of the safety of all involved".

0800 GMT: With the only on-the-spot news coming from Israel's military --- communications with the Rachel Corrie are jammed --- little update in the last 90 minutes. The ship, having defied a third Israeli call to divert to Israel's port of Ashdod, is about 30 miles from the coast.

An eyewitness in Gaza claims that six Israeli gunships have appeared on the horizon.

0630 GMT: Israel military says Rachel Corrie has now ignored second call to divert to Israel.

0625 GMT: Israel Defense Forces update:

[An Israeli ship signalled, “This is the Israeli Navy. You are approaching an area of hostilities which is under a naval blockade. The Gaza area, coastal region and Gaza Harbor are closed to all maritime traffic. The Israeli government supports delivery of humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and invites you to enter the Ashdod port. Delivery of the supplies in accordance with the authorities’ regulations will be done via the formal land crossings and under your observation, after which you can return to your home ports aboard the vessels on which you arrived.”

The ship organizers chose to ignore the invitation to dock at the Ashdod port where the cargo could be unloaded and transferred to the Gaza Strip upon inspection.

0615 GMT: Israel Defense Forces write, "IDF Navy began transmission to crew of Rachel Corrie telling them to dock at Ashdod [in Israel]; aid will be transferred via land crossings to Gaza."

0610 GMT: Monday's Attack. Yalcin Buyuk, the vice-chairman of the Turkish Council of Forensic Medicine, has said the nine slain passengers from the Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times.

0605 GMT: An Israeli army officer tells Ma'an News Agency that the Rachel Corrie will not be allowed to dock in the Gaza Strip: "This has been our policy all along, and does not represent a change."

0525 GMT: We wait this morning to uncertainty over the situation with the MV Rachel Corrie, the merchant ship trying to deliver aid to Gaza. It is reported that the vessel is 50 miles off the coast, but Flotilla organisers, trying every two minutes, have been unable to establish communication.

The Israel Defense Forces say that an Israeli ship has made initial contact with the Rachel Corrie requesting under customary naval protocal, that they identify themselves. They deny denied that the ship has been boarded.

Meanwhile, the propaganda battle over the initial Israeli attack on Monday continues. Flotilla supporters have posted evidence that an audio circulated by Israel Defense Forces (see yesterday's updates), ostensibly claiming that passengers replied to commands to halt with insults like "Shut up, go back to Auschwitz", has been fabricated.

The Latest from Iran (5 June): Is That All There Is?

1945 GMT: The Follow-Up to Friday. Mir Hossein Mousavi has issued a statement condemning the treatment of Seyed Hassan Khomeini during his speech yesterday.

1915 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. An appeals court has approved a five-year prison sentence for Rajabali (Babak) Dashab. Dashab, arrested during the Ashura protests on 27 December, had been given a six term.

1715 GMT: Re-packaging the Supreme Leader. An interesting twist in Khabar Online's coverage of the Khamenei speech: rather than note his threats against the opposition, the website says he emphasised that "even enemies and dissidents have to be treated with justice and piety".

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1545 GMT: Beating the Oil Squeeze? Press TV reports that Iran, now accepting the withdrawal of Royal Dutch Shell and Spain's Repsol from Phases 13 and 14 of the South Pars oil and gas field as definiite, is giving the project to the Iranian Khatam-ol-Osea Consortium for $5 billion.


1530 GMT: Jamming Neda. Voice of America reports that Iranian authorities jammed a documentary, For Neda, about Neda Agha-Soltan, who was killed during last year's post-election demonstrations.

The documentary, produced by Home Box Office in the US, was shown on Wednesday. It is due for re-broadcast on 12 June, the anniversary of the Presidential election, and 20 June, the anniversary of Neda's death, and it is also available on the Internet.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F48SinuEHIk[/youtube]

1515 GMT: More Support for Hassan Khomeini. In a letter to Seyed Hassan Khomeini, Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani has condemned Friday's disruption of Khomeini's speech as a systematic attack planned by extremists “to take revenge from Imam (Khomeini,Hassan's grandfather) and his followers".

1500 GMT: We reported yesterday that human rights activist Saba Vasefi had escaped arrest when she was away during a security forces' raid on her home.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran now reports, from a "reliable source", that Vasefi was hit by a motorcycle on Tuesday when she was in Shahryar, near Tehran, to check on a death penalty case. Vasefi struck her head on the road and is now in a coma.

1250 GMT: Reacting to Friday. The prominent conservative member of Parliament Ali Motahari has said that the disruption of Seyed Hassan Khomeini’s speech was "very sad" and "against freedom of speech that is one of the principles of Islamic Revolution".

Significantly, Motahari accused President Ahmadinejad of organising the sabotage of Khomeini's appearance.

Motahari said, "Ahmadinejad is like a spoilt child in a family where the more he annoys others, the more he is appreciated by the parents. If judiciary had put [Mehdi] Karroubi, [Mir Hossein] Mousavi, and Ahmadinejad all on trial, this would not have happened."

The Islamic Society of Tehran University has requested urgent action to be taken against those "small groups" who interrupted Hassan Khomeini, claiming the disruption was because of the hatred that the hardliners have for Imam Khomeini.

1245 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. A story that slipped by us earlier this week....

Parveneh Osanloo, the wife of labour activist Mansour Osanloo, has said that her husband has been put in solitary confinement inside the Revolutionary Guard's Ward on new charges of “relations with state opposition groups”.

1240 GMT: Yesterday's Arrests. Tehran Police Chief Hossein Sajedinia has said 19 people were arrested during the commemorations of the death of Ayatollah Khomeini.

0715 GMT: Forgive the blatant "Western" cultural reference in the title of the post, but this was my immediate thought after watching the regime's setpiece yesterday for the commemoration of Ayatollah Khomeini's death. We have an analysis of the day, from the Ahmadinejad-Khamenei speeches to the unexpected "highlight" with the shout-down of Khomeini's grandson, in a separate entry.

In other news on an anti-climactic slow day (so far)....

Dastgheib's Support for Mousavi

The English translation of Ayatollah Dashgheib's letter to Mir Hossein Mousavi has been published:

Greetings,

I saw your statement which was published on Ordibehesht 23, 1389 (13 May 2010) and as I was certain of your religiousness, I am certain now too and I see you as someone with the love for Islam, Quran, and the Prophet’s and Holy Imam’s way of life, with good Islamic manner, devoted to Iran’s Islamic society, the establishment and the Islamic Republic of Iran, possessing honesty and purity, far from lies, betrayals and deceptions, and free from the love for earthly possessions and being in power.

What you stated about various issues are in accordance with the religious teachings and in compliance with the Constitution and the slogan of “independence, freedom and the Islamic Republic”. I, as a citizen, consider you useful and rather necessary for the continuation of the Islamic Revolution that was carried out by the people and the leadership of Imam Khomeini.

I am amazed by the people who considered themselves just but call your remarks, which are supported by reasons, deviation from the establishment and –-- may God have mercy on us –-- in confrontation with the establishment, and –-- may God have more mercy on us –-- accuse you unjustly, hideously and irrationally. These are disasters for you and us, and we should say, “We are all from God and we will return to him” about them.

Political Prisoner Watch

Women's rights activist Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in jail and 30 lashes for "acts against national security". Abbasgholizadeh was arrested on 21 December on her way to the funeral of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri.