The Latest from Iran (28 October): The Supreme Leader Jumps In

NEW Latest Iran Video: Families of Detainees Protest (28 October)
NEW Iran: Towards 13 Aban --- The University Protests
NEW Iran: Are There Billions of Dollars Missing?
NEW Iran: Mehdi Karroubi Speaks with Journalists (27 October)
Latest Iran Video: University Protests (27 October)
The Latest from Iran (27 October): Domestic and Foreign Collide

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2100 GMT: And for those looking for yet another account of the Karroubi-Mousavi meeting (see 1220 and 1350 GMT), here is the version from Mousavi's website Kalemeh.

1930 GMT: We've posted video of today's demonstration by families of detainees in front of the Tehran Prosecutor General's offices (see 1150 GMT).

1835 GMT: And Then There's the Nice Supreme Leader. Mehr News ignores the Khamenei challenge to the opposition, preferring the Supreme Leader's exhortation to students, “The political insight and religious principles and concepts in the depth of the thoughts of the youth show that today’s younger generation cannot be stopped, and this pure reality is the guarantor of the continuation of the country’s progress.”

Only later in the article does Mehr sneak in the criticism of the Green movement, “The day after the election, some called that great election a lie without any reason or justification. Is it a minor offence?”

Press TV finally gets around to the harsh Khamenei attack on "certain people", but they prefer to avoid the issue for several paragraphs, focusing instead on "foreign attacks".

1810 GMT: Khamenei Intervenes. And the Supreme Leader's message, after the Media Fair episodes, the Mousavi-Karroubi meeting, and the University demonstrations is: Enough is Enough.

Speaking to university staff and students today, according to state television, Khamenei made his sharpest direct attack on opposition leaders since early in the post-election crisis, saying "questioning [of] the basis of the election [was] the biggest crime". He added, "Of course some people inside (Iran) may not be aware that they are moving in line with the enemies' threats, but this issue will not change the truth."

Khamenei claimed that he had sent a private message to opposition leaders, saying that they were starting would be used by enemy". He then issued a not-so-veiled challenge over further moves, claiming, "A politician has to be like a chess player & predict their moves & their results in advance."

1350 GMT: Emrooz has also posted a brief report of the Mousavi-Karroubi meeting. Rooz Online has a longer piece, focusing on the Mousavi-Karroubi discussion of Iran's relations with the "West".

1220 GMT: Did Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi meet? Mizan News says so: the four-hour discussion included consideration of the enrichment agreement with the "5+1" powers, the continuity of the Green movement, and issues related to political reform. They stated the intention to form a joint committee for these concerns, emphasising the need of further regular meetings.

1210 GMT: Thanks to new information from an EA correspondent, we've moved our initial item this morning, on the significance of university protests, to a separate entry.

1154 GMT: Amnesty International has issued a call for the release of 76-year-old Mohammad Maleki on health grounds. Maleki, former Chancellor of Tehran University, has not been seen by friends or family since 14 September. He has been suffering from prostate cancer.

1150 GMT: Families of detainees protested today in front of the office of the Tehran Prosecutor General. They were surrounded by security forces, who prevented others from joining them. (English summary from Reuters, who do not the presence of security forces)

1145 GMT:The reformist Association of Combatant Clerics have held a meeting, chaired by former President Mohammad Khatami. They called on people to demonstrate on 13 Aban (4 November) but to show restraint in the face of the regime's violent provocations.

1135 GMT: Reuters is reporting from Mehr News that Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, will present Tehran's response on Thursday to the proposal for third-party enrichment.

0945 GMT: We've posted an entry posing the question, "Why is $66 Billion Missing from Iran Government Accounts?"

0725 GMT: Karroubi Speaks Again. We've posted an English translation of his latest comments, made to journalists who visited him in his house.

0643 GMT: Human Rights Activists in Iran have a summary of the latest developments in the cases of post-election detainees.

0630 GMT: Pedestrian offers a fascinating account of the protest at Chamran University in Ahwaz (see video page).

The catalyst was the appearance of member of Parliament Hamid Rasaee, who has signed a letter asking the judiciary to prosecute Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi. In his speech, Rasaee compared former President Mohammad Khatami to former US President George W. Bush, claiming, "The followers of Bush in Iran hide behind Khatami’s aba [clerical robe].”

The speech, which was supposed to open a conference on “soft warfare”, was greeted by screaming students wearing green and throwing empty water bottles and --- apparently --- green peppers at him. Unable to continue the speech, he responded, "We believe in the exchange of ideas and respect other people’s viewpoints but here, I am greeted with shouts of liar. We are allowing you to express your view and thus we are not dictators.”

To students' shouts of “Clumsy fool, go back to Tehran!”, he answered, “If Rasaee was a clumsy fool, 40 million people [who voted for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] would not have have given you a slap in the face”. This only brought the chant, "Liar, where is your 63% [the claimed share of the vote for Ahmadinejad on 12 June]?"

The exchange continued for some time, with students finally shouting, "Torture and confessions will no longer silence us.” The conference on soft warfare was reportedly canceled.

0600 GMT: The Government still seems to be occupied --- I would argue distracted --- with the haggling over the uranium enrichment deal. An EA reader offered the essential comment last night that Iran's call for re-negotiation of terms appears to be over a vast over-supply of its holdings for enrichment in Russia: the life of the medical research reactor is only 15 years, but the processing of 80% of Iran's stock provides 110 years of uranium.

That still leaves a curiosity: why did this apparently obvious objection not arise before the Vienna technical talks and indeed during them? Beyond that, however, there is the political impact at home. The regime seems to be scrambling and sometimes arguing amongst itself.

It is exactly one week to 13 Aban (4 November).

Iran: Mehdi Karroubi Speaks with Journalists (27 October)

Latest Iran Video/Translation: Karroubi on Events in the Iran Media Fair
The Latest from Iran (28 October): No Lull

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From Advar News, with translation by Facebook page linked to Mir Hossein Mousavi:

Karroubi: I am not afraid and I am ready to pay any price

Four days after the assault on Mehdi Karroubi by “reporter” thugs in the Media Fair, a group of journalists and reporters visited him at his home to comfort him, condemn the events happened at the Media Fair and ask him not to consider those horrible acts as what a real reporter would do.

When the journalists finished their remarks, everybody looked at Karroubi to listen to what he had to say. Karroubi, who that still had the wound mark that he received during the attack in Media Fair at his forehead, started by saying:

I have visited the Media Fair every year, but this year because of the widespread shutdown of the newspapers and the arrest of the journalists, I was more determined to visit the fair. I was not [personally] offended by the events that happened in the Fair, but rather I felt sorry because of some irrational and unconsidered behaviours. Actually it was good that I went to the fair so that the true nature of some people was unveiled.

Karroubi rejected the claims made by the Media Fair officials that they had warned Karroubi’s bodyguards of the intense atmosphere of the fair:

I attended the [media] fair completely unaware [of the situation] and the claims of some saying I was looking for trouble despite their warnings are completely bogus. But in any case I am amazed and I ask them, "Should I have asked for permission to go to the media fair?" I am amazed why the elders and more intelligent ones don’t prevent these kinds of inconsiderate actions.

We should not leave the field

Karroubi expressed hope that the rule of such ideas over the country does not last and advised the journalists present in the gathering to have patience and endurance and also to maintain balance. He added, “We should not leave the field, as the condition of our rivals is alarming and that’s why they react with these kinds of actions.”

Karroubi complained of the excessive pressure on the media over the past recent months. In response to some of the journalists who were asking him about starting publication of a newspaper, he said:

Every newspaper that is closed down [by the Government] renews my heartache, but with all that is happening, we are [always] trying to publish a new newspaper or publication. I don’t want to leave the field under any circumstances. I feel really sorry when I see some motivated journalists lose their jobs and their talents go to waste. It has been said that a stranger is the educated intellectual whose knowledge and intelligence has been alienated and now our real and professional journalists have become strangers.

Karroubi indicated that financial difficulties are the main problem in establishing “Saba” satellite television.

This friendly gathering ended with Mehdi Karroubi comforting the journalists: “Rest assure that the situation will not remain like this and the government has to change the situation and open up the [political] atmosphere. Moreover be certain that I as a clergyman will do what I know is my duty, and I am not afraid of paying its price.”

Iran: Towards 13 Aban --- The University Protests

Latest Iran Video: University Protests (27 October)
The Latest from Iran (28 October): No Lull
The Latest from Iran (27 October): Domestic and Foreign Collide

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Throughout yesterday, the reports and videos came in. A gathering of students (1500?) at Tehran University, dispersed by security guards. More protests at Azad University in Tehran. Video of a rally at Chamran University in Ahwaz, almost 500 miles from Tehran. Footage of a protest at Khaje Nasir University  of Technology in Tehran (now added to our video page).

Indeed, there were so many reports , and the need to verify them, that we could not keep up before we had an early close to the evening. And there is more, courtesy of an EA correspondent with excellent contacts in Iran.

There were also protests on Sunday at Allameh Tabatabei University in Tehran, with chants of "Death to the Dictator!". Students at Sharif University wore green clothing. At Gilan University in Rasht in northern Iran, a student shouted "Death to the Dictator", as Nezamuddin Mousavi, a supporter of President Ahmadinejad, was speaking (video available on YouTube). Perhaps most significantly, the heads of security of Iran's uiversities have met in Qom.


So we catch up to see this picture: unlike previous periods in this crisis, when opposition fell into silence, there was no lull between the drama of the Tehran Media Fair and Mehdi Karroubi's webcast and the University demonstrations of the last 48 hours. If this continues and indeed builds up to 13 Aban (4 November), expect a massive display of public frustration, concern, and hope. And maybe more importantly, expect no cessation after 13 Aban.

Latest Iran Video/Translation: Karroubi on Events in the Iran Media Fair

Iran: The Karroubi Effect
Iran: Karroubi Statement on Events at Iran Media Fair
Video: Karroubi & Crowd at Iran Media Fair (23 October)
Video: The Media Fair Demonstrations (25 October)
Latest from Iran (26 October): After the Fair

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English translation follows video --- many thanks to HomyLafayette:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CLJfmkEqYM[/youtube]

In the name of God, most gracious, most merciful.

Three points must be stressed concerning the events that took place at the press fair last Friday: One has to do with the circumstances, another with the motives, and the last with myself.

As for the circumstances, I have always gone to exhibitions and continue to do so. This time when I visited, on the one hand the people generously expressed their kindness and I would even turn around and ask them not to chant slogans, and on the other, a few individuals began --- and they're the ones who started it --- saying, "Death to the hypocrite", trying to provoke the people. The great mass of the people was standing and chanting, and the other individuals chanted too, and then we left the exhibition after a while. But on the way out, and this is the scheme that certain individuals had planned, they guided us in a direction through which the people behind us could not freely follow us, and in this manner they became a bit more radical.

The second point is about the motives. This is not the first time [this has occurred, it also happened] during my visit to Masoumeh's shrine on the occasion of Imam Sadegh's martyrdom. Wherever I go, such actions are becoming commonplace. Fortunately, the people are responding spontaneously. Their intention is to prevent me from attending gatherings and to isolate me, in the same way that they closed the offices of the party and [inaudible]. [The offices of Karroubi's Etemade Melli political party and his newspaper were shut down in early September.] They want me to sit at home and not venture outside. So they're taking these steps to prevent me from going outside.

The third point that I want to mention is that I'm amazed that they're carrying out these measures with respect to me. I'm not new to these actions, and I haven't started making these types of comments recently. In 1989, after the death of Imam Khomeini, I clashed with the 3rd Majlis [Parliament], I denounced the deviation of the Assembly of Experts....In all those cases, I maintained a clear position, I constantly spoke out, and I went through difficult situations. Even back then, many of my friends were summoned daily to the Special Clergy Court or normal courts. I stood strong and endured those hardships.

On top of which, in those days, I was isolated and the people were not aware of the issue of oversight and the Assembly of Experts....But today, the people are standing as one, or at least a majority of the people are and they have a position and are standing firm.

In such circumstances, I shall be present on any stage....Be it a demonstration, the commemoration of the 22nd of Bahman [11 February,date of the victory of the 1979 revolution] or Ashura [holiday marking the martyrdom of Hossein]. Whatever the day, whatever the place, we shall be present. But we're going to take an additional step. Previously, we wouldn't tell our friends where we'd be going and other details. Now we announce it, though we may be the object of our friends' criticisms. We will not retreat. Keeping in mind our pact with the Imam and the people, we remain loyal to the Islamic Republic and the constitution. We are standing firm on this path, with God's blessing, and we fear nothing.

God willing, we shall see who has remained true and who has not. In appropriate conditions, when either both factions are in power or neither one is, we shall see who has to repent and who does not need to. When you have one faction in power and the other faction has nothing at all, they can talk about repentance as much as they want. Those who need to repent are the traitors to the Islamic Republic who have deviated it, who have emptied it of its Islamic nature and destroyed its republican identity, and left nothing but its name.

Latest Iran Video: The Media Fair Demonstrations (25 October)

The Latest on Iran (25 October): Expectation Rises

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Outside the Mossalla

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