The Latest from Iran (23 August): An Anti-Ahmadinejad Bloc?

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

On 24 June, we reported: “A curious and, if true, troubling incident. It is alleged that 70 faculty members, having met with Mir Hossein Mousavi, were later arrested.”

Almost all of the faculty, most of whom were sociologists, were released, but it was unclear why the authorities reacted so fiercely to the gathering. Now Iran Quest has gone back to the speech, printed in Mowj-e-Sabz on 5 July, and offered an English translation. (The clarifications and notes in parentheses also come from Iran Quest.) The speech stands not only as an important record of Mousavi’s thoughts in the day after the election but as a possible guide to continued protest:

We are accused that we are American and European (agents), that we are controlled by outsiders. That’s why I think it is imperative to state what (really) is the foreigners’ plan; And to take a stance against this issue. That’s why we need to talk about these issues. Even today and in the context of our current situation, if we truly do believe that one of the most significant outcomes of our revolution has been our independence, then we are obligated to indeed take a stance despite the harm that it may cause us. What I am really saying is that it is not going to harm us, but even if it did, we would still have to take a stance; it is important to work on this issue more extensively and declare a clearer position on as soon as possible. (The issue: accusations that Mousavi is an imperialist agents attempting regime change)

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Abbasali Kadkhodai, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Etemade Melli, Guardian Council, Iran, Iran Elections 2009, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Kalameh, Kayhan, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Khatami, Mohsen Rezaei, Mowj-e-sabz, Yassir Arafat

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED

2045 GMT: Two new videos have emerged which purport to show protests in Shiraz today:

The second video is here.

2035 GMT: The Guardian reports that 36 Iranian army officers were arrested after planning to attend Hashemi Rafsanjani’s sermon in uniform in uniform, “as an act of political defiance.” (via IranWire)

2030 GMT: Abbasali Kadkhodai, in an interview with FarsNews, responded to the criticisms of Rafsanjani and commented upon the Zanganeh and Akhondi letter.

Kadkhodai claimed that “the Guardian Council applied all possible legal means to ensure maximum trust in the election process”. He also said that when we were investigating the election Larijani suggested  “…. that a committee compromised of  heads of the national auditory office, national prosecution office and a member of the Guardian Council be formed to investigate the complaints of the opposition candidates”. Kadkhodai continued by claiming “… although this suggestion [of Larijani's] was problematic we accepted it … but Mousavi and Karroubi rejected the proposal”.

Kadkhodai claimed that contrary to the statement of Rafsanjani, “that in the given five days the Guardian Council used all opportinities to ensure trust [in the election process].” Commenting upon the fact that the Guardian council has been at the receiving end of critical statements, Kadkhodai said “unfortunately some prominent men made no effort to solve these problems. If they had done so, maybe the worries of Mr. Rafsanjani would have been addressed. Kadkhodai closed his interview by stating that “the Guardian Council has not shirked in performing its legal duties in the presidential election process and has left a good performance record”.

2015 GMT: Another twist in the tale of Ahmadinejad’s VP- Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai has just updated his personal website with a statement that says: “rumours of my resignation have been propagated by ill-intentioned people who intend to force my resignation and thereby cause the collapse of the government.  These rumours are absolute falsehoods.” The confusion over his current status within the Ahmadinejad government could indicate infighting amongst Iranian conservatives.

2000 GMT: A few hours ago (see 1700 GMT) we linked to a post by Juan Cole, which suggested that Iranian hard liners weren’t happy. A reader informs us that Cole has confused Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi, an ultra-hardline cleric. with Ayatollah Yazdi, also a hardline cleric.

1930 GMT: Iranian press are reporting that former President Khatami has called for a referendum on the legitimacy of the Government.

1700 GMT: Abbas Palizdar, who exposed the corruption of many officials including Ayatollah Yazdi, has been freed. (via IranRiggedElect)

Juan Cole thinks that the hard liners aren’t happy.

1630 GMT: The Government buckles. Esfandiar Rahim Mashai- whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad’s son- has declined appointment as 1st Vice President after pressure from Members of Parliament.

Rumour of the Day: In a meeting last Tuesday, the Supreme Leader asked Hashemi Rafsanjani to attend Ahmadinejad’s inauguration. Rafsanjani angrily refused.

1500 GMT: A significant development? Conservative site Jahan News is reporting that Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai has resigned his post as Ahmadinejad’s VP pick.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Abbas Akhoondi, Abbasali Kadkhodai, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Bijan Zanganeh, Darius Ghanbari, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, Guardian Council, Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran, Iran Elections 2009, Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Shirin Ebadi, Tehran University