UPDATE 1930 GMT: Talks have ended for the day, to be resumed tomorrow. IAEA head El-Baradei said that negotiations were moving forward though more slowly than he had expected.
UPDATE 1825 GMT: Yep, that’s where the not-so-silly games are heading. Iran, wanting France out of the loop, is talking directly to the US delegation, according to Lara Setrakian of ABC News.
Press TV gives more details: An Iranian source confirms the “positive and constructive” bilateral discussions, adding, “It was agreed that more studies should be held on…renewing the secondary, control and electronic facilities” of the medical research reactor, the source added.
UPDATE 1810 GMT: Oh my, the Iranians are playing silly games now. Having wound up the media with their pre-talk threats, Tehran’s delegation decided today to give France a poke in the eye by never showing up at discussions. Other diplomats are insisting that this is not a walkout, and the French Foreign Ministry maintains, “It is a meeting of experts, in which we are participating.” However, Iranian officials via Press TV are declaring, “The elimination of France from the deal’s draft is certain.”
There is a likely explanation for this rather comic manoeuvring. Under the “third-party enrichment” proposal backed by the US, Iranian uranium is to be enriched by Russia and then sent to France to be shaped into metal plates. Tehran may be insisting that Paris is cut out of the process, with Russia sending the uranium, raised to 19.75 percent, directly back to Iran.
Some of the media coverage of yesterday’s opening of the Vienna technical talks on Iran’s uranium enrichment was beyond hopeless.
1650 GMT: Release the Prisoners! I am just going to re-print this from Fars News Agency and await confirmation that 25 percent of Iran’s prison population will soon be freed:
17,000 prisoners were freed after amnesty and commutation of punishment term of a number of prisoners by the Supreme Leader,” State Prisons Organization’s Deputy Director for Management and Resource Development Mohammad Ali Zanjirehi told FNA on Friday.
“40 percent of the country’s inmates, who account for around 68,000 people, were liable to the amnesty,” Zanjirei said, adding that 17,000 out of the 68,000 inmates have been freed and the rest have enjoyed commutation of their terms or will be granted leaves in final months of their incarceration.
The decree, originally proposed by Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, was issued by the Leader on the occasion of the feast of Mab’ath, marking assignment of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) to prophethood.
1555 GMT: Don’t Forget That Foreign Threat. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, who has been gone unnoticed since the 12 June election, popped up today to appear at Friday prayers in Tehran and then try his hand with the “foreign agents” speech:
Western and European countries, with their overt and covert capabilities, interfered in Iran’s election… the worst among them being Britain. The countries who interfered through their television networks by telling how to instigate riots, build explosives and other tension creating activities are accomplices in all the committed crimes, murders and are held responsible.
1540 GMT: Some, However, Are Not Ready for Compromise. Defying calls for concilation, the Ministry of Intelligence has threatened the Freedom Movement of Iran (the party of nationalist Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in the 1950s) with dire consequences if they do not stop holding political meetings inside their headquarters. The Party has lodged an official complaint with the head of Iran’s judiciary.
1535 GMT: Look Past Jannati. The trend in clerical statements in the last 24 hours, apart from Friday prayers in Tehran, has been a call for compromise and action on detainees (see 1510 and 1520 GMT). That fits a report from Salaam News that Grand Ayatollahs have been discussing vital “issues”, and most except Ayatollah Noori-Hamedani (an ardent Ahmadinejad supporter) “have taken a similar stance against the attacks of fundamentalism”. Read the rest of this entry »
1800 GMT: Mehdi Karroubi’s letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, has been published on a Facebook page of Mohammad Khatami: “All protesting the election results agree with the original system, but its defenders have confiscated the electoral process.”
1455 GMT: The mysterious of the “Basiji” audio tape (0825 and 1130 GMT): A very helpful reader has listened to four hours of the tapes and offers the following: “Each [of the four] segments is about an hour and on different aspect of protests and how to understand and neutralize it. The audio seems to be from the Revolutionary Guard who criticize the Basiji for ineffectiveness and lack of training. The 4th segment in the audio is creepy and openly talks about why ppeople are talking about a coup, psychological operations, ideology, etc.”
Another reader adds, “This seems leaked audio from immediately after 1999 raids [on the 18 Tir] demonstrations. Still, given ranking figures supposedly in recordings, worth examining.” The first reader, however, points us to a document, “Mechanisms for Suppression of Mobilization”, which seems to correspond to aspect of the audio discussion.
(Again, our gratitude to both sources for assistance above and beyond the call of duty.) Read the rest of this entry »
1825 GMT: BBC English has posted a video report on the Iranian Government’s “public service” campaign on a telephone hotline for people to inform on family and friends participating in demonstrations.
1645 GMT: BBC Persian reports that Ayatollah Yusef Sane’i, a fervent critic of the Government, has condemned televised confessions, saying they have no value as the obvious product of torture. Sane’i emphasized that “endurance is the key to success”. Read the rest of this entry »
Last Saturday a gathering of women at Laleh Park in Tehran was broken up by security forces; a number of them were taken away and are allegedly still detained. The women, including mothers of “martyrs” in the post-election violence, have declared that they will gather every Saturday. Today they sent this statement to Lara Setrakian of ABC News (US):
We continue to mourn…
The silent mourning of mothers on Saturday June 27th 2009 in Laleh Park in Tehran was violently suppressed by security forces. A number of mothers and young women attending this peaceful gathering/sit-in were detained by the security forces. Despite the violent crackdown by the security forces and their attempt to disperses the attendees, more than 500 women and mothers were able to continue with the sit-in and gatherings in the central spot of the park. These mothers were peacefully gathering to commemorate the young men and women who had participated in the non-violent post-election demonstrations and had been martyred. Read the rest of this entry »
2105 GMT: Reports that more than 15,000 people gathered to lay flowers at the graves of more than 80 “martyrs” in Behesh Zahra cemetery (see 1745 GMT).
2100 GMT: Lara Setrakian of ABC News (US) writes, “Rooftop Allahu Akbars [God is Greats] still on, despite Basij raids. [There was] one case where all residents of a five-floor apartment building were bused to Evin [Prison].”
Setrakian adds, “Rally was set for 6 p.m. today in front of Evin Prison to ask for release of detainees. The next two weeks of protests are planned.” Read the rest of this entry »
For the 2nd consecutive night reps of prosecutor general & Cultural Ministry were present in publication house demanding alteration of some pages of the Etememad Melli paper. Those reps asked for omitting the interview of the paper’s manager as well as [an] analysis of Iran election. The interview was about the reasons for which the paper’s publication was prohibited yesterday.
1845 GMT: Lara Setrakian of ABC News (US): “Allahu Akbars begin. Intensity hasn’t diminished. I hear warning shots, but after the shot they changed to death to dictator.”
Also reports of a candlelit vigil tonight on the rooftops.
1650 GMT: Release the Prisoners! I am just going to re-print this 
1800 GMT: Mehdi Karroubi’s letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, has been published on a Facebook page of Mohammad Khatami: “All protesting the election results agree with the original system, but its defenders have confiscated the electoral process.”
1825 GMT: 
2105 GMT: Reports that 
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