The Latest from Iran (21 July): No Lull in the Cycle of Protest
Posted by Scott Lucas in Middle East & IranThe Latest from Iran (22 July): “The Pendulum Swings” Towards Opposition
NEW Iran Video: The Protests Continue (21 July)
NEW Iran Video: Ahmadinejad Failure in Mashaad? (17 July)
The Latest from Iran (20 July): How Far Can This Go?
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2200 GMT: Press TV jumps in on the debate over the choice of Iran’s 1st Vice President, and it is siding with the Supreme Leader rather than President Ahmadinejad:
A senior Iranian parliamentarian says the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has advised the president to reverse his decision in appointing Esfandyar Rahim-Masha’i as his top deputy.
“Without any delay, the removal or acceptance of Masha’i’s resignation must be announced by the president,” Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard, the first Majlis [Parliament] vice speaker, told the Iranian Students News Agency on Tuesday….The removal of Rahim-Masha’i from key positions and presidential deputies is the collective decision of the political establishment.”
1930 GMT: No confirmed reports on whether the “power overload” protest scheduled for 9 p.m. local time (1630 GMT) succeeded in causing blackouts, although there were unconfirmed claims that parts of Tehran, Karaj, and Qazvin lost power.
1910 GMT: The pro-Green Movement website Mowj-e-Sabz confirms that, in addition to Sunday’s demonstrations in Tehran and Shiraz, there were sizable protests in Tabriz.
1900 GMT: A source expands on our post about Hashemi Rafsanjani’s sharp response today to Ayatollah Khamenei:
Rafsanjani’s website has recently posted a part of his memoirs that can be interpreted as a retort to Khameini’s not so well concealed threats. The key section of this posting is as follows:
“An individual must not be intimidated by anything in this world. Whenever an individual faces a test it is insufficient to only have good intentions and unacceptable to limit oneself to empty slogans and claims. Each generation faces a test and challenge and the greatest test a man faces is when because of his love to god he is asked to sacrifice his spouse, his children and his capital. One must be brave.”
Rafsanjani’s website concludes the preceding paragraph with the following commentary: “The ironclad strength of these words indicate that the young Rafsanjani in his “struggle for the rights of people”, had been well schooled by the great Khomeini on how to move beyond fear.”
1845 GMT: We’ve posted the first video from today’s protests in a separate entry.
1745 GMT: A Showdown between Ahmadinejad and Khamenei? Yes, you read that right. A source confirms our report (1600 GMT) that the Supreme Leader has ordered the President to force the resignation of his Vice President, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai. However, an update claims that Ahmadinejad has insisted in an interview that the VP will remain in office: “Rahim-Mashai is a great supporter of the Islamic Regime, is a great believer in the principle of supreme leadership, leads a simple life and has served the public with distinction. He has been chosen as a VP and will continue to serve.”
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