Iran: Grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s funeral, attended by hundreds of thousands, dominates the news. Our liveblog will keep you up to date with the news, and we have video footage from the funeral in Qom and demonstrations in other cities. There is also video and English translation of an interview with Montazeri’s son Saeed, speaking about his late father’s last words and views.
A guest blog from Iran Review offers an in-depth look at Tehran’s current perspective on nuclear talks.
Israel: Following a meeting with Egypt’s intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, Israel’s Foreign Minister Lieberman made the stunning statement: “Egypt has more to fear from Iran than we do”.
Israel/Palestine: Ali Yenidunya reveals that Hamas “provided evidence” for the British arrest warrant for Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni.
The people according the the constitution must be in charge of their fate. Therefore we must move in a direction that logic, freedom of speech, honesty and defending human rights will replace oppression, perfidy, injustice, and torture — concepts that are the results of selfish and autocratic and unpopular governments. Unfortunately….we have been witnessing the defamation, perfidy, imprisonment, oppression, torture, and even killing of those people who have peacefully demonstrated to defend their rights.
Therefore, due to the necessity that is religiously incumbent upon me to prevent the tyranny of oppressors, I declare to all individuals who are responsible (either by participation or causation) of subjecting the people to killings, brutal physical violence, imprisonment and torture in prisons..that oppressing people that have only God to defend them qualifies as one of the worst kinds of mortal sin….and all such individuals must repent and try to obtain the forgiveness of those whom they have oppressed…and in fact attend to the kindly advice of Ayatollah Rafsanjani…so that the Government does not add any more sins to its already heavy conscience….I also would like to reiterate to you [Khatami-Mousavi-Karroubi], and all beloved citizens of Islamic Iran both within and without the country, and to all of those that are trying to provide a conduit so that the voice of the protesters to the election can be heard: do not let the pressures, violence and suppressions to cause you to lose heart and thereby allow the will of the oppressors to happen….
I thank God for the fact that you gentlemen by maintaining a united front…have been able concurrently to attract the support of the people especially that of the younger generation….[Your efforts] in defending the rights of humanity and popular governance will leave a long lasting mark in society.
On Saturday, our correspondent Mani broke the news (0900 GMT): “In an open letter, a number of reformist politicians led by Mohammad Khatami, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have asked the Grand Ayatollahs of Qom to remind ‘relevant segments of the establishment’ of ‘the dire consequences” of their ‘anti-legal methodologies’. The letter asks the Grand Ayatollahs to intervene to free the current post-election detainees.”
Subsequently, Keeping the Change evaluated: “Should the Reformists be able to win over a majority of the marjahs [high-ranking clerics], it…would constitute the serious religiously-based challenge to the regime’s behavior that the Reformists have been after, but have heretofore been unable to obtain.”
The Arabic-language newspaper Asharq al-Awsat is reporting today, based on statements from “a prominent member of the reformist party” that there is now a co-ordinated move amongst leading clerics against not only the Government but also the authority of the Supreme Leader.
The source claims, “The Grand Ayatollahs of Iran, such as Ayatollahs Sanei, Bayat-Zanjani, Montazeri and Javadi-Amoli, as well as other high-ranking clerics such as Ayatollah Rafsanjani, Seyed Mohammad Khatami, and Mehdi Karroubi and “businessmen, intellectuals, and eminent thinkers”, have started a new movement. The goal of this movement is not limited to questioning the legality of this recent election and condemning the recent violence that the government has commited upon the protesters, but aims to question the legality of Khamenei’s position as the supreme leader, thereby neutralizing him.” Read the rest of this entry »
2110 GMT: According to his son, pro-reform journalist Isa Saharkhiz has been seized and taken to an undisclosed location.
2015 GMT:Reports that women’s rights activist Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh was arrested today in the “Mothers of Martyrs” rally in Laleh Park.
2000 GMT: Now This is Interesting. According to Iran Labor News Agency, Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, in a meeting with the families of detainees, has said post-election events had caused “bitterness” while denying there was a power struggle in the Islamic state: “I don’t think that (anybody with a) vigilant conscience is satisfied with the current situation.”
Rafsanjani’s manoeuvre should be seen as an attempt to get as much political leverage as possible while distancing himself from any call for massive change: “I hope with good management and wisdom the issues would be settled in the next days and the situation could improve … We should think about protecting the system’s long-term interests.”
So Iran’s ultimate politician is not going to make any challenge to the Supreme Leader. But here is the unknown from the interview: what does he propose as the fate of President Ahmadinejad? Read the rest of this entry »
In the furour over the Presidential election, the most intriguing political contest may have taken place, behind the street scenes, in Iran’s religious centre, south of Tehran in the dusty city of Qom.
Within 72 hours of the 12 June vote, the clerics of Qom’s seminaries had taken their place on the political stage. Former President Hashemi Rafsanjani tried to mobilise them for a public challenge to President Ahmadinejad’s victory. That initial attempt failed; indeed it is a key reasons why Rafsanjani then kept a careful silence before an equally careful, “balanced” return to public life with his speech last Sunday. There would be no mass movement of the religious leadership behind any campaign. Instead, factions already aligned to particular political movements would reassert their positions. The Association of Combatant Clerics would ally itself with the efforts of former President Mohammad Khatami and, thus, Mir Hossein Mousavi; Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, prominent on the Guardian Council, would bolster Ahmadinejad’s position. Read the rest of this entry »
2230 GMT: The end of a long and, for many, amazing day in Iran with the hopes of the mass movement balanced by rumours of deaths, beatings, and detentions (one activist writes of many people being taken to Evin Prison). Still a state of tension, with uncertainty over casualty figures from this afternoon at Azadi Square and no firm confirmation of the big march for 5 p.m. tomorrow (local time) in Tehran. Tonight, there are sounds of ambulances and police sirens and occasional gunshots.
We’re going to take an overnight break. Thanks to all who have supported us and given us information today. Our thoughts are with friends and colleagues in Iran.
2100 GMT: Channel 4’s Lindsey Hilsum’s blog has footage of paramilitaries shooting at protestors. Her blog post is here, a larger video is available here. Read the rest of this entry »
Iran: Grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s funeral, attended by hundreds of thousands, dominates the news. Our liveblog will keep you up to date with the news, and we have video footage from the funeral in Qom and demonstrations in other cities. There is also video and English translation of an interview with Montazeri’s son Saeed, speaking about his late father’s last words and views.
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UPDATE (27 July, 1900 GMT): 
The Arabic-language newspaper 
In the furour over the Presidential election, the most intriguing political contest may have taken place, behind the street scenes, in Iran’s religious centre, south of Tehran in the dusty city of Qom.
2230 GMT: The end of a long and, for many, amazing day in Iran with the hopes of the mass movement balanced by rumours of deaths, beatings, and detentions (
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