United 4 Iran rallies, Ahmadinejad's inauguration

Protesters in about 100 cities worldwide on Saturday demanded the release of hundreds of detainees in Iran who were arrested in the bloody aftermath of the Islamic republic's disputed presidential election, CNN reported.

They rallied against the Iranian government's brutal crackdown on citizens who protested the June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, claiming it was fraudulent.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets after the election, clashing with security forces in a series of chaotic and violent encounters that led deaths, injuries and the arrest of many protesters who remain in jail despite pleas by families and friends.

Several of the demonstrations, especially in the U.S. and Europe, called for western governments to be more vocal about the reported human rights violations in Iran, according to the report.

Saturday's "global day of action" was organized by United For Iran and supported by several human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders.

United For Iran is demanding U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon send a delegation to Iran to investigate the fate of political prisoners; the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including journalists; an end to state-sponsored violence; freedom of the press; and Iran's adherence to international agreements it has signed.

Ahmadinejad's inauguration set for first week in August

Iran President Amhmoud Ahmadinejad (photo source unknown).

Iran has announced that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sworn into office during the first week of August.

I've been wondering when, if ever, this inauguration would take place, and where and how because of the challenges of it being done safely--for him, I mean.

After weeks of violent and not-so-violent protests in Tehran since the June 12 presidential election, countless of people must want his head on a stake.

The actual date of the inauguration has yet to be announced. According to the state-run Mehr News Agency, deputy parliament speaker Mohammadreza Bahonar said it will take place between Aug 2 and Aug 6.

After witnessing what transpired in Tehran after the elections, I can't imagine Ahmadinejad being able to walk or drive down any street in the city without getting a bullet in his head. I'm not taking sides here, by the way, just sayin'...

His second term will officially begin a few days after he takes the oath of office, when he participates in a ceremony officiated by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Now, that's another one who should watch his head...if you ask me.

Sources: CNN
Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

Iran reform leader Mousavi: 'It's not yet too late'

Ahmadinejad supporters demonstrated in Tehran along with Mousavi supporters. (Newsha Tavakolian/Polaris, for The New York Times)

Iran's embattled opposition leader urged his supporters Wednesday to keep working for "the rights of the people" in his first rally since the regime earlier this week validated the results of the country's disputed presidential election, AP reported.

In a fresh show of defiance, Mir Hossein Mousavi reasserted his claim that the June 12 election was illegitimate, and he demanded that Iran's cleric-led government release all political prisoners and institute electoral reforms and press freedoms, according to the report.

"It's not yet too late," Mousavi, who has slipped from public view in recent days, said in a lengthy statement posted on his website. "It's our historic responsibility to continue our complaint and make efforts not to give up the rights of the people."

Mousavi better watch his back. I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly went missing...

Mousavi also called for a return to a more "honest" political environment in the Islamic Republic. Return?

His latest challenge came as Iran's Basij militia asked the chief prosecutor to investigate Mousavi for his role in violent protests that it said undermined national security.

I'm telling you--if this continues they're going to lock him up, and when they do, the shit is going to hit the fan yet again. A call for reform is understandable, but it came on the heels and partly as a result of the June 12 elections. What if indeed Ahmadinejad is the legitimate winner? That would mean that the majority chose him, and in a democracy the majority rules--right?

The semiofficial Fars news agency said the militia—known as supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's street enforcers—sent the prosecutor a letter accusing Mousavi of taking part in nine offenses against the state, including "disturbing the nation's security," which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment, AP reported.

Mousavi insists the vote was tainted by massive fraud and that he--not incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad--is the rightful winner.

Will we ever know for sure? With the Guardian Council, Iran's top electoral oversight body, confirming Ahmadinejad won after recounting only 10% of the votes earlier this week, I doubt it.

Iran's regime says 17 protesters and eight Basiji were killed in two weeks of unrest that followed the election.

Hmm...that figure is something else we'll never know for sure.

"Whether he wanted to or not, Mr. Mousavi in many areas supervised or assisted in punishable acts," said the Basij letter, which also accused Mousavi of bringing "pessimism" into the public sphere.

Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad canceled plans to travel to Libya as an observer at an African Union summit, Libyan officials said. It would have been Ahmadinejad's second trip outside Iran since the election.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said unspecified "preoccupations" (such as being shot) kept the president at home. Some African officials had complained that Ahmadinejad's presence at the three-day gathering could divert attention from Africa's problems.

Ahmadinejad on Tuesday repeated the claims that post-election street riots were linked to a "soft revolution" aided by foreign powers.

If that's what a soft revolution looks like, I'd hate to see what a regular revolution would look like in Iran. It's not like the general public has weapons at its disposal...

"Enemies, despite overt and covert conspiracies to topple (the ruling system) through a soft overthrow, failed to reach their goals," state television quoted Ahmadinejad as telling Intelligence Ministry officials, AP reported.

It's unclear how many people have been detained during the post-election riots and protests, but at least one group, the Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights, claimed at least 2,000 arrests have been made. The figures could not be independently verified because of tight media restrictions, AP said.

Ahmadinejad is scheduled to be sworn in as early as July 26.

They better do that ceremony indoors.

Sources: AP, Reuters
Copyright © 2009

Iran threatens to 'crush' U.S....are we scared yet?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to the annual judiciary summit in Tehran on Saturday. (Rauf Mohseni, AFP/Getty Images)

Iran President Ahmadinejad slammed President Obama on Saturday, saying officials in the Islamic republic are “astonished” over what they see as his interference in Iran’s disputed elections and promising a "crushing" response to continued American condemnation of Iran's crackdown on post-election protest, CNN and AP reported.

How about allowing himself to be "astonished" over what's going on in his country because of he being declared the winner?

"You should know that if you continue the response of the Iranian nation will be strong," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to members of Iran's judiciary, which is directly controlled by the ruling clerics. "The response of the Iranian nation will be crushing. The response will cause remorse."

Well, that does it for me...I'm officially shaking with fear now.

Ahmadinejad has no authority to direct major policy decisions on his own, a power that rests with the non-elected theocracy, but his comments often reflect the thinking of the ruling establishment, AP reported.

So, basically, he's just a puppet...

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Obama said the “violence perpetrated against” demonstrators disputing the June 12 election results “is outrageous."

"We are surprised at Mr. Obama," Ahmadinejad said. “Didn’t he say that he was after change?” Ahmadinejad said. “Why did he interfere? Why did he utter remarks irrespective of norms and decorum?”

I can't think of any other president being more diplomatic on the matter, even at his own expense. What was he supposed to say? "Congratulations on the bloodshed"? "I'm delighted with the peaceful election process in Iran"?

Apparently, to him--or to them--there's no difference between expressing an opinion and interfering.

The cleric-led regime--not surprisingly--appears to have quashed a protest movement that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets of Tehran and other cities in the greatest challenge to its authority in 30 years. Mousavi said Friday that he would seek official permission for any future rallies, effectively ending his role in street protests, AP reported.

I think bullies often win because their insecurity is so severe they don't give a crap about the consequences of their actions and the bad karma they bring down upon themselves.

Days of relatively restrained talk from both Washington and Tehran appear to be returning to a familiar pattern of condemnation and recrimination despite Obama's stated desire to move away from mutual hostility.

Will that ever change?

Obama acknowledged Friday that Iran's violent suppression of unrest would hinder progress, saying "There is no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks."

I wonder how.

"They keep saying that they want to hold talks with Iran. Alright, we have expressed our readiness as well. But is this the correct way?" Ahmadinejad said. "They showed their hand to the people of Iran, before all people of the world. Their mask has been removed."

Ugh!

He still appeared to leave some opening for dialogue, saying Iranians officials "have expressed our readiness" and still want the U.S. to "join the righteous servants of humanity as well."

"Righteous servants of humanity? Are you freakin kidding me?Given this point of view, what are the chances of sensible--forget diplomatic...there's too much lying in diplomacy--talks between Iran and anyone in the West?

Chances are we'll see what we always see: endless lying and bullying and tossing around of concepts and words that in the end have a heck of a lot to do with useless chatter and nothing to do with proactive, problem-solving rational actions.

Sources: CNN, The Associated Press

Techonolgy wins in Iran, revolt continues...

Neda Agha-Soltan has became an icon of Iran unrest after she was shot and killed during a protest in Tehran this weekend. (Photo is a still from a YouTube video that captured her last moments before dying.)

All eyes and ears are on Iran, and for the first time it's not because of the award-winning coverage of the media.

Technology has turned average citizens into reporters and photojournalists whose real-time correspondence can be seen and heard throughout the world on computer screens, blackberries and cellphones via text messaging, blogs, emails and social network websites such as Facebook and Twitter. This steady stream of manic reports and images has made every person on the other side of the source an eye witness to these events.

The value of Twitter, a fun and "cute" website set up to enable friends and strangers to be in constant, instant communication with each other and to entertain them in the process, shoot up at rocket speed when it became the news source this weekend, with so-called tweets flowing at a rate of dozens per second, hundreds per minute.

Without these reports, news networks such as CNN would've been lost in the aftermath of the June 12 presidential elections, when confronted with increasing violence stemming from clashes between protesters and security forces the Iranian government banned foreign press coverage of the events.

Well, it didn't work.

Rather than decrease exposure, the communication blackout increased it by encouraging people to seek out information rather than wait for the media to feed it to them.

Without technology in the hands of ordinary people, the world would've never learned about Neda Agha-Soltan (right)--a 26-year-old woman described by family and friends as a "beam of light,” a music and travel lover but never an activist--shot by militia during a rally whose death was captured by a cellphone camera, the graphic images disseminated throughout the world turning her into the movement's first martyr.

Neda Agha-Soltan has become an icon of Iran unrest. In less than a minute, amateur footage shot using a cellphone and later posted on YouTube for all to see, shows Neda bleeding and dying after being hit by a bullet on the neck. This is one of many examples, possibly the most powerful yet, of civilians' ability to document and report events inside Iran despite government restrictions on foreign media as well as Internet and phone lines. (Getty/Handout)

What now?

The public outcry for democracy, justice and freedom has not been silenced despite the government's efforts to crush the masses of people that have taken to the streets of Tehran to protest the election results they claim were rigged to declare incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner.

The question, for me at least, has been, will it make a difference? Will their efforts to call attention to their cause spark long-term change in Iran or just lead to more of what we have already seen? How long before they give up? If the uprising produces nothing but more violence, why continue to put their lives in danger?

And danger is what they're facing everyday in Tehran--ongoing protests, rallies, fires, clashes, batons, rocks, tear gas, opposers, supporters, riot police...more violence and chaos.

I wonder if there's a point of no return, and if they have reached it.

A tanker would end this. But now that Iran knows a ban on foreign press coverage is useless, would it unleash such military force on its people while the world watches?

A leaderless revolution with many captains

Earlier today, one of the CNN anchors said he's been in contact with a 19-year-old young woman in Iran who has been sending him messages and photos via email. Soon after she was on the phone live from Iran.

The girl reportedly was badly beaten Saturday but returned to the streets today.

Below are some of her statements, some paraphrased and some in quotes, most of which were replies to questions from the anchor.

• When asked about beatings she said: "I have been beaten so many times...and this time it doesn't matter...I just want to help my brothers and my sisters...". She said she saw an old woman and three others being beaten at a bus stop by Basij (Iranian militia) who were telling them to leave, "but the old woman said this is her country...and she's waiting for husband to pick her up and would not move...they beat her and three others."
• About Neda, the woman who has become the symbol of this movement, she said she tried to go to the memorial but police stopped her. She added that people are chanting: "We don't want you to kill another Neda--we are all Nedas today."
• When questioned about a 5-year-old boy who was hurt by the Basij, she said they "hit him with motorcycle...a woman over him was crying for help and we went to help her but police would not let us."
• Regarding whether or not she thought the elections were a success, she replied: "I don't know why they make a fool of themselves because everyone knows...everyone took part in this election because we don't want Ahmadinejad to be president...that's why we all went out...we wanted Mousavi to be our president."
• When asked why she kept going back and risk being beaten again or worse, she said: "because I think it's my, um, responsibility, because many of my friends are in this situation, then I stay at home I worry about my friends other women other boys that are hit, then i think maybe I should go and help them."
• To a question about what she and others say to the police who beat them, she replied: "If you're Iranian you should not beat your mother, your brother, your sister."
• Regarding the role of women in the protests she said: "If you want the truth, I think that women are more than men...the women are all together...they are so more than men...the women, they don't have a chance to express themselves to say that we're important in the future of our country...and now we can play a role...it's a good chance for us."
• And, finally, when asked how she feels about the current state of affairs in Iran, she replied: "I'm absolutely optimistic because history has taught me that every revolution is fought like this...some people die, but nothing stays the same forever...this is how revolutions are...unfortunately we don't have a leader, and that's not good."

At the end of the call, she thanked the anchor for listening to her.

Former Crown Prince Pahlavi on Iran

Former Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. (AFP)

Former Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi said Monday the protests in his country were supported by much of the military and clerical establishment and could end up bringing down the entire Islamic government.

Pahlavi, who has sought an end to the Islamic regime since his father was deposed in the 1979 revolution, said he had sources within the military and intelligence that were ready to switch sides, with some refusing to carry out orders to suppress the protests.

"It's almost a revolutionary climate," an at-times teary-eyed Pahlavi told reporters in Washington.

He said "a movement" was born on June 12, the day the presidential elections were held.

"It is not Islamic or anti-Islamic, it is not for capitalism or socialism, nor any other ideology or specific form of government. It cares little about historical squabbles before its birth. It is about the sanctity, even more, the sovereignty of the ballot box. It may not succeed immediately. It may have ebbs and flows. But, let me assure you it will not die, because we will not let it die," he said.

He noted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sealed his own fate by backing Ahmadinejad.

"A week (after the elections), the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic decided to stand erect as a dam in front of this movement, sanctioning theft of the ballot box and flagrant fraud, all in the name of Islam," he said.

"It was an ugly moment of disrespect for both God and man. It will not stand. The citizens of Iran will not stand it. And at the end, he will not stand."

Pahlavi, who was exiled from Iran and now lives in the U.S., warned that a failure of the protest movement would encourage more "extremism" in Iran and urged foreign governments to not fall for the "foreign interference" trap the Iranian regime would use to further crush human rights.

"Your governments have insisted that they would not interfere in Iran's internal affairs. I applaud that," he said. "Any such attempt will give the tyrants the excuse they need to paper over their own differences, and target every man struggling for freedom as a foreign agent. But that is not all they do. They are painting every statement in defense of human rights as foreign interference, benefiting from the confusion between the two."

"It is vital that the free world not fall for such cruel cynicism in the name of realpolitik," he added.

He said that Moussavi, who was part of the 1979 revolution, would soon have to decide whether he will seek a complete overhaul of Iran's regime.

"You can't at the same time hold allegiance to the regime and at the same time hold allegiance to the people," Pahlavi said. "This is no longer tenable."

If you ask me, I believe we won't be seeing Ahmadinejad any time soon because an assassination attempt is all but sure the moment he steps on any street of Tehran.

Sources: CNN, My Twisted Mind; Pahlavi story: mostersandcritic,PR Newswire
Copyright © 2009

More votes than people in Iran

Left: Guardian Council spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei (PressTV)

Iran's Guardian Council has admitted that the number of votes collected in 50 cities surpass the number of the people eligible to cast ballot in those areas.

We heard this one before, and if it's true...well, there can only be one reason...

Council spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei, who was speaking on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Channel 2 on Sunday, made the remarks in response to complaints filed by Mohsen Rezaei, a defeated candidate in the June 12 presidential election.

"Statistics provided by Mohsen Rezaei in which he claims more than 100% of those eligible have cast their ballot in 170 cities are not accurate, the incident has happened in only 50 cities," Kadkhodaei said.

However, he said that although the vote tally affected by such an irregularity is over 3 million, "it has yet to be determined whether the amount is decisive in the election results."

Three of the four candidates contesting in last Friday's presidential election cried foul, once the Interior Ministry announced the results, according to which incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner with almost two-thirds of the vote.

Rezaei, along with Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, reported more than 646 "irregularities" in the electoral process and submitted their complaints to the body responsible for overseeing the election: the Guardian Council.

Mousavi and Karroubi have called on the council to nullify Friday's vote and hold a new election. This is while President Ahmadinejad and his Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli have rejected any possibility of fraud, saying that the election was free and fair.

Moussavi reportedly is telling protesters: "The country belongs to you. The revolution and the system is your heritage."

Meanwhile, an analysis of the elections by academics in the U.K. further add to doubts about the authenticity of the results.

Below is a report published by London-based The Times.

Claims that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election was rigged have been bolstered by an analysis of the official results by British academics In the conservative provinces of Mazandaran and Yazd, the number of votes cast exceeded the number of eligible voters, the survey by researchers from the University of St Andrews and Chatham House, the London think-tank, found.

• Four more provinces recorded turnouts close to 100%.

• To achieve the official results in 10 of the 30 provinces, the ultra-conservative President must have carried all the new voters who did not cast ballots in 2005, all the votes that went to his centrist rival Ali Akbar Hasemi Rafsanjani and up to 44% of the votes that went to reformist candidates.

• Those provinces include ones dominated by ethnic minorities who seldom if ever vote conservative. “The numbers from Ilam, Lorestan and Hormozgan almost defy belief,” said Thomas Rintoul, one of the researchers.

• Lorestan is home to Medhi Karoubi, the most liberal of the four candidates, who won 440,247 votes (55%) there in 2005. Official figures suggest he won only 44,036 (4.6%) this time.

• “The analysis shows that the scale of the swing to Ahmadinejad would have had to have been extraordinary to achieve the stated result,” said Ali Ansari, Professor of Iranian Studies at St Andrews.

• The figures also challenge the notion that Mr Ahmadinejad’s victory was due to the massive participation of a previously silent conservative majority and that he was particularly popular in rural areas.

I bet Ahmadinejad's usual ear-to-ear smile is slowly fading. Perhaps now he'll stop attributing the violence on Tehran streets to "traffic violations"...though given his self-deluding skills, I doubt it.

So what if Iran were to hold new elections and Ahmadinejad wins "again," will the protesters rest?

Source: BNO News, PressTV, TimesOnline

Gripping images from Iran

A woman holds her baby, draped in green, during a campaign rally in support of moderate presidential election candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi. (Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters)

A picture on TwitPic shows Mir Hossein Mousavi's supporters marching across a bridge in Tehran. (AFP)

Iranian protesters cover their face from tear gas in Tehran. (Ali Safari/AFP/Getty Images)

Police in riot gear block Mousavi supporters (Focus/Salehi/Rex Features)

A policeman is held back. (Olivier Laban-mattei/AFP/Getty Images)

A supporter of Mousavi holds a picture of a man who had been shot in the previous day's protests over the disputed election. At least seven people were reported killed. (Getty Images)

A woman attends a state-organized rally in a square in central Tehran. (Getty Images)

Ahmadinejad shows signs of chronic disconnects

Amid protests against his visit, Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia University in New York on September 24, 2007. (Photo by Stephen Chernin/AP)

I'm no expert on Iran issues--actually, I'm hardly at expert at anything--and I haven't been following the political career of Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but I feel compelled to point something out about him.

He has a really bad haircut. That's a problem, if you ask me.

Another problem is that he lies--a lot, and in the most blatant ways.

Last week at a presidential debate, Ahmadinejad told CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour that Iran is "the most stable country in the world."

Right.

Could he be that ignorant or is he playing dumb?

Let's not forget this is the same guy who when asked about his country's mistreatment of homosexuals (during his speech at Columbia University in 2007) insisted that there are no gays in Iran--none--and that homosexuality is an American problem.

People in the audience laughed in his face, and the media had a field day with his outrageous remarks.

Whether he's completely deluded and out of touch with reality or he simply chooses to tell ridiculous lies that insult the intellect of others, is hard to say.

Perhaps he believes "I say it; therefore, it is."

Granted, all politicians lie, but Ahmadinejad doesn't even try to make his lies sound true.

Maybe he lacks the sophistication and experience of politicians in other countries who are better at lying, or maybe he doesn't give a fuck about the truth or being caught lying.

So while I lack the knowledge to offer an educated opinion about Iran's political development, common sense dictates that someone who is disconnected to what separates fact from fiction and who shows such disregard for honest or semi-honest communication is not someone one would want as a leader.

Common sense transcends expertise on any subject, if you ask me.

Death toll climbs to over 150 in Iran fallout

According to media and eye witness reports from Tehran, more than 150 people have been killed so far, 19 today, in the aftermath of last week's presidential elections in Iran, with hundreds more injured.

In addition to city-wide chaos, reports of the Basij militia raiding homes and stores and showing up without uniform at hospitals to obtain the names of protesters are spreading via Twitter and YouTube, which has videos of these and other events unfolding in Iran as we speak. Basij militia reportedly is blocking access to embassy to which many are flocking seeking aid.

In unrest unseen since the Islamic revolution swept the country 30 years ago, supporters of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who campaigned on promises of change for Iran, took to the streets after the elections last weekend to protest what they claim was a fraudulent vote count to declare President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner.

On Friday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted the vote count was legit, gave Ahmadinejad his blessing, and ordered the demonstrations to end.

Below are highlights from his speech:

"The result of the election comes out of the ballot box, not from the street."

"The legal structure of the election does not allow any vote rigging. Everyone who was in charge of the elections process confirms this fact — and to do so with a difference of 11 million votes...Sometimes there is 100,000 votes here, 200,000 votes there, or 1 million maximum, then one can question whether there has been some rigging or manipulation or irregularities. But there is a difference of 11 million votes. How could this be rigged?"

"I am urging them to end street protests, otherwise they will be responsible for its consequences, and consequences of any chaos.

"If there is any bloodshed, leaders of the protests will be held directly responsible."

More to come...

Sources: CNN, AP, Twitter

Chaos in Iran, suicide bomb kills 60+ in Iraq

This image taken from amateur video posted online from Tehran June 20 shows supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossien Mousavi protesting in Tehran. Eyewitnesses described fierce clashes after some 3,000 protesters, many wearing black, chanted "Death to the dictator!" and "Death to dictatorship!" near Revolution Square. (Fox News)

Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of the presidential elections last weekend, but turmoil and violence continue to rule in Iran, particularly in the capital city of Tehran.

Rallies again led to clashes between sides--Mousavi vs. Ahmadinejad supporters--and with Iranian security forces trying to control the protesters.

Although the Iranian government sent notices to journalists prohibiting them from covering the demonstrations, numerous news and witness reports, including images and video, are being leaked to the media via blogs, instant messaging and websites such as Facebook and Twitter, among other outlets, and broadcast by news networks such as CNN.

The images show streets packed with protesters and police, and instances of beatings, gunfire, wounded people lying on the ground bleeding, tear gas and water cannons being used by security forces, and motor vehicles on fire, among others. Mousavi supporters reportedly set a mosque on fire.
One video shows police hitting women with clubs. Several show men and women lying on the ground covered in blood after being beaten or shot, and in another a woman is trying to protect a young man who's being beaten and kicked by protesters after being thrown off his bike.
Several Twitter reports stated a hospital close to the scene is reporting 30 to 40 casualties and more than 200 injured.

Iranian state media is reporting the situation has returned to normal with "sporadic clashes." Mousavi said today he's ready for martyrdom willing to die for the cause behind the protests--the claim that last week presidential elections were rigged. Meanwhile, rallies against the Iran elections are underway at several U.S. cities, among them New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, D.C., as well as in foreign cities such as Hamburg, Germany; Sidney, Australia; and Paris, France.

Yesterday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei backed Ahmadinejad during the Friday morning prayer session.

Left: An image of the ayatollah delivering his sermon, taken from IRIB television by The Associated Press. (AP/IRIB)

He said Ahmadinejad won a "definitive victory" in the June 12 election and denied vote-rigging, adding that "rioting after the election is not a good way. It questions the election. If they continue [the consequences] will be their responsibility. ... I'm asking my friends and brothers to follow the laws. Let God give us blessing to follow those ways."

Well, how could they protest the election results before the election?

He praised Ahmadinejad as a "hard working" leader and blamed western governments and media for undermining the election process. Ugh.

Many residents, however, shouted "Allahu Akbar!" and "Death to the dictator!" from rooftops throughout Tehran in defiance to Khamenei, NBC News reported..

Suicide truck bomb kills over 60 people in Iraq

In Iraq, a suicide truck bombing near a Shiite mosque killed at least 64 people and wounded at least 166 Saturday in a city close to Kirkuk, Iraq, an official with Kirkuk police said according to a CNN report.

The explosion occurred in a busy area near the Rasoul mosque, police said, and a number of people were trapped under rubble.

Police said at least 25 houses and shops were destroyed.

The blast took place about 1 p.m. in the town of Taza, about 10 miles southwest of Kirkuk and 149 miles north of Baghdad, CNN reported. Taza is predominately inhabited by Shiite Turkmen.

Above: Iraqis search through the wreckage of a truck bomb in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Saturday. (Getty Images)

Last week, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned of increased political violence in the country, mentioning a deadly bombing on June 10 in the southern town of Bathaa that killed more than 30 people and injured dozens.

He said there will be attempts to undermine Iraqi security forces as U.S. troops complete their withdrawal from Iraqi cities by the end of the month and ahead of upcoming national elections.

Sources: BNO, CNN, Reuters, Fox News
Copyright © 2009

Foreign coverage restricted in Tehran

Left: Al-Alam footage shows Ahmadinejad supporters rallying Tuesday in central Tehran. (AFP/Getty Images)

As thousands took to the streets again on Tuesday, Iran's government banned international journalists from covering rallies and blocked access to some online communication tools in the wake of last week's disputed presidential election, CNN reported Tuesday.

Reporters working for international news outlets, including CNN, could talk about the rallies in their live reports but were not allowed to leave their hotel rooms and offices.

The decision was an apparent reaction to video showing violence at recent demonstrations in support of Mir Hossein Moussavi, who is disputing the results of Friday's presidential election. The government has criticized some of that coverage and the images, describing them as biased.

Iran also blocked access to certain online communication tools, text and video, but many Iranians were able to find a way around the restrictions.

Iran's all-powerful leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appealed to the citizenry on Tuesday to stand behind the Islamic republic.

"Some people are against the unity of the Iranian nation and the solidarity of the Islamic system," Khamenei said in a meeting with representatives of the four presidential candidates, government-funded Press TV reported.

"Such acts and vandalism and some crimes that were committed are not related to the candidates' supporters, but to disturbers of peace, and all should stand against them," Khamenei said.

Right: A protester injured during Monday's demonstration in Tehran is carried to a hospital. (European Press Photo Agency)

Iranian government-run television was not affected by the media restrictions. It aired live coverage of Tuesday's rally in support of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose supporters crowded the streets of central Tehran.

Meanwhile, Iran's Guardian Council--an unelected panel of 12 top clerics and judges--agreed Tuesday to recount some votes in the disputed presidential election. But Moussavi asked instead for fresh elections.

Moussavi asked his supporters to forgo their planned rally Tuesday in the same area as the pro-Ahmadinejad gathering at Vali Asr Square in central Tehran. Instead, his supporters gathered at another location in Tehran, according to video footage of the rally.

Moussavi has contested the results of Friday's election, which showed an overwhelming victory for Ahmadinejad. His supporters have taken to the streets every day since the election, often clashing with police and Ahmadinejad's backers, asking for fresh elections. An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a recount would provide another opportunity for the government to manipulate the results.

Source: CNN
Copyright © 2009

More violence in Iran, militia shoots at protesters

Reformist presidential candidate Mir Houssein Mousavi, with his wife his wife Zahra Rahnavard, addresses supporters at a rally today in Tehran. (Olivier Laban-Mattei/AFP/Getty Images)

It should be of no surprise that the unrest in Iran continues to be our top story.

We start the day with reports of shootings in Tehran with one person confirmed dead (I suspect this number will climb) and more panic spreading throughout the city, which has been "on fire" in the aftermath of presidential elections Friday Supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief rival, Mir Hossein Moussavi, are protesting the election results, claiming fraud .

Tens of thousands of Mousavi supporters--more than 100,000 according to some reports--gathered for a rally in downtown Tehran calling for the annulment of the official result of Friday's election. Moussavi spoke to the crowd at the rally.

It has been reported that the pro-government militia opened fired at demonstrators at Azidi Square, but according to the latest reports shootings have now been heard in at least three districts of northern Tehran.

The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Tehran, said rally is the biggest demonstration in the Islamic republic's 30-year history and described it as a "political earthquake."

The U.S. State Department stated it's "deeply troubled" by the reports of violence in Iran.

So where is this clash heading to? Will people calm down and the issue die down in a couple of days? Hmm...I doubt it.

But Iran is not the U.S.--there won't be a "recount" there, and foreign nations have no say on Iran's elections. The opposition isn't powerful enough to be a threat to Ahmadinejad. So what are the protesters hoping to accomplish other than rant and vent? Not that there's anything wrong with ranting and venting...

"If Ahmadinejad remains president we will protest every day," the protesters are shouting. "We fight, we die, we will not accept this vote rigging," was another chant in the crowd, Reuters reported.

If indeed Ahmadinejad was the winner, the opposition is toast. But if the election was tampered with and this can be proven somehow, then democracy and justice could have a chance at prevailing in Iran...but I'm not holding my breath.

Sources: BNO News, Reuters, My Twisted Mind
Copyright © 2009

Unrest in Iran upon disputed election results

Right: Iranian riot police stand in front of a cloud of tear gas, as supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi fight running battles using stones and petrol bombs against police, as they protesting the results of the Iranian presidential election in Tehran, Iran, today, June 13. (Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Hell just broke loose in Iran. Just watch the videos of protesters clashing with police and you'll see what I mean. Be glad you're not there.

Riots broke in Tehran as news of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's landslide election victory spread throughout the city.

Ahmadinejad won 62.63 percent of the vote while chief rival Mir Hossein Moussavi received 33.75 percent, the Iranian government said Saturday. The reformist opposition candidate is contesting the results, claiming fraud.

At a press conference, Mousavi declared himself "definitely the winner" based on "all indications from all over Iran." He accused the government of "manipulating the people's vote" to keep Ahmadinejad in power and suggested the reformist camp would stand up to challenge the results, AP reported.

"It is our duty to defend people's votes. There is no turning back," Mousavi said, alleging widespread irregularities.

Millions of mostly young Iranians desperate for change and who supported Mousavi in passionate pre-election rallies were crushed and furious. They clashed with police and set up barricades of burning tires upon learning about the results of the election.

Correspondents say the violence is the worst seen in Tehran in a decade, BBC reported.

A statement from Mousavi posted on his website urged his supporters to resist a "governance of lie and dictatorship."

"I'm warning that I won't surrender to this manipulation," he said. "The outcome of what we've seen from the performance of officials ... is nothing but shaking the pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran sacred system and governance of lie and dictatorship."

Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad said Saturday the election in which he secured another four-year term was "free and healthy," rejecting allegations of irregularities by a moderate rival in the vote without making direct reference to Mousavi's remarks, Reuters reported.

"Everybody should respect people's vote...we need a calm atmosphere to build the country," Ahmadinejad said amid the protests.

The results flowed quickly after polls closed showing the hard-line president with a comfortable lead, defying expectations of a nail-biter showdown following a month of fierce campaigning and bringing immediate charges of vote rigging by Mousavi, AP reported.

It was even unclear how many Iranians were even aware of Mousavi's claims of fraud, according to the report, as communications disruptions began in the later hours of voting Friday, suggesting an information clampdown, according to various news reports. State television and radio only broadcast the Interior Ministry's vote count and not Mousavi's midnight press conference.

Sadeq Mahsouli, the country’s interior minister, on Saturday lauded the “unprecedented” turnout. He had said 85 percent of 46 million eligible voters had gone to the polls.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, closed the door on any chance he could use his limitless powers to intervene in the disputes from Friday's election, AP reported. In a message on state TV, he urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad, calling the result a "divine assessment" and the voters’ turnout a show of Iran’s “pride” and “honor.”

Iran does not allow international election monitors. During the 2005 election, when Ahmadinejad won the presidency pledging to revive the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution, there were some allegations of vote rigging from losers, but the claims were never investigated.

His face covered with a green scarf symbolizing his party's color, a supporter of Iranian reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi holds a stone as others burn a trash bin in Tehran, Saturday, June 13, 2009. Mousavi supporters clashed with police and set up barricades of burning tires as authorities claimed the hard-line president was re-elected in a landslide. (AP Photo).

The U.S. and Canada challenged Iran's claims that hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won re-election, but much of the rest of the world remained silent Saturday despite claims of fraud and scenes of clashes on the streets of Tehran.

Iran is a key economic player in the region, a perceived threat to Israel's national security, and a major worry for the U.S. and allies who fear Tehran is trying to build a nuclear weapon.

"We are monitoring the situation as it unfolds in Iran, but we, like the rest of the world, are waiting and watching to see what the Iranian people decide," Clinton told reporters in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said his country, too, was "deeply concerned" by reports of irregularities.

Most countries appeared to be taking a wait-and-see approach, including the European Union and China, Germany, Italy and Japan--nations with strong economic ties to Iran.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said concerns about ballot counting that candidates have expressed are an issue for Iranian authorities to address.France said it was closely following the situation.

Following are the latest headlines related to this story:

• Iran's opposition leader Mousavi calls on all his supporters to avoid violence.

• A senior US official tells Reuters that the U.S. is "not yet ready" to pronounce the outcome of Iran's election; urges peaceful resolution.

• Cell phone service in Tehran is down while Facebook and websites affiliated with Ahmadinejad's top opponent have been blocked.
  

Source: BNO News, AP, Reuters, CNN, BBC, USA Today, CBS News