Iran Uprising Blogging: Monday Updates

I'm blogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at [e-mail] or njpitney on AIM. Scroll down for news related to the front-page headlines. Local Iran time is 8 1/2 hours ahead of Eastern time.

2:24 PM ET -- Help Iranians get online: donate thumb drives. The Wall Street Journal spreads the word to its readers.

2:18 PM ET -- Mousavi website: Protests will continue. Reuters reports:

Iran's opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi said on Monday the pro-reform protests which erupted after the country's disputed June presidential vote will continue, his website reported.

"The pro-reform path will continue," Mousavi said in a statement. "The establishment should respect the constitution and let us to gather to commemorate our killed loved ones on Thursday."

Moderate defeated candidates Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi on Sunday called on the authorities to permit a gathering on Thursday at Tehran's "Grand Mosala," a prayer location where tens of thousands can gather, to commemorate unrest victims.

2:12 PM ET -- "Feisty opposition starts new protest campaign." Time magazine's Robin Wright: "Phase 2 has begun. Six weeks after millions took to the streets to protest Iran's presidential election, their uprising has morphed into a feistier, more imaginative and potentially enduring campaign."

11:44 AM ET -- Ahmadinejad fires his intelligence minister.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fired his intelligence minister and his culture minister resigned under pressure Sunday as further rifts emerged in his camp with just days to go until his controversial inauguration for a second term.

Although Ahmadinejad has frequently replaced his cabinet members over the past four years, Sunday's firing and resignation were significant because both Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and Culture Minister Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi are especially close to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, analysts say.

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"All ministers are close to him," said Amir Mohebbian, a political analyst who shares Ahmadinejad's ideology but has been critical of his actions. "But these two are closer to the leader."

Taken together, the moves suggest deep unhappiness within Ahmadinejad's inner circle at a time when the government is still reeling from the impact of a weeks-long campaign by the opposition to overturn the results of June's disputed election, in which Ahmadinejad was declared the winner in a landslide.

11:28 AM ET -- A rare interview from inside Iran. Via reader Yong, here's an interview that CNN's Fareed Zakaria conducted with Tehran University Professor Mohammed Morandi. The talk gets a bit contentious after Marandi claims that the United States government and its media outlets have urged Iranians to riot and use violence. Zakaria asks Mirandi if he worries that one day he will be viewed as a "mouthpiece for a dying repressive regime."

8:56 AM ET -- Still in the streets. A protest, reportedly from yesterday, in front the headquarters of IRIB, Iran's state-backed media.

8:28 AM ET -- Israeli official: No option off the table. From the AP:

Israel dug in its heels Monday in a disagreement with the United States over a potential military strike to thwart Iran's progress toward a possible nuclear weapon, as the visiting American defense chief urged patience.

"We clearly believe that no option should be removed from the table," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said pointedly, following discussions with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

"This is our policy; we mean it," Barak continued. "We recommend to others to take the same position, but we cannot dictate it to anyone."

While the United States also reserves the right to use force if need be, the Obama administration is playing down that possibility while it tries to draw Iran into talks about its disputed nuclear program and other topics. Gates said Washington still hopes to have an initial answer in the fall about negotiations.

"The timetable the president laid out still seems to be viable and does not significantly raise the risks to anybody," Gates said.

8:18 AM ET -- Saffar Harandi resigns, Ahmadinejad's cabinet no longer official. "Just eight days before inauguration, Ahmadinejad's cabinet becomes illegal and requires a parliamentary vote of confidence to continue working."

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Useful Resources

News: NIAC Insight | Kodoom
Translations: Google Translate | TehranBroadcast.com | Translate4Iran
Helping Iranians use the web: Haystack | Tor Project (English & Farsi) | IranHelp.org (Farsi)
Demonstrations: Facebook | Sharearchy | WhyWeProtest
Activism: Avaaz.org | National Iranian American Council

Comments

[Obenauer]

Information on the person who is being nominated as Iranian defense minister:

http://enduringamerica.com/2009/08/22/irans-most-wanted-defense-minister-vahidi-and-the-interpol-warrant/

[QLineOrientalist]

Translation of another indictment against the reformist protest leaders.
http://www.qlineorientalist.com/IranRises/the-complete-text-of-the-indictment-of-the-second-group-of-accused-in-the-project-for-a-velvet-coup/

[Obenauer]

II read through this wordy announcement. There are two things I found interesting in this statement. First was the selection of the verse from the Holy Quran: “Lord, For that which you have favored me, I will never aid the criminals.” (Koran, al-Qasas: 17). Who the criminal is rather subjective depending on what side of the power structure one sits. And who has been favored the accuser or the persecuted in the campaign of terror? A second quote is concerning: “Making America out to be Iran’s only savior." It is a troubling view because this method doesn't work, and I don’t even believe that most American foreign policy experts agree with this statement. America can't impose its system on a totally different culture that has a different dominant religion and different philosophical milieu. So this comment is propaganda because it is absurd. I hope grassroots Iranians can see through this ruse.

[amiranpa]

Here's a great place you can follow the recent events in Iran:

www.sidewalklyrics.com

And here's a translation of a very important speech:

http://www.sidewalklyrics.com/?p=1181
(Where are the Ayatollah?)

[Obenauer]

This is a very insightful analysis of what is going on in Iran from the cleric Mohsen Kadivar’s perspective. This cleric, I believe, recently interviewed Grand Ayatollah Montazeri about what is happening in Iran. I agree with the Kadivar that both economic sanctions and military action from the West are very bad ideas. The former will hurt the common people of Iran, while the latter will galvanize the present IRI regime. Thank you for the translation of the speech. I wish I understood Persian.

[amiranpa]

Yes, I am thankful that Kadivar is in the U.S. right now. Of course he alone can not fight the entire mainstream media, but having his perspective in a sea of misinformation is very valuable.

I'm not the writer of that blog, however, I do know the writer. Don't worry about not knowing Persian, s/he will continue to translate the good analysis out there.

[QLineOrientalist]

Here is a translation, plus commentary, of the indictment in the show trials.
http://www.qlineorientalist.com/IranRises/the-indictment/

[Obenauer]

Thank you for this article about the show trial.

[QLineOrientalist]

You're welcome!

[yong]

Iranian Jails are worse than Guantanamo, here is an article from Iran's official Press TV:
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=103073§ionid=351020101

[Obenauer]

They went to arreset Dr. Masoud Nili, well-known economist, director of Sanati Sharif University and previous assistant of program and budget, he wasn’t home.
They went back few more times, he still wasn’t there. Instead, they arrested his neighbors, Dr. Ali Kermanshah and Dr. Mohammad Kermanshah, well-known professors of Sanati Sharif University to confess where Dr. Nili is at. According to them investigate, but to us torture to make them confess. They didn’t know, and they released them.

http://shooresh1917.blogspot.com/

[Obenauer]

I had difficulty reading the second day of "hearings" against the reformist defendants because it was all wild conspiracy theories that seem too bizarre to be true. But is a country with a sociopathic leadership, far out conspiracies are the norm.

[Obenauer]

Sorry, the description of the 2nd day of hearings if found at

http://shooresh1917.blogspot.com/

[Obenauer]

I haven't heard much about Iranian intelligence apparatus within foreign countries. During the 1970's the SAVAK was notorious in harrassing Iranians outside of Iran. Has anyone heard about Iranian intelligence being used to harrass and threaten Iranians opposed to IRI oppression who reside outside of Iran?

[sacred]

Dear all,

great news sources in English: http://shooresh1917.blogspot.com/
great bunch of recent videos: http://revolt-eye.blogspot.com/

thank u so much for keeping this space and Iran alive though Nico has disapeared without a trace...

[Obenauer]

The Revolutionary Road website is under cyber attack by Iranian authorities. The information on the people who are detained, or who have been killed in the unrest, or who have been detained then released was still relevant, even though it was from July the 21st. It is really sad that so many of these people were so very young people and some were young with young families. What will happen to those who depended on them? So the list of victims is much more comprehensive than the people who died or are detained.

[sacred]

you are so right
I feel the list of victims can be extended... to the entire population, and Iran itself

[jaleh]

I don't see the news about Rafsanjani giving the friday prayers...anyone knows anything?

[mirabelleswalker]

I believe it is next Friday--the 14th.

[jaleh]

Thanks.

[Obenauer]

This is a loss, but perhaps there isn't much news Iran is letting out right now. It seems that news out of Iran is sporadic and larger media concerns are covering this news as it is available.

[H110283]

Hey,

Sorry if I missed this earlier... but how come the Live-Blog hasn't been updated in so long? Is Nico out of the office? Am I missing the link somewhere? Since I don't read Farsi, this is the best source of info on Iran on the web... Does anyone know of any English-language sites that have an Iran-dedicated page and are up to date?

[MarionKIN]

NYT The Lede: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/protesters-press-on-in-iran/

Even Better: http://iran.whyweprotest.net/green-brief/27319-green-brief-49-50-august-4-5-mordad-13-14-a.html

In the meantime, HuffPo, the professional thing would be to inform your readers when a feature is discontinuing.

[Obenauer]

The Lede blog is sporadic. I just read the green-brief, and I agree this is a great blog. Thank you for this information.

[Obenauer]

Thank you! These are good sources of information.

[yong]

Iran's Guantanamo:
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=102706§ionid=351020101

[MikaS]

The stigma of our injustice will be enduring.

[Obenauer]

Kind of what I thought they would do against 3 Americans who were detained at Iran's border (spy charges may be filed against Americans)

http://www.examiner.com/a-2152985~Iran__Spy_charges_considered_against_3_Americans.html

[Obenauer]

Petition regarding oppression in Iran:

http://www.petitioniran.com/?page=petition&pid=YLT5392