I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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.

11:36 PM ET -- Where in the world is Grand Ayatollah Sistani? Fareed Zakaria asks the question.

11:07 PM ET -- Did the New York Times err in report on clerical group? Late on Saturday, the New York Times published a story with this lede:

The most important group of religious leaders in Iran has called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate, an act of defiance against the country's supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country's clerical establishment.

The statement by the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum represents a significant, if so far symbolic, setback for the government and especially the authority of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose word is supposed to be final. The government has tried to paint the opposition and its top presidential candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, as criminals and traitors, a strategy that now becomes more difficult -- if not impossible.

The TImes has since shifted its description of the group -- they're now described as "an important group of religious leaders" -- and several readers believe the Times misidentified the group in question. Here's one such email:

I'd like to point out a couple of important issues. The "Top clerical group defies Supreme Leader" has considerable factual flaw. Seems NYT was a bit confused over the issue and the article's opening as posted on NYT site: "The most important group of religious leaders in Iran called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate on Saturday, an act of defiance against the country's supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country's clerical establishment. " is a gross exaggeration of facts, as I will explain.

The statement apparently came from the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum headed by Hojjat-ol-islam Musavi Tabrizi, and is not nearly as powerful as stated by NYT. It is a very loosely worded statement which, certainly does not directly declare the AN's Gov't or the elections illegitimate and, just poses the question "In light of all these discrepancies, would it be possible to accept the legitimacy of elections entirely based on the confirmation of Guardians Council? In current situation, could the government resulted from all these infractions be regarded legitimate?".

But the real powerful top clerical group that has perhaps been innocently presumed as the source of this statement, is the extreme-right Association of Teachers of Quom (a more accurate translation of the name would be: Association of Teachers of Quom's Theological School). The name of both entities in Farsi is exactly the same - except for lack of the word "Researchers" in the latter. Had the second entity actually made a statement in this context, the "KhameneiNejad" show would certainly have been over and done with.

10:57 PM ET -- 30 years later, a family takes to the streets again. A great piece by the L.A. Times: "Three decades ago Mina, an 18-year-old who had recently graduated from high school, took to the streets with her family to protest the injustice and tyranny of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in demonstrations that led to his overthrow. Last month, the 48-year-old professor of physiology again took to the streets, again her with family, to oppose the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad amid allegations of massive vote fraud."

Definitely worth checking out the nearly identical photos published by the Times -- one from '79, one from '09 -- showing the same bridge filled with demonstrators.

10:50 PM ET -- New communications crackdown. "The head of the judiciary Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi today has issued a directive to Iranian courts allowing them to sentence anyone working with satellite television channels or Internet networking websites to up to 10 years in jail, according to several news agencies."

More here.

10:45 PM ET -- Mousavi said to be planning new political party. CNN reports:

Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi plans to form a new political party aimed at reining in the power of the Islamic Republic's leadership, a leading reformist newspaper reported Sunday.

Moussavi told supporters the party will be focused on upholding "the remaining principles of the constitution," according to Etemad-e Melli, a newspaper aligned with fellow opposition candidate Mehdi Karrubi.

He is expected to file papers with Iran's Interior Ministry to establish the party before hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is sworn in for a new term, the newspaper reported.

More coverage in Farsi here.

7:11 PM ET -- More Biden on Iran. Reader Jon sends along the full video from Biden's discussion of Iran on ABC's This Week. The White House really needs to clarify its position on an Israeli strike on Iran -- Biden today implied that the Obama administration would look the other way, while Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen called the prospect of an attack "very destabilizing" (details of both comments are below). Some clarity is needed.

6:54 PM ET -- A hotline for journalists in danger. Reporters Without Borders post information about its hotline to report repression of journalists in Iran: "SOS Presse, a phone hotline for journalists - (33) 1 4777-7414 - is open every day round the clock and, with the help of American Express, a Reporters Without Borders official can be quickly reached."

6:41 PM ET -- Roger Cohen can't give up Iran. And he's written a beautiful column explaining why. I hope you read it all. Here's a piece:

To bear witness means being there -- and that's not free. No search engine gives you the smell of a crime, the tremor in the air, the eyes that smolder, or the cadence of a scream.

No news aggregator tells of the ravaged city exhaling in the dusk, nor summons the defiant cries that rise into the night. No miracle of technology renders the lip-drying taste of fear. No algorithm captures the hush of dignity, nor evokes the adrenalin rush of courage coalescing, nor traces the fresh raw line of a welt.

I confess that, out of Iran, I am bereft. I have been thinking about the responsibility of bearing witness. It can be singular, still. Interconnection is not presence.

A chunk of me is back in Tehran, between Enquelab (Revolution) and Azadi (Freedom), where I saw the Iranian people rise in the millions to reclaim their votes and protest the violation of their Constitution.

We journalists are supposed to move on. Most of the time, like insatiable voyeurs, we do. But once a decade or so, we get undone, as if in love, and our subject has its revenge, turning the tables and refusing to let us be.

3:12 PM ET -- "I must go home to Iran again." I'm very late in posting this op-ed, but wanted to make a point to highlight it because so many Iranian expatriates emailed it to me, saying it represented their own feelings. It's a piece by Marjane Satrapi, whose work includes the book and film Persepolis, that ran in the New York Times. Here's a portion:

Death, torture and prison are part of daily life for the youth of Iran. They are not like us, my friends and I at their age; they are not scared. They are not what we were.

They hold hands and scream: "Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! We are together!"

They understand that no one will give them their rights; they must go get them.

They understand that unlike the generation before them -- my generation, for whom the dream was to leave Iran -- the real dream is not to leave Iran but to fight for it, to free it, to love it and to reconstruct it.

They hold hands and scream: "We will fight! We will die! But we won't be humiliated!"

They went out knowing that going to each demonstration meant signing their death warrants.

Today I read somewhere that "the velvet revolution" of Iran became the "velvet coup," with a little note of irony, but let me tell you something: This generation, with its hopes, dreams, anger and revolt, has forever changed the course of history. Nothing is going to be the same.

Read the whole piece here.

3:05 PM ET -- Mousavi details alleged election fraud evidence.

Mir Hossein Mousavi, the leading opposition candidate in last month's disputed election, released documents Saturday detailing a campaign of alleged fraud by supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that assured his reelection, while an adviser to Iran's supreme leader accused Mousavi of treason. [...]

In a 24-page document posted on his Web site, Mousavi's special committee studying election fraud accused influential Ahmadinejad supporters of handing out cash bonuses and food, increasing wages, printing millions of extra ballots and other acts in the run-up to the vote.

3:00 PM ET -- Iran shows YouTube should change its rating system. Via reader Alex, a good case is made here.

2:58 PM ET -- Iran's young rebels. Reader Michèle passes on a link to a CBC documentary released shortly before the election that's available for viewing online.

1:57 PM ET -- 'New video by Iran's best female rapper.' That's the subject line of an email I just received from Mark Levine, who has traveled through Iran learning about the country's underground metal and hip-hop scenes. Levine's been publishing a running set of messages from Iranian artists about the uprising, and yesterday he highlighted a new video "from Iranian rapper Kalameh (pseudonym) expressing frustration of Iranian youth at the pro-democracy and reform crackdown, which is increasingly a bitter culture war as well."

Full lyrics are in Mark's post -- here's the first verse:

"The greatest sin, must be killing the hope"
It was a murderer who killed my friend's hope,
the friend who just said those words.
Every step in this way was void, so was every speech and every action
Do not muddy the water!
Politics are dirty; it swallows you as down and throws you up brain washed
Behind every person, there is a hidden reason
I wanted to go live on top of a mountain, staying away from politics
But I couldn't, because it is hard to accept what they do

1:50 PM ET -- Chief U.S. general: Iran strike would be "very destabilizing." "Both a US strike on Iran, and the Islamic republic attaining nuclear weapons would be "very destabilizing," chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said on Sunday. He said called both situations 'really, really bad outcomes,' and urged appropriate actions to prevent either eventuality."

This seems far closer to the administration's current policy than Biden's comments (below) may have indicated.

1:46 PM ET -- Iran to free another British embassy worker. "The eighth of nine British embassy employees detained by Iranian authorities is to be released later, the UK foreign secretary has said. David Miliband said 'all of our efforts are now directed' at securing the release of the man still being held - the embassy's chief political analyst."

Also, the lawyer for the last embassy employee still under investigation for subterfuge has "refuted reports that his client had been formally charged, saying he was optimistic the Iranian national would be released in the coming days."

Hossein Rassam, 44, is the top political analyst at Britain's mission in Iran, where he headed a staff of eight or nine who were all arrested on suspicion of promoting or taking part in weeks of unrest that followed the disputed reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which was marred by opposition claims of vote fraud.

"I think his situation will be fixed soon," said Abdul-Samad Khoramshahi, his lawyer, who also represented jailed journalist Roxana Saberi. "I think that in the next few days I will get good news."

Khoramshahi said he visited the Revolutionary Court this morning to discuss the case of Rassam, who remains under investigation. Authorities have not yet formally lodged a complaint against him, but could decide to do so in a week.

1:17 PM ET -- Biden gives green light to Israel? "Vice President Joe Biden seemed to give Israel a green light for military action to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat, saying the U.S. 'cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do. ... If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice.'"

How much should this be chalked up to Biden's tendency to go off message?

12:56 PM ET -- Doonesbury on Iran. I'm surprised I missed this: Reader Chas notes that the widely-syndicated U.S. cartoon Doonesbury has largely been devoted to Iran over the last several weeks.

11:39 AM ET -- Creative activism: world's longest petition. A reader emails, "Here's an interesting effort that was also featured on Mousavi's Facebook page - opposition trying to create the longest petition to be featured in the Guinness World Records - the idea is to collect 90 cm long green fabric scrolls and get signatures on it to condemn Iran's Coup d'etat government and to name Ahmadinejad as the world's most despised president. The scrolls will then be collected from around the world and put together in Paris and hung from the Eiffel Tower!"

The petition site is here. Some creative projects like this will succeed, others will not. But they're an important part of making sure that attention stays focused on Iran as the stream of new information from within the country ebbs and flows.

11:37 AM ET -- Video. I'm just catching up with the news and emails from yesterday. Here's a video of people clashing in the streets with the Basij. The caption says it is from July 3.

10:25 AM ET -- Saudis ok with Israeli strike on Iran? The UK Times has published, and some other outlets are picking up, a report that the Saudis have given Israel approval to use their air space for a raid on Iran's nuclear sites.

This may very well be true, I don't know. But the UK Times has a fairly poor track record when it comes to this issue -- it's been running stories for years claiming that an Israeli strike on Iran was just around the corner. So I would look for further confirmation before getting too worried about this piece.

10:02 AM ET -- Clerical group's website blocked. The L.A. Times reports that authorities today "blocked access to the website of a pro-reform group of seminary scholars in the holy city of Qom" -- the Association of Seminary Teachers and Researchers -- "that has joined other reformist clergy in sharply criticizing last month's vote as authorities continued a crackdown against supporters of failed presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who has alleged massive fraud."

9:51 AM ET -- Greek reporter for Washington Times finally released. "Iran's state television is reporting that a Greek journalist that had been held for more than two weeks has been released. State television Sunday quoted a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Hasan Qashqavi, as saying that Iason Athanasiadis-Fowden had been released in, what he described as the framework of Tehran-Athens ties. Athanasiadis-Fowden of The Washington Times was arrested on or around June 19. He has dual Greek and British citizenship and was believed to be the only foreigner being held by Iranian authorities in the post-election crackdown that has swept the country."

Update: Here's the Washington Times report.

3:05 AM ET -- Iran media: Ahmadinejad wants public talks with Obama. Via reader Chas, CNN runs this report:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he wants to engage President Obama in "negotiations" before international media, a semi-official Iranian news outlet reported on Saturday.

Speaking at a meeting of medical school deans, Ahmadinejad said Iran "will soon pursue a new round of diplomatic activity" amid a new position of strength for the Iranian government, the Iranian Student News Agency quotes him as saying.

"I will go to the United Nations and will invite Obama to negotiations," Ahmadinejad said, adding that such talks would be "in front of the international media, not a sit-down behind closed doors in order to talk about matters."

Ahmadinejad has previously claimed he wanted to debate Obama before an audience at the U.N. This offer appears to be a bit different, but still unserious.

1:31 AM ET -- Reading Independence Day in Iran. A great Iran analyst emails this article by University of Virginia Professor R. K. Ramazani. The attached note: "Ramazani is the dean of Iranian foreign policy. No one in this country knows more about Iran and its foreign policy than Prof. Ramazani (who has been a professor at UVA for almost six decades!)"

Here's an excerpt of the piece, which notes the similarities between the American and Iranian revolutionary traditions on the occasion of America's Independence Day:

This need not be a clash of alien values, of America vs. Iran.

One hundred years ago, Howard Baskerville, a 24-year old missionary educator, became Iran's American martyr while trying to help Iranians then struggling for freedom. He's still admired in Iran; in 2005, former President Mohammed Khatami unveiled a sculpture of Baskerville in Tabriz's Constitutional House museum. Before his death, Baskerville explained to skeptical friends that "The only difference between me and these people is my place of birth, and that is not a big difference."

He was right.

1:02 AM ET -- Top clerical group defies Supreme Leader, calls government illegitimate. This is very significant.

The most important group of religious leaders in Iran has called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate, an act of defiance against the country's supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country's clerical establishment.

The statement by the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum represents a significant, if so far symbolic, setback for the government and especially the authority of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose word is supposed to be final. The government has tried to paint the opposition and its top presidential candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, as criminals and traitors, a strategy that now becomes more difficult -- if not impossible.

"This crack in the clerical establishment and the fact they are siding with the people and Moussavi in my view is the most historic crack in the 30 years of the Islamic republic," said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University. "Remember they are going against an election verified and sanctified by Khamenei."

Read the whole New York Times story here.

1:00 AM ET -- Great news. Tech guru Austin Heap, whose work on Iran was profiled early on by the San Francisco Chronicle, is set to release a new tool to help Iranians get online. Here's Austin's blog post about the program, called Haystack:

In the upcoming days, Daniel Colascione and I will release a new program to provide unfiltered internet access to the people of Iran. A software package for Windows, Mac and Unix systems, called Haystack, will specifically target the Iranian government's web filtering mechanisms.

Similar to Freegate, the program directed against China's "great firewall," once installed Haystack will provide completely uncensored access to the internet in Iran while simultaneously protecting the user's identity. No more Facebook blocks, no more government warning pages when you try to load Twitter, just unfiltered Internet.

The network will be supported by donated high-quality servers outside of Iran. We will be able to provide an individual user with unfettered internet access that costs the donor $0.015 to $0.0375 per month.

Useful Resources

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

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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. You can support this post on Digg here.

Sunday's updates are here.

7:48 PM ET -- Grand Ayatollah Sanei releases another statement supporting demonstrators. A reader writes, "You may have seen this statement from Grand Ayatollah Yousof Sanei -- an Iranian scholar, renowned theologian and Islamic philosopher. He is known as a senior reformist cleric and a Grand Marja (source) of Shia Islam. He is particularly noteworthy for issuing a fatwa in which he declared suicide bombing as haram and a 'terrorist act.' ... Sanei retired as the head of the Guardian Council in 1988 and has not held any political office since."

An English version was posted on his website:

HIS EXCELLENCY GRAND AYATOLLAH SAANEI'S SYMPATHY WITH THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS OF THE RECENT DISASTERS

While extending my sincere condolences to the families of the victims of the recent tragedies, and wishing a speedy recovery for the injured, particularly for our precious and devoted student body in Esfahan, Shiraz, Tehran, and other cities, who have stood up for their rights and have of late protested against the ambiguities surrounding the election results, seeking clarification which is indeed their right, I hereby express my grave sorrow and grief at the detestable incidents as have taken place and also express my aversion to those who had a hand in those disasters and tragedies. I hope that the wishes of the people will be fulfilled and their demands will be met by those responsible in the system, whose foremost duty should be the protection of people's life and property.

7:45 PM ET -- U2 goes Green. Via reader Jashar, U2 performed last night in Barcelona and played their hit "Sunday Bloody Sunday" -- about British troops who shot and killed civil rights marchers in Ireland -- as green light covered the stage and Farsi lyrics ran across the screens.

A commenter on U2's website described the scene:

First up, the previous song outros with a beautiful lilting vocal piece by (we discover) Iranian-born singer Sussan Deyhim. Then as the rhythmic opening bars of 'Sunday' arrive, the overhead spherical screens turn a luminous shade of green as farsi script script scrolls into sight.

7:40 PM ET -- Iran state media: West 'regretting' its stance. This analysis is...interesting. From Press TV:

A senior Iranian dignitary says Western powers are regretting the inappropriate stance they adopted in the wake of the June 12 presidential election.

"Western countries have now realized their stance on the Iranian elections was undoubtedly out of line," head of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Friday.

Boroujerdi said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's recent telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki shows that political heavyweights in Europe are retracting their wrong claims on Iran.

"After three weeks of resentment, [European countries] have a long way to go before rebuilding trust with Iran," said Boroujerdi.

7:38 PM ET -- "My fellow schoolmate." The Revolutionary Road blog has posted a really wonderful video of a student demonstration that reportedly took place in the last few days at Kashan University. The students "form chains and sing 'Yare dabestani' -- 'My Fellow Schoolmate' -- a classic revolutionary song that every Iranian around knows by heart."

Watch it all (and read the song lyrics) here.

7:33 PM ET -- "Ten days of anguish, abuse inside Tehran's prison archipelago." The Los Angeles Times publishes another account of the brutal violence facing people swept up by the Basij:

Ali-Reza said he was near Tehran's Fatemi Square on June 13, a day of riots and unrest just after the election, when he spotted the plainclothes Basiji fighters beating a man "in a very bad way," he said.

"Do not beat him!" he protested to the Basijis.

But instead of laying off, the militiamen came after him. "They started to follow me," he said. "I ran and changed my direction, but in a dead-end street they caught me."

He said they began pummeling him. "The started to beat and beat and beat me, with their batons, feet and cables."

They stuffed him into a van with other young men and women and took them to a holding cell near Horr Square, where they were all beaten for more than two hours, he said.

"You voted for Mousavi," one of the Basijis told them, according to Ali-Reza. "Beating you is our right. We can even kill you."

The violence continued for days.

1:27 PM ET -- The Nation's cover story: "Iran's Green Wave." It is absolutely worth going over and reading Robert Dreyfuss' complete cover story in this week's Nation magazine. He was in Iran for the election and its aftermath, and has a wealth of interesting details. Here's a taste:

[T]here was the Obama factor. Countless Iranians watched his June 4 Cairo speech, and its transcript was parsed word by word. By offering to respect Iran rather than locating it in the "axis of evil," Obama appealed to secular nationalists, activists seeking greater individual freedom and businessmen hungering for an end to the sanctions strangling Iran's economy. Nearly everyone I spoke with during the ten days I was in Iran brought up Obama, whether I asked or not. At a frenzied Moussavi rally in the city of Karaj, west of the capital, I met a campaign organizer, Hojatolislam Akbar Hamidi, 48, a distinguished cleric who's known Moussavi for more than twenty years. "I listened to Obama's speech, and it made me very happy," he told me. "But we're afraid that some Iranian authorities do not understand the positive message of Obama." In interviews at polling places on election day, dozens of voters praised Obama's opening to Iran. At a Tehran mosque where hundreds of people were lined up to vote, several dozen crowded around as I asked an older woman why she supported Moussavi. When I suggested, "Perhaps Moussavi and Obama might meet someday soon?" the crowd, translating for one another, erupted in cheers, laughter and thumbs-up signs.

More prosaically, many plugged-in Iranians told me that nearly the entirety of Iran's business class is fed up with Ahmadinejad's bellicose rhetoric, and they want to put an end to sanctions. Saeed Laylaz, an economist and former official at the Ministry of Industry, said that as a result of sanctions critical sectors of the economy--including computers and information technology, oil and natural gas, and civil aviation--are suffering badly. "Ahmadinejad's is the first right-wing government since the revolution, and it has been a catastrophe," he said. "You cannot run the government with populism. You need experts. You need technocrats. You need planners." (Laylaz was arrested days after the election; he's still in detention.) To get a sense of what the business community thinks, during election week I attended a forum packed with executives at the offices of Etelaat, a liberal newspaper, where eight former ministers of oil, industry and mining slammed the government over its incompetence. Later, at Moussavi's campaign office, one of them, Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, who was minister of industry under Khatami, told me that he'd put his business on hold to travel across the country working for Moussavi. "I'm a businessman, and I've been reluctant to get into politics," he told me over several cups of tea. "It's the desire of most of us in the business community to rebuild relations with the United States," he said. "It doesn't mean that we have to give up our independence or our dignity."

Besides reformists, students, women and businessmen, Khamenei and Ahmadinejad are losing their core constituency: the clergy. And given that Iran is a state run by the priestly class, that might prove their undoing. I spoke to a dozen or so clerics, from low- to mid-ranking mullahs to a few who'd attained the rank of hojatolislam, just below ayatollah. There are hundreds of thousands of mullahs in Iran, perhaps a hundred or more who have attained the rank of ayatollah, and just two dozen or so who have developed sufficient reputation and following to be called grand ayatollah. And more and more of them, including many grand ayatollahs, have joined the opposition. "After the television debates with Ahmadinejad, a large number of mullahs who'd been undecided went over to Moussavi," one hojatolislam told me. They were offended, he said, by Ahmadinejad's insulting attitude toward Moussavi--particularly his rhetorical assault on his wife, Rahnavard, whom he accused of falsifying her academic credentials--and his accusations against Rafsanjani and Khatami. "A president should be polite," the cleric told me. "Impolite behavior and ugliness cannot be accepted."

1:21 PM ET -- Friday prayers. Some images from today.

Iran's head of the Guardian Council Ahmad Janati delivers his speech at the weekly Friday prayers sermon in Tehran University on June 3, 2009. The powerful Iranian cleric said that some local British embassy staff will be put on trial for allegedly stoking post-election unrest, a move set to plunge already strained ties to a new low.

1:11 PM ET -- New video. Via reader Jenny, this video was uploaded today, but the date of the events is unclear. Given the smaller crowd sizes, it seems very likely to have been filmed at least a few days after the massive demonstration on Saturday.

What's curious is that this video was apparently aired by Iran's state media (notice the PressTV logo). Also, throughout much of the footage, one can hear what sounds to be a photo camera clicking -- perhaps someone capturing images of the people in the streets.

(Warning: some intense images, including a militiaman trying to run over a demonstrator with his motorcycle.)

1:08 PM ET -- Report: U.S. to block Iran sanctions at G8. "The United States is opposed to enacting a new set of financial sanctions against Iran that are due to be discussed in the G8 summit next week, diplomatic officials in New York reported Friday. According to officials, sanctions against Iran are expected to top the G8's agenda. Sources are also predicting a pointed debate between the heads of the industrialized nations over an appropriate response to Iranian authorities' suppression of reformist demonstrations in Iran led by Mir Hossein Mousavi and other Iranian opposition leaders. "

12:49 PM ET -- Iran views: Quiet but not normal. The BBC publishes three first-person accounts from Iranians. One describes being beaten at the hands of Basij paramilitaries and the climate of fear around Internet use. Another offers this observation:

Most of the shouting from the rooftops at night has been coming from the rich and middle class areas of Tehran. There's much less, if any, from the poor areas.

On Monday I was in Niavaran Park, a very expensive area. I heard people shouting 'Allahu Akbar' as you wouldn't believe!

Afterwards I wondered if it's because the rich have satellites and can watch foreign TV, so they are influenced by that. But the poor don't have satellites and just watch the normal government TV.

12:47 PM ET -- Dalton on Iran. The tireless Steve Clemons posts an interview he conducted with Sir Richard Dalton, the UK ambassador to Iran from 2002-06.

Clemons writes, "Despite Dalton's clear concerns about the unprecedented eruption we have seen recently in Iran, he believes that engagement with Iran's regime should be a top priority."

12:42 PM ET -- New UN watchdog: no hard evidence Iran seeking nukes. Some provocative comments from the new IAEA chief: "The incoming head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said Friday he did not see any hard evidence that Iran was trying to gain the ability to develop nuclear weapons. 'I don't see any evidence in IAEA official documents about this,' Yukiya Amano told Reuters in his first direct comment on Iran's nuclear program since his election, when asked whether he believed Iran was seeking a nuclear weapons capability."

12:11 PM ET -- EU summons all Iranian ambassadors in coordinated protest. Tensions are definitely rising.

The EU decided today to summon all Iranian ambassadors in capitals across Europe in a co-ordinated protest over the detention of UK embassy staff. The move came after a senior cleric said some of the staff accused of inciting protests following last month's disputed presidential election would be put on trial.

The head of Iran's guardian council, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, said the detained staff members had "made confessions" in connection with the unrest.

The surprise move by the council, Iran's top legislative body, will cause relations between London and Tehran to deteriorate further after tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions last week.

10:01 AM ET -- Iran cleric says British embassy staff to stand trial. The New York Times reports:

Brushing aside British and European efforts to seek the release of local British Embassy staff members held in Tehran, the Iranian authorities indicated Friday that they plannedto put some of them on trial -- a move that deepened a diplomatic crisis and could provoke the withdrawal of ambassadors.

In London, the Foreign Office said it was urgently checking reports that the Iranian authorities planned to put two of its local employees on trial. Nine staff members were seized after the unrest sparked by Iran's disputed presidential elections on June 12.

Hours after the Iranian threat, the European Union seemed to hold back from an out-and-out showdown, resolving to summon Iranian ambassadors in all 27 countries to send "a strong message of protest against the detention of British Embassy local staff and to demand their immediate release," a European diplomat said, speaking in return for anonymity.

Other measures -- such as a ban on issuing visas to Iranian travelers and a pullout of European ambassadors -- would be considered depending on how the crisis unfolded, the diplomat said.

9:35 AM ET -- "In possible signal to Iran, Israel sends sub through Suez canal." The Jerusalem Post, which tends towards sensationalism, offers this report:

After a long hiatus, the Israeli Navy has returned to sailing through the Suez Canal, recently sending one of its advanced Dolphin-class submarines through the waterway to participate in naval maneuvers off the Eilat coast in the Red Sea.

IDF sources said the decision to allow navy vessels to sail through the canal was made recently and was a definite "change of policy" within the service. In 2005, then OC Navy Adm. David Ben-Bashat decided to stop sending Israeli ships through the canal due to growing threats in the area.

In the run-up to Iran's election, there was ample reporting that the Netanyahu-led government in Israel saw an Ahmadinejad victory as the optimal scenario -- he was a better bogeyman to use to rally international support. Since the Green uprising, the commentary from Israeli analysts has been far more divided (many now see Mousavi as a far better option), and there have been demonstrations by ordinary Israelis in support of Iran's reformists.

Yet the rhetoric from Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman continues to seemingly be aimed at injecting Israel into the debate in Iran (both Israeli leaders have, for instance, openly endorsed Mousavi). These are displays of support that only serve to strengthen Ahmadinejad's hand domestically.

UPDATE: Here's Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren discussing Iran with The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg yesterday at the Aspen Ideas Festival (Iran section starts at 3:00):

9:31 AM ET -- Blogger who claimed Ahmadinejad had Jewish roots reportedly arrested. "The Iranian blogger who claimed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has Jewish roots is being detained by the authorities after he was arrested along with 150 university students earlier this week, according to sources in Teheran. Dr. Mehdi Khazali, who reportedly participated in several recent opposition demonstrations, was reportedly summoned to a special court convened for religious figures, detained and transferred to an unknown location."

3:51 AM ET -- Jordan shuts down Press TV? Sara writes, "According to BBC Persian, Al-Alam has written to the network news offices in Amman ordering the state offices of the English-language Iranian television network of Press TV to be shut down." More Press TV discussion below.

3:43 AM ET -- Ahmadinejad 'facing diplomatic isolation.' The Los Angeles Times' term -- "diplomatic isolation" -- may be too strong for what we've seen thus far. A dozen or so countries have recognized Ahmadinejad'd victory, and even the U.S. provided visas to Iranian officials who visited the UN in New York last week. But as the Times notes today, Ahmadinejad's diplomatic treatment has certainly undergone a significant change since his tainted "victory" in last month's election:

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev publicly greeted Ahmadinejad at a recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but did not grant him a private meeting as he had the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Belarus, the Iranian leader was met not by President Alexander Lukashenko, but by the speaker of the upper house of parliament.

A similar pattern has emerged in the Middle East, where Arab regimes have long been wary of Iran's ambitions. Authorities in Jordan withdrew licenses for two Iranian news organizations this week and the sultan of Oman reportedly canceled a trip to Tehran following the unrest after Iran's June 12 election.

Snubs and slights in the diplomatic world are common, sometimes almost imperceptible. But as long as Ahmadinejad remains in power, with the support of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, there are concerns about how the messy fallout over his reelection will influence diplomacy regarding Iran's nuclear program, regional stature and relations with the U.S. and Europe.

3:40 AM ET -- "Your breath smells of Allah-o Akbar." A great cartoon via Tehran Bureau, which reports on Iranians' daily battles to keep their satellite dishes.

Basij militiaman to driver: "Your breath smells of Allah o Akbar." The chant of Allah o Akbar, which helped bring down the Shah 30 years ago, is now being chanted every night in protest of the current government.

3:32 AM ET -- Don't negotiate. There has been a notable swing in the pendulum among centrist and progressive Iran analysts -- Trita Parsi (in the call mentioned below), NYT columnist Roger Cohen, and Fareed Zakaria all now advocate a relative freeze in negotiations with Iran. Zakaria explained his position in a new interview with CNN:

CNN: Is this from a position of weakness, because the West has so few options?

Zakaria: Not really, because while it might seem like the West has few options, in reality, Iran has fewer. Its economy is doing badly, the regime is facing its greatest challenge since its founding, and its proxies in Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere are all faring worse than it had expected. Let the supreme leader and President Ahmadinejad figure out what they should do first. Time might not be on their side.

3:30 AM ET -- Digg. I try to post these Digg solicitations fairly regularly, and readers have been so supportive. Having Iran news featured on social networks really helps remind people that the uprising continues and still needs their attention. If you'd like to support this post, click here. Thanks.

3:28 AM ET -- Trita Parsi on the Iranian opposition: Nothing is over. Spencer Ackerman reviews a press call that keen Iran analyst Trita Parsi held today:

Parsi further explained, in response to Matt Duss of the Center for American Progress, that the critical constituency would be conservative clerics who feel threatened by Ahmadinejad's consolidation of power. In an irony from the perspective of the American debate about Iran -- which conflates reformism with secularism -- the clerics see Ahmadinejad "as a dangerous element, quite correctly, who tries to undermine the clergy as a whole." That might compel some of them to resist Ahmadinejad, or to place pressure on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to find some compromise with the opposition.

But if a compromise can't be found, then the opposition enters a new phase, having to face a choice between accepting Ahmadinejad and moving to a more radical position. "There are people loyal to the system, who don't want to bring the system down but at the same time believe the system is quite imperfect [and wish to] ensure the system changes through peaceful means," Parsi said. If they fail, "then we face a significantly more radical movement in Iran, with more bloodshed than we've seen."

3:17 AM ET -- Some bad news, and some great news. First the bad: Freegate, an organization formed to help Chinese get around web censors, has cut Iran's access by 75 percent due to the high costs.

The much better news: the excellent Tor Project is still seeing major growth in Iran connections -- but as they explain, the project is always in need of donations.

Meanwhile, there are multiple efforts around the world right now to establish serious funding to help ordinary Iranians break through the government's Internet wall. I'll post details here as soon as they're available.

3:14 AM ET -- Swedish PM speaks on Iran. As readers know, Sweden assumed the presidency of the EU on Wednesday. Video via reader Heather:

3:02 AM ET -- Press TV rep claims network is "impartial." Via reader Heather, the BBC aired a debate on Wednesday between a senior staffer of Iran's state-backed network Press TV and British journalist Martin Bright. At the onset, the BBC noted that Britain's communication department is reviewing Press TV's broadcasting license.

To be honest, the debate is a bit unsatisfying, since neither the BBC host nor Bright seemed to do much research before the segment. But the fact that this propaganda outlet is increasingly coming under scrutiny is certainly good news.

2:45 AM ET -- Charges sought for Mousavi carry 10 year prison sentence. "Iran's embattled opposition leader, Mirhossein Mousavi, faces a new threat after the Basiji militia accused him of 'offences against the state' and 'disturbing the nation's security', charges which carry a sentence of 10 years' imprisonment."

2:40 AM ET -- Imprisoning an innocent, severely disabled man. Tehran Broadcast publishes an emotional plea for the release of Saeed Hajarian, "a prominent reformist theorist, [who] survived an attempted assassination in March 2000, at the peak of the conflicts between conservatives and reformists in Iran, and has subsequently become severely disabled."

An excerpt from the piece, directed at Hajarian's interrogators:

What did you tell Saeed? How did you ask him to talk? Saeed?

He can't talk. I have seen Saeed. When he wants to talk he has to concentrate all his afflicted and sick body to utter a word. Don't tell him to talk; he can't talk. When he was able to talk, he wasn't talking either. Outside the prison, when he met his friends, he was barely talking. Now what do you expect from him? Him who hardly can speak and even forcing himself is still not able to utter a word.

You have been putting your one hand on his afflicted shoulder and have been pressuring his weak body and have been telling him, "Tell me you were trying to do 'Green Revolution,' Tell me..." Meanwhile, you have been making a fist with the other hand to punch his face. Move away your hand. HE CANNOT TALK!

I had visited Saeed Hajarian when he was at "City Council". With numerous surgeries they had kept him alive and he was still not able to have control over his face and his hands. With great effort, he said," Seyed, I read your piece and I laughed. It's been a while since I've laughed." I was glad I was able to give a smile to his afflicted heart, but I was upset that this smile might have made him suffer more pain in his body. A body which suffered for freedom and was injured for knowing.

2:28 AM ET -- Programming note. I'll be on C-SPAN's Washington Journal this morning at 8AM ET.

2:25 AM ET -- Doctor who tried to save Neda responds to Iran propaganda. A reader helpfully sent along this link to the blog of Arash Hejazi, the doctor who attempted to save Neda's life, subsequently fled to London, and now is being attacked in state media by Iranian officials. The reader provided a nearly full translation of the blog post:

After my interview on June 25th, 2009, regarding my personal account of the brutal killing of Neda Agha Soltan, I read the news of my arrest warrant by the government of Iran.

As I mentioned in the interview, I was expecting such as action from a government, which is founded on lies and deceit. I was expecting them to deny my statements. This government, instead of bringing justice to the murders of this innocent girl and others and accepting their responsibilities, tries to blame individuals and organizations, which have done nothing wrong.

They have put pressure on my friends and family who have done nothing. They have harassed my father who is 70 years and a university professor.

I did what every human would have done in my situation. I tried to save a victim. When the government tried to cover up the details, I testified what I witnessed.

I have lived my life so that I would have no regret. I was one of the first physicians who went to Bam after the earthquake so that I could be near the victims who had no hope. However this time, this victim was not the victim of a natural disaster.

I am a writer and from my essays and stories, you will realize that I have always been a human rights advocate and I have paid the price.

I have always tired to live honestly and do not betray my principles.

I believe what I did regarding Neda was the right things. I believe that if I have to pay the price, so be it, but I reserve the right to defend my honor.

God is my witness that I told the truth.

This lie questions the entire principles of this government. A government which questions the events of WWII, claims that there is freedom of speech in Iran, claims that there is no censorship, states that there are no political prisoners and that each individual enjoys full rights including regarding their sex, religion and race.

In the past 20 days, the world has come to realize that these are false claims. I know that the world will not believe these new lies and know that this physician has do nothing except following his principles and coming to the help of people who need help and stating the truth.

Neda was not the only victim. Are all the other victims the result of Western conspiracy?

I am only a witness. Why are they pursuing the witness and not the killers? Is there enough bloodshed? Should I have been silent regarding this horrible crime? Is this the message that we want to send to the future generations?

I believe that all the citizens of the world will support me and thousands of other Iranians who have been beaten, murdered and imprisoned, in order to achieve freedom and join the rest of the free people.

I am proud of myself for being a part of this movement. I have done something that every honest human being would have done. This is my crime and this is why they are threatening me.

Useful Resources

Translations: TehranBroadcast.com | Translate4Iran
Helping Iranians use the web: Tor Project (English & Farsi)IranHelp.org (Farsi)
Demonstrations: Facebook | WhyWeProtest
Activism: Avaaz.org | National Iranian American Council

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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.

9:04 PM ET -- Rafsanjani will not lead Friday prayers. The NIAC relays this report from the news site Mowj:

Mowj announced that Hashemi Rafsanjani has "declined" to lead the Friday prayers for a second time. "Temporary Friday prayer Imams" are scheduled to lead the sermons by taking turns. No official reason has been announced on why Rafsanjani has not been present for his last two turns. "The rumors regarding resignation from his position as a temporary Imam have not been confirmed."

The NIAC also notes, "Twitter feeds are reporting that the mothers of the dead demonstrators are organizing a silent demonstration in the 4 major parks of Tehran on Saturday, July 4. This is interesting, as the 4 major parks in Tehran are very large, so they must be expecting a large crowd."

8:44 PM ET -- Iraqi top Shi'ite clerics silent on Iran. The AP's Hamza Hendawi writes a long-overdue story on the silence of top Shi'ite clerics in Iraq on the uprising in Iran. Iran's political-religious leadership, and about two-thirds of its citizens, are Shi'ite Muslims.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani -- who was born in Iran but resides now in Iraq -- became a de facto U.S. ally in Iraq when he repeatedly urged calm during the heights of Sunni-Shi'ite fighting there. He is considered the senior religious leader of Shi'ites worldwide, and Iranians have been waiting with some anticipation for him to weigh in on the violent crackdown, to no avail. Yet many observers say he would be more likely to have conveyed any protests politely and in private correspondence with Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei.

From the AP piece:

There is no place outside Iran that has closer links to Tehran's ruling establishment than Iraq's holy Shiite city of Najaf, where the silence during Iran's post-election crisis says much about the deep complexities of their cross-border bonds.

"Simply put, the whole affair does not concern Najaf," said Sheik Ali al-Najafi, son of and spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Bashir al-Najafi, one of the city's four top Shiite clerics. "We will not interfere in the internal affairs of a dear, next door neighbor."

The four -- who include Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani -- have remained quiet on the upheavals in Iran since the disputed presidential election June 12. The reasons have to do with both religion and politics. [...]

Despite the deep ties between the clerical establishments in Najaf and Iran, there are important differences.

The Najaf strain of Shiite teaching emphasizes that top clerics should be background figures -- though influential -- on most political affairs.

They did not speak out even during the crackdowns on Shiites by Saddam Hussein's regime in the 1990s. Nor have they spoken publicly about U.S. accusations that Iran has been aiding Shiite militias in Iraq as part of indirect pressure on American forces and the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad.

Iran's Islamic system, by contrast, bestows all main powers on the non-elected Shiite theocracy.

There had been expectations that the top Najaf clerics could break their traditions and publicly comment on the unrest -- appealing for calm or even coming to the defense of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following the protests over claims that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election was rigged.

But any sign of interference in Iran's affairs by the Najaf clerics, particularly al-Sistani, could prove costly at a time when many Iraqis fear that Iran will try to broaden its influence in their country as the Americans reduce their military presence.

7:56 PM ET -- Ebadi wants UN human rights envoy to Iran. "Iranian Nobel Peace Prize recipient Shirin Ebadi called on U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Thursday to appoint a personal envoy to investigate human rights abuses in Iran. In a letter also signed by the rights groups International Federation for Human Rights and the Iranian League for the Defense of Human Rights, Ebadi asked Ban to appoint the envoy to look into abuses in Iran following June's disputed presidential election."

6:55 PM ET -- Has the Green uprising taken the military option off the table? Global Post has an important piece noting something that I've thought from the very beginning: America's new familiarity with ordinary Iranians has made the concept of a preemptive U.S. military strike on Iran untenable.

It's worth remembering how intensively the Bush administration worked to portray the nation of Iraq as one man -- Saddam Hussein -- during the lead up to the 2003 invasion. It was a critical part of whipping up the citizenry to support a full-scale war.

Here's some of the Global Post piece:

[T]he discomfort caused by the the dramatic clashes between Iranian moderates and the regime is of a different nature. As long as the vacant stare of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Hilterian rants of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad embodied "Iran," Israel could avoid thinking too seriously about what military types call "collateral damage." Many suspected Iranian nuclear facilities were located in busy suburbs, some beneath busy cities.

Now, however, Iran has donned a very different face -- not just that of Neda, the young protester whose tragic death has been watched by millions on YouTube. The new face Iran has turned to the world is a composite. Yes, the mullah and Ahmadinnerjacket are still in there, but so are hundreds of thousands of people risking their skin to repudiate them. [...]

Now, images of street protests vastly complicate that calculus. Imagine the revulsion if such air strikes, as they regularly do in Afghanistan, led to the unintended deaths of dozens or more of the very Iranians who are being cheered in the streets today?

6:54 PM ET -- Greek reporter working for Washington Times 'to be freed.' The Guardian reports:

A Washington Times reporter detained for more than a week by Iranian authorities is to be released within hours, according to a Greek politician.

Iason Athanasiadis-Fowden, a journalist with joint British and Greek nationality also known as Jason Fowden, was arrested as he was attempting to leave the country last Tuesday, 23 June.

The head of a small rightwing Greek party said today he has received assurances that the Iranian government will soon release Athanasiadis-Fowden.

6:04 PM ET -- For the letter-writers amongst us. Middle East analyst Juan Cole blogs:

The regime is already conducting Stalinist show-trials, as in the case of Maziar Bahari, who recently appeared with me on Fareed Zakaria's GPS Sunday interview show. Please politely protest Mr. Bahari's detention and the coerced 'confession' to Mohammad Khazaee, Ambassador and Permanent Representative, email address: iran@un.int . While you are at it, demand the release of Greek journalist Iason Athanasiadis and the others listed by Amnesty International. If you can, it is best to write by land mail to: Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh, (Office of the Head of the Judiciary) Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave.,south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran (Salutation: Your Excellency).

5:53 PM ET -- Waterboarding in Iran? Via the Daily Dish, ABC's Lara Setrakian tweets: "Tehrani source close to those detained says some have been beaten heavily and waterboarded with hot water"

5:50 PM ET -- Apologies for the light posting today, an afternoon full of meetings and administrative work. Getting up several updates now.

2:48 PM ET -- "First they kill, then they count." Radio Free Europe's Golnaz Esfandiari, who I had the great pleasure of meeting the other day, has a new interview up with a student leader in Iran:

Student Leader: In Iran we always use this joke to describe this situation: they say that a group sees a fox that is running away, they ask him, "Why are you running away?" The fox says, "The ruler has ordered that all foxes that have three testicles be killed." They note, "But you have two testicles," and the fox responds, "But first they kill and then they count."

This is exactly the situation activists in Iran are facing. Any crisis is an excuse to suppress them; their crimes have been decided beforehand.

2:28 PM ET -- The latest on SMS service on Iran. Yesterday, we noted accounts from Iranians saying that SMS service had mostly returned after being shut off the day before the presidential election. BBC follows up with some additional details:

The conservative Hamshahri newspaper recently supported the cutting off of SMS across Iran, saying the measure had created tranquility.

However, parliamentary deputy Mostafa Kavakabian told the Farda News website that the blocking of SMS services had caused great damage to Iran's economy. He asked the Iranian parliament to investigate.

On Wednesday, Mr Mousavi published a statement on the internet in which he demanded an end to what he called the government's illegal interference in phone and SMS networks and the world wide web.

2:16 PM ET -- Obama comments on Iran in AP interview.

President Barack Obama says he is "not reconciled" to the idea of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon within a year.

The president told The Associated Press in an interview that U.S. government planning is running in precisely the opposite direction. He said a nuclear-armed Iran would likely trigger an arms race in the already volatile Mideast and said that would be "a recipe for potential disaster."

Obama also said Thursday that opposing a nuclear weapons capacity for the Persian Gulf nation isn't simply "a U.S. position." He said "the biggest concern is not simply that Iran can threaten us or our allies, like Israel or its neighbors."

The president said that Iran must not be a nuclear power, although he conceded that the challenge ahead is formidable.

2:15 PM ET -- FIFA won't take action against Iran soccer team. AP reports:

FIFA won't punish Iran's national soccer team for the green wristbands some players wore in solidarity with anti-government protesters during a World Cup qualifier last month.

Soccer's governing body last week said it was reviewing reports from the June 17 game against South Korea to decide whether any rules on player dress were breached.

"We received the match reports and there was no reference to the wristbands," meaning there will be "no further action," FIFA said in a statement Thursday.

2:07 PM ET -- Arab reaction to Iran's election: a view from Beirut. Paul Salem, Director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, and Ellen Laipson, president and CEO of the Stimson Center, discuss the fallout of Iran's uprising in the Arab world in an episode of BloggingHeads.

2:01 PM ET -- CNN reports on Newsweek reporter being held by Iran. Video from last night's 'Anderson Cooper 360':

11:43 AM ET -- Fight the propaganda. A Facebook page protesting Iran's state media is growing very quickly.

11:28 AM ET -- Freedom Glory Project. Reader Minoo writes, "Yesterday, I was listening to NPR's Soundcheck program and for the first time heard of this Iranian underground rock band HYPERNOVA, and they have a video on YouTube (there are actually more vidoes from them). They were recently in a protest in New York by Columbus Square. This song is amazing and is related to the unrest in Iran. Please, post it. It is called Freedom, Glory, Be Our Name."

It turns out this song is part of a broader project by Iranian artists called the Freedom Glory Project. Check out their website here. The video is really well done and worth watching:

11:18 AM ET -- A request. The video below is one of the most touching pieces of footage to come out of Iran's recent uprising. An Iranian woman filmed the haunting chants of "Allah-o Akbar!" at night while sharing her own thoughts about her country in heart-breaking poetic form.

When this video surfaced two weeks ago, an Iranian-American reader translated the woman's words into English, and another reader, Chas Danner, placed English captions over the video.

In recent days, Chas has received several additional videos from the same Iranian woman. He would like to translate them and have them captioned like the video below. If you have a few moments to help with this, please email him here, and he'll send along a transcript for you to transcribe. As always, many thanks.

11:14 AM ET -- Sam Sedaei: "The Iranian Revolution Didn't Die With Michael Jackson."

11:11 AM ET -- Iran hardliners urge legal action against Mousavi. "Iranian hardliners pressed on Thursday for legal action against moderate leaders accused of inciting post-election turmoil that has dimmed Western hopes of engaging Tehran on its disputed nuclear program. 'Those who hold illegal rallies and gatherings should be legally pursued,' parliament member Mohammad Taghi Rahbar was quoted as saying by the hardline Javan newspaper."

11:03 AM ET -- Windows on Iran. I wanted to pass on word of this excellent Iran blog "Windows on Iran" run by Fatemeh Keshavarz, Chair of the Dept. of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures at Washington University in St. Louis.

One recent entry:

I have already told you about all the beautiful songs written in honor of the Green Movement toward a full-fledged democracy in Iran. I would like to open this window with one of my favorites - because it is not about the cruelties that have happened but about hope. It is called "zemestun sar umad" which means "The winter has ended." It is a new arrangement of an old and popular song. The images you see on the clip are from Mr. Mousavi's campaign, his visits to the war front during the eight-year Iran/Iraq war, and some earlier images from the 1979 revolution. One of the goals of the clip is to demonstrate Mr. Mousavi's deep roots in the Iranian social and political tradition. Enjoy!

10:49 AM ET -- Russia opposes Iran sanctions. A reader sends along an English translation of this article in Persian:

The Russian MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) spokesman, Andrei Nesterenko, in a meeting with reporters today Thursday claimed that imposing sanctions on Iran as a result of recent presidential election issues is pointless.

According to RIA Novosti, Nesterenko added: "We see the idea of posing sanctions on Iran because of its internal problems as illegal and pointless, and it can create further internal challenges and difficulties in compliance."

According to Nesterenko, Russia sees Iran's presidential elections issues as an internal problem and adds: "We are certain that the differences of opinion that have come about as a result of the elections must be resolved according to the law and the constitution of the Islamic Republic."

10:46 AM ET -- Congresswoman compares Iranians to New York Dems. Can we stop with these ridiculous comparisons?

"People around the world watched and were inspired as people in Iran risked their lives to vote," [Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)] said. "New Yorkers deserve the same. They deserve the right to vote, the right to make their own decision."

10:06 AM ET -- Roger Cohen's latest. The New York Times columnist whose Iran stories have consistently been must-reads today examines the complicated politics of U.S. engagement in Iran:

Sentiment has shifted radically in Iran as multiple security forces deploy in defense of a lie. For Ayatollah Ali Khamouenei, the supreme leader, the question of how to win back support will in time arise. Enter America, the target of Great-Satanism but dear to most Iranians.

"Relations with the United States are the big taboo, and whoever breaks the taboo will be a hero," Mahmoudi said. "The real fight is over whether the right or the left should rebuild ties."

Referring to the opposition leader, Mir Hussein Moussavi, and the former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, the cleric explained: "We would never allow Moussavi or Khatami to restore relations, because they would then have heroic status."

10:01 AM ET -- Iran police fabricated Interpol probe into Neda's death. Surprise, surprise.

The International Police force, or Interpol, has denied a claim by Iran's police chief that it is seeking a doctor who witnessed the shooting death of 26-year-old "Neda."

Head of police Brig. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam said, "Arash Hejazi is wanted by Interpol and Iran's Intelligence Ministry" in the murder of Neda, who's shooting fueled what were daily opposition rallies in the capital city of Tehran, according to a Wednesday report by Iran's Press TV, a state-run, English language network.

Speaking by phone to CBSNews.com Thursday morning from her office in Lyon, France, a spokesperson for Interpol flatly denied any involvement whatsoever in an investigation into Sultan's death.

8:23 AM ET -- Washington Post runs op-ed backing Iran military strike. Tuesday's Post includes an op-ed by hard-right hawk John Bolton titled, "Time for an Israeli strike?"

In short, the stolen election and its tumultuous aftermath have dramatically highlighted the strategic and tactical flaws in Obama's game plan. With regime change off the table for the coming critical period in Iran's nuclear program, Israel's decision on using force is both easier and more urgent. Since there is no likelihood that diplomacy will start or finish in time, or even progress far enough to make any real difference, there is no point waiting for negotiations to play out. In fact, given the near certainty of Obama changing his definition of "success," negotiations represent an even more dangerous trap for Israel.

Earlier this week, the Post's own editorial was headlined, "Shouldn't 'realism' mandate regime change?"

7:47 AM ET -- Iran violence condemned in Parliament. Reader Jeff passes along this video of Iran parliament member Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian speaking passionately against government actions. The description posted with the video notes:

Imam Ali is the son in law of Prophet Mohammad and is considered the role model of Iranian citizens. His birthday is celebrated as father's day in Iran. Dr. Pezeshkian in his speech uses Imam Ali's letter to Malek Ashtar that specifically tells him what he should not do just because he is in position of power -- exactly what the government of Iran has been doing these past few days.

You can turn on English captions in the video below by clicking the button on the bottom-right and making sure the (CC) option is red:

7:43 AM ET -- Merkel likens Iran to repressive East Germany. "German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday likened events in Iran to the oppression at the hands of the Stasi secret police in communist East Germany, where she grew up. 'I know from the time of the GDR (East Germany) how important it was that people around the world made sure that the people stuck in (Stasi prisons) Bautzen and Hohenschoenhausen ... were not forgotten,' Merkel told parliament. 'Iran must know, particularly in the age of modern communications, that we will do everything in our power to ensure that these people (arrested in Iran during the recent turmoil) are not forgotten about,' she said."

7:35 AM ET -- Iran book publisher recalls weeklong ordeal in prison. The Los Angeles Times publishes more awful accounts from Iran's notorious Evin prison:

Older than most of the prisoners, M was designated the cellblock leader, in charge of scheduling four-hour sleeping shifts for the inmates, who had to stand during the rest of the time, share a single toilet or make quick calls to their family on a single phone.

At mealtime, they ate watery bean or noodle soup. To kill time, they debated politics and the nation's future.

Prisoners were frequently singled out and pulled away for interrogation. They came back hours later with bruises or with blood in their urine, he said. Some would be pulled out at 8 a.m. and returned 14 hours later, limping and exhausted.

The full story is here.

7:06 AM ET -- Dates to watch for potential demonstrations. A reader notes this sentence from an op-ed in the Guardian: "Dates to watch include next week's 9 July anniversary of the 1999 student protests and the end of the 40-day mourning period for a young woman the world now knows simply as Neda."

For anyone of Iranian descent, this will not be news. For the rest of us, next week marks the 10-year anniversary of a major set of student demonstrations sparked by the closing of a reformist newspaper. Those rallies were also violently suppressed -- at least one person was killed and hundreds of others imprisoned, according to human rights groups.

Of course, unlike the government-permitted gathering that formed at Ghoba mosque this past Sunday, Iran's leaders will not sanction any events to commemorate this event. And given that Mousavi's movement is trying to emphasize its diverse roots, there may be some political risks in an event focusing exclusively on student activism. But there do seem to be plans for some kind of demonstration on Thursday -- another reader passed along a planned march route that's being distributed by Iranians online.

Useful Resources

Translations: TehranBroadcast.com | Translate4Iran
Helping Iranians use the web: Tor Project (English & Farsi)IranHelp.org (Farsi)
Demonstrations: Facebook | WhyWeProtest
Activism: Avaaz.org | National Iranian American Council

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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.

Thursday's updates are here.

10:57 PM ET -- EU considers withdrawing envoys from Tehran. European officials are discussing whether to withdraw the ambassadors of all 27 members nations as a reaction to Iran's arrest of nine employees of the British Embassy in Tehran last weekend.

The Iranian reaction to the possible withdrawal was typically "bellicose," reports the New York Times:

The official, Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, the armed forces chief of staff, was quoted by the semiofficial Fars news agency as saying that because of the European Union's "interference" in the postelection unrest, the bloc had "totally lost the competence and qualifications needed for holding any kind of talks with Iran."

He added, "We believe that they don't have the right to speak of negotiations before apologizing for their obvious mistakes and showing their regret in practice," Fars said.

8:19 PM ET -- Khatami calls election outcome a "coup" against democracy. The former Iranian president's strong statement today is his latest condemning the disputed election. Voice of America reports:

Former Iranian president and leading reformist Mohammad Khatami says the outcome of Iran's disputed presidential election is a "coup" against democracy.

The New York Times reports that the Iranian reaction to the possible withdrawal was typically beillicose":

The official, Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, the armed forces chief of staff, was quoted by the semiofficial Fars news agency as saying that because of the European Union's "interference" in the postelection unrest, the bloc had "totally lost the competence and qualifications needed for holding any kind of talks with Iran."

He added, "We believe that they don't have the right to speak of negotiations before apologizing for their obvious mistakes and showing their regret in practice," Fars said.

Khatami also accused Iran's government of suppressing the rights of people to protest the election results...

...Defeated presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi also criticized the election outcome Wednesday, calling the government led by Mr. Ahmadinejad "illegitimate."

6:15 PM ET -- SMS service reportedly reactivated. An Iranian on Twitter reports that text messaging has returned to Iran. "SMS Service Is Reactivited In Iran, After About 3 Weeks," he writes. The Persian-language social network Balatarin has several similar reports.

6:03 PM ET -- Newsweek again calls on Iran to release reporter.

Maziar Bahari has been detained in Iran since June 21 without access to a lawyer. An Iranian state news agency reports that Bahari has said he participated in a Western media effort to promote irresponsible reporting in Iran. NEWSWEEK strongly disputes that charge, and defends Bahari's work. Maziar Bahari is a veteran journalist whose long career, both in print and in documentary filmmaking, has been accurate, even-handed, and widely respected. NEWSWEEK again calls for his immediate release.

5:21 PM ET -- Iran to be 'front and center' during Obama's Russia trip. "Responding to Iran's political crackdown and nuclear program will be 'at front and center' of President Barack Obama's visit to Russia and the G8 summit in Italy next week, a US official said. ... [Senior Obama aide Denis] McDonough said that Obama was "quite gratified" at the role played by Russia in forging the G8 foreign ministers' statement. Moscow had previously commented that the demonstrations were an internal affair. On Friday, the G8 expressed full respect for Iran's sovereignty but deplored post-election violence there and urged Iran to respect fundamental human rights."

5:08 PM ET -- Mousavi to release documents 'proving election fraud.' Iran's state-backed PressTV reports on the next stages of Mousavi's work to remain a viable opposition leader, including a new organization focused on citizens' rights. This is a crucial step for the Green movement to remain organized and active despite Iran's crackdown on demonstrations.

As the Iranian opposition continues to express skepticism about the election result, defeated candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi says he will present documents that prove electoral fraud.

Mousavi, who has rejected the result of Iran's presidential election as fraudulent, said on Wednesday that a number of Iranian scholars are set to form a committee to preserve the vote of the people.

The committee aims to "make public documents proving fraud and irregularities in the election," Mousavi said in his latest statement issued on Wednesday.

The opposition leader added that the committee would pursue its objections to the vote result through the judiciary.

"I will join this committee as well," Mousavi confirmed.

The AFP has a related report, focusing on the new organization that Mousavi will form:

Iranian presidential election runner up Mir Hossein Mousavi on Wednesday renewed a demand for a complete re-run of the vote and pledged to help set up a new group to defend citizen's rights.

Another defeated candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, saw his reformist newspaper Etemad Melli shut down after he denounced the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as invalid and the new government as not legitimate. [...]

Mousavi said a group of politicians including himself have decided to create "a legal political body to defend citizen's rights and votes that were crushed in the election, to publish documents about the frauds and irregularities and to start legal action."

5:07 PM ET -- Britain turns up the heat on Iran. "Gordon Brown today expressed 'deep disappointment' at the behaviour of the regime in Tehran following the expulsion of British diplomats and the detention of Embassy staff. The Prime Minister said Tehran's actions were 'unjustified' and 'unacceptable' and he condemned the suppression of protests following the disputed election. Mr Brown told MPs the regime was attempting to blame Britain for the 'legitimate Iranian voices' calling for greater openness and democracy."

4:50 PM ET -- Solidarity. A fun video of Dutch youth spreading signs and art about Iran.

The caption posted with the video is, "Support the Iranian people in their desire for freedom and democracy! You can spread the voice of the Iranian people too. Download the poster at SupportDemocracyInIran.com and spread their slogan: WHERE IS MY VOTE?"

4:44 PM ET -- Iran activist released from Evin prison. On the website of his organization 'Stop Child Executions,' Mohammad Mostafaei posts a message titled, "Free after 7 days."

This afternoon after paying 1 billion Rials (about $100,000 USD) , being accused of conspiracy against the security of the government and propaganda against the regime, I was released from section 209 of the Evin prison (in Tehran)

I greatly am thankful to all of those who had a role in gaining my freedom.

My imprisonment made me more determined than ever to solidly stand for human rights

Remain strong and standing

Mohammad Mostafaei

4:30 PM ET -- Arrested, beaten and raped: an Iran protester's tale. The UK Guardian runs a disturbing piece:

Afshin, a shopkeeper from south-west Iran, alleges that one of his friends was beaten and repeatedly raped after being arrested at an opposition rally after last month's disputed election. He gave this account to Esfandiar Poorgiv, a journalist and academic. It is published here as part of the Guardian's project to trace those killed and detained during the unrest. The Guardian has been unable to independently verify the account.

1:54 PM ET -- L.A. Times sees shift in tactics by reformists.

... Now that it appears Ahmadinejad is on his way to being sworn in as president, they are trying to tarnish the government's reputation and credibility.

Observers said the reformist camp appeared to be trying to gather public momentum for a national strike or another day of mass protests in defiance of Khamenei, who the opposition says broke tradition and made himself fair game for political criticism by openly siding with Ahmadinejad.

"The supreme leader has confronted the emerging opposition and has lost his fatherly role for the nation," said one analyst, who spoke on condition he not be identified. "Thanks to the rigging of the election, for the first time in the past 30 years an opposition group from both the grass-roots and the educated and well-off walks of society has emerged and asserted itself."

The letter by the Islamic Participation Front, Iran's main reformist political alliance, blasted Ahmadinejad and his supporters as "the conductors of a coup against the republic with the worst and most violent methods."

1:47 PM ET -- Oil ministry official reportedly arrested. According to Jahan News (sent by a reader), a high-ranking Petroleum Ministry official was arrested in a "rioter cell house" on charges of attempting to instigate a strike in one of the refineries of Iran.

12:34 PM ET -- Mousavis' Facebook pages call for strike.

The Facebook pages of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard called for an Islamic National Strike late Tuesday night.

Mousavi's page updated first, about 7 p.m. local time, stating, "Strike: The manner of a man is better than his goverance. Help to bring this message back to IRAN." Three hours later the status updated to "Dont underestimate the power of National islamic Strike."

And early Wednesday, around 2 a.m. local time, both he and his wife's pages updated to "Islamic Strike, help to spread the Voice out to fight the Bullets." The message was posted twice in a row on both accounts.

12:01 PM ET -- 'My brother was only 18.' A journalist interviews the sister of an 18-year-old Iranian named Ashkan Sohrabi who was reportedly killed by the Basij on Saturday, June 20. One eerie exchange:

Rooz: Were you easily able to retrieve Ashkan's body from the hospital?

Sohrabi: It's better not to talk about that.

11:59 AM ET -- Blood or politics: What next for Iran? Fintan Dunne interviews Prof. Scott Lucas, who has been blogging on Iran here.

11:57 AM ET -- Iran releases 3 more British embassy officials. "Iran has released three more local employees of the British Embassy but is still holding one member for what has been described as playing a significant role in post-election violence."

11:52 AM ET -- Hangings reported in Iran. The Jerusalem Post is running a story today headlined, "6 Mousavi supporters reportedly hanged." State media in Iran have several reports of the hangings today, but officials say the executed prisoners had committed crimes unrelated to the election (some of the men were convicted of killing their wives). The Post says it has no confirmation that the executions were of Mousavi supporters, and until I see more evidence, I'm disinclined to believe their story.

11:50 AM ET -- Some Mousavi newspaper employees released. From the Committee to Protect Journalists:

Ayande News, a self-described independent news Web site, reported that 22 of the 25 jailed employees of Kalameh Sabz, the reformist newspaper owned by defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, were released on Monday. Alireza Hosseini Beheshti, manager of Kalameh Sabz, told the site that three editorial staffers remain behind bars. Over the weekend, authorities also released Life.com photographer Amir Sadeghi, who was arrested about a week earlier.

"We welcome the news of the release of the Kalameh Sabz staffers and Amir Sadeghi," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ's program coordinator ‎for the Middle East and North Africa. "The Iranian authorities should now release the rest of Kalame Sabz's employees and the many other journalists who are being held."

11:43 AM ET -- Group urges people to contact Russian, Chinese, EU envoys. The National Iranian American Council today published this action alert:

We at NIAC have been asking ourselves everyday: What more can we do to stop the violence in Iran? We recognize that there just isn't a whole lot that the United States can do in this situation-our history with Iran and the absence of formal diplomatic relations makes it difficult for Americans to get involved in a productive fashion.

But that doesn't mean that other countries can just sit on the sidelines.

Russia, China, and many European countries all have close ties to Iran, either through commercial trade or political relations. They have a responsibility to use their influence with the government of Iran to stop the bloodshed.

We are asking people to send a letter to the Russian, Chinese, and EU delegations in Washington, telling them to leverage their relationships with Iran to ensure an end to the violence against the Iranian people.

Click here to send this letter - and forward it on to your friends, family, and anyone else concerned about the violence.

11:38 AM ET -- Basij want Mousavi arrested. The Guardian reports, "Iran's opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi today became the target of the notorious Basij militia as it called for him to be prosecuted for his role in the greatest political unrest in Iran since the Islamic revolution. In a letter to the country's chief prosecutor, the Basij accuse Mousavi of involvement in nine offences against the state, including 'disturbing the nation's security'. That charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence."

10:59 AM ET -- Ahmadinejad cancels Africa visit. "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has cancelled his trip to an African Union summit in Libya, officials in Tehran say. Mr Ahmadinejad's office did not give any reason for the decision. His visit would have been one of his first major public appearances abroad since his re-election in Iran's disputed poll last month."

10:34 AM ET -- Mousavi's new statement. Translated by the excellent National Iranian American Council:

Mir Hussein Mousavi issued a statement today in response to Guardian Council certifying the election results. Mousavi said the majority of the people including him do not recognize the legitimacy of the current government. He expressed his fears about a grave danger facing the country because people no longer trust the government. According to Mousavi, it is not too late to regain people's trust and reinstate the rule of the law. Denying the fact that people have lost their trust in the government is not beneficial, he said. He requested an end to the militarization of the society, revising the election laws, honoring the article 27 of the constitution (freedom of assembly), freedom of media, reactivating news websites, and a ban of illegal government intervention in restricting communication and monitoring people's activities among other things.

9:55 AM ET -- Human Rights Watch: Iran holding reformist in need of serious medical attention.

Harsh interrogation conditions and inadequate medical care are threatening the life of the detained prominent Iranian reformist Saeed Hajjarian, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged the Iranian authorities to immediately transfer Hajjarian, who has been severely disabled and ill since a 2000 assassination attempt, to a competent medical facility for the specialized care he needs, or to release him into the care of his family.

"It's bad enough that the authorities would detain a man as ill as Saeed Hajjarian in their crackdown in the protests," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "But the conditions, harsh treatment, and intense pressure to make a false confession are putting his life at risk."

Hajjarian, 55, was detained without charge on June 15, 2009, one of scores of prominent reformist politicians, intellectuals, journalists, clerics, student leaders, and others whom the authorities have arrested in a coordinated and continuing effort to stamp out nationwide protests against the disputed results of the June 12 elections in Iran. He requires constant medical care, and his wife, a physician, said after a visit that his condition is seriously deteriorating.

8:29 AM ET -- Iran seeking to prosecute doctor who tried to save Neda.

Fars News Agency in Persian on 1 July 2009 reports that the commander of the Law Enforcement Force said: Arash Hejazi who as the witness of the murder of Neda Aqa-Soltan has created uproar is being prosecuted by the International Police (Interpol).

Speaking to a gathering of reporters, General Esma'il Ahmadi-Moqaddam added: Arash Hejazi is being prosecuted by the Ministry of Intelligence and Interpol forces.

He stressed: The murder of Neda Aqa-Soltan is a scenario which has no links to Tehran's riots.

Arash Hejazi, the doctor who was present at Neda Aqa-Soltan's murder scene, has held certain sensational interviews with foreign media on this murder case after departing the country.

Hejazi fled to London shortly after Neda's murder. He conducted a lengthy interview with the BBC last week, acknowledging he would probably never be able to return to Iran.

Update: More on this topic from Iran's state-backed PressTV:

Iran's Police Chief says the mysterious death of Neda Aqa-Soltan, who became a symbol of post-election street rallies in Iran, was a 'prearranged scenario'. [...]

Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqadam, commander of the Iranian Police, said Wednesday that the unfortunate incident --which has been hyped and dramatized by Western media outlets--, was in fact a 'premeditated act of murder'.

The Iranian police chief said Arash Hejazi, a doctor who claims he tried to save Neda's life in her final moments, has fanned the flames of the western media hype.

Ahmadi-Moqadam said the Iranian Intelligence Ministry is making every effort to discover the whereabouts of Hejazi. "He has fled the country and is working against the Iranian government abroad."

8:27 AM ET -- Iran orders end to election activity. From state media: "Following the conclusion of a probe into the complaints into the 10th presidential elections in Iran, the Interior Ministry has ordered all election headquarters to end their activities. 'Any activities by the election headquarters in provinces, cities and districts will no longer have a legal basis,' warned the ministry."

8:16 AM ET -- Audio of Mousavi. Reformist presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi spoke with 70 university professors last week (66 of whom were reportedly arrested after the meeting ended). Someone has posted the alleged audio of Mousavi's speech to them here.

8:05 AM ET -- Iran says 20 people killed post-election.

Twenty people were killed and more than 1,000 arrested in the protests that swept Tehran after the disputed re-election of President Ahmadinejad last month, the country's police chief said Wednesday.

"No policeman was killed in the Tehran riots but 20 rioters were killed," police chief Ahmadi Moghaddam was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.

"Police arrested 1,032 people in the recent riots. Many have been released and the rest are being prosecuted in Tehran's public and revolutionary courts," he added.

Useful Resources

Translations: TehranBroadcast.com | Translate4Iran
Helping Iranians use the web: Tor Project (English & Farsi)IranHelp.org (Farsi)
Demonstrations: Facebook | WhyWeProtest
Activism: Avaaz.org | National Iranian American Council

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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. You can support this post on Digg here.

Wednesday's updates are here.

6:09 PM ET -- Israel's grand Twitter conspiracy. Via NIAC, a major hard-right newspaper in Iran, Kayhan, "reports" that Israel posted 18,000 Twitter messages urging people to complain about voter fraud two days before Iran's presidential election.

Also today, from Iran's state-backed PressTV:

A senior advisor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says US President Barack Obama's recent remarks about Iran's election show that he is under pressure from the Zionists.

In an exclusive interview with Press TV on Tuesday night, Mojtaba Samareh-Hashemi said that Obama originally took a soft stance on the results of Iran's presidential election but then was forced by the Zionists and the US neoconservatives to make tough comments about Iran.

Hashemi, who ran Ahmadinejad's most recent presidential election campaign, stated that a president should be strong enough to follow his own principles.

5:34 PM ET -- New photos. SocialDocumentary.net publishes new photos taken in Iran in recent days.

5:16 PM ET -- Host quits Iran's Press TV over 'bias' after election. "It is called Press TV, is funded by the Iranian regime, and opponents say that from its nondescript offices off Hanger Lane in northwest London the 24-hour news station is beaming pro-Tehran propaganda into homes across Britain. Nick Ferrari, a leading British radio presenter, quit his show on the station yesterday in protest at the regime crushing dissent after the Iranian elections, but Press TV continues to employ plenty of other Britons -- including MPs and Cherie Blair's sister."

5:06 PM ET -- "Silicon Valley should step up, help Iranians." An op-ed today in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Silicon Valley minds and money should pool resources as a way to help Iranians get around this information blockade by providing easier-to-use proxies, anonymizers and maybe even unfiltered Internet access through hardware.

Long-range Wi-Fi, 3G, satellite or other wireless communications devices from Iran's neighboring countries or even the Persian Gulf could be used to get faster and better information in and out of Iran. One Arizona company, Space Data, even advertises the capability to use helium-filled balloons to provide Internet and mobile phone access. Much of Iran could theoretically be covered with one or two such balloons.

All of that may sound crazy, but not helping Iranian reformers at their darkest hour would be even crazier.

4:59 PM ET -- Sweden: No decision on EU action yet. "The European Union is taking a wait-and-see attitude to the post-election violence in Iran. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt says the EU 'will have to assess (a reaction) in close consultation with the Americans.' He says it's 'too early' for the EU to impose retaliatory measures. Sweden takes over the EU presidency on Wednesday. Bildt said Tuesday that 'repression is the order of the day in Iran.' But he announced no specific steps in the wake of Iran's crackdown on protesters and its detention of nine local British Embassy employees."

4:55 PM ET -- After the crackdown. Time magazine: "Iran's Opposition Down But Hardly Out."

3:55 PM ET -- EU states set to recall Iran ambassadors.

Most of the European Union's 27 member states will recall their ambassadors from Tehran as early as this weekend if the Iranian authorities refuse to free four local employees of the British embassy who were arrested last Saturday.

Amid continuing anger across Europe over the arrests of the employees - linked by Tehran to the opposition protests over the disputed outcome of the June 12 presidential election - senior EU diplomats said a co-ordinated diplomatic protest would take place "within days".

"Member states are now very focused on the idea of conducting a co-ordinated withdrawal of ambassadors this weekend if there has been no movement on the side of the Iranians," said one EU diplomat. "We need to see these [four] set free by Friday at the latest."

Also, via the NIAC, here's a list of countries that Ahmadinejad's website claims have recognized his re-election:

-India -Tunisia -Malaysia -Lebanon -North Korea -Kuwait -Nicaragua -Comoros -Cambodia -Senegal -Cuba -Belarus -Sudan -Syria -Libya -Algeria -Turkmenistan -Iraq -Kazakhstan -Indonesia -Bahrain -Yemen -Sri Lanka -Ecuador -Russia -Azerbaijan -Qatar -Tajikistan -Armenia -Oman -Turkey -Afghanistan -Pakistan -China -Venezuela

3:49 PM ET -- Iran state media cover Khatami's call for impartial election probe. PressTV's Englsh write-up is here.

3:39 PM ET -- Digg. You can support this post on Digg here.

3:37 PM ET -- Suspicious ballot photos posted by Iran state media? A reader writes, "I believe this is well worth reporting: many interesting photos are being put on the web as I write, a good number of them published by IRNA itself (see here). These are images from the recent Guardians Council TV broadcast session where they 'recounted' some ballot boxes and found out that indeed Ahmadinejad's votes were higher than previously counted. These pictures show two things very clearly: 1) that a whole lot of the ballots that are being recounted are fresh, crisp, unfolded sheets - which makes no sense, given that people typically had to fold these sheets before they can slip them into the ballot boxes, and 2) that the handwriting on so many of the sheets which are votes for 'Ahmadinejad' are the same handwriting (and very clearly so)."

3:31 PM ET -- "Allah-o Akbar!" It's 11PM in Iran right now. An Iranian-American friend writes, "I'm on the skype with Iran and could hear the Alah-o akbar in the background about 20 min ago."

Here's new video from last night's chants, via reader Jenny:

3:21 PM ET -- Ahmadinejad's post-"victory" remarks. "President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hailed on Tuesday his re-election as a victory for the Iranian people and a defeat for the Islamic Republic's enemies. 'This election was actually a referendum. The Iranian nation were the victors and the enemies, despite their ... plots of a soft toppling of the system, failed and couldn't reach their aims,' the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying."

Scott Lucas observes:

The significance is not in Ahmadinejad's words, but in their low-key presentation. Both in a national broadcast the night after the election and in a press conference the day after that, the President was loudly celebrating his win, even taunting the opposition as "dust". Now, the day after the Guardian Council has re-affirmed his victory, his public appearance is limited to a brief statement repeating the "foreign threat" theme.

Interpretation? After his over-enthusiasm in the first 48 hours beyond the vote, Ahmadinejad has been reined in by other leaders. The President's "victory" is looking decidedly Pyrrhic in the wider context of the Iranian system.

Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad today dropped in unexpectedly at a summit of African leaders, the invited guest of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi. "Diplomats expressed surprise at Ahmadinejad's visit, indicating Kadhafi had extended the invitation without consulting the bloc's 53 members," AFP reported. "'It's a little strange to invite him, unless you consider who made the invitation,' one west African diplomat said. 'We will do what we can to calm things down.'"

3:05 PM ET -- 'Obama urged to punish US firms for aiding internet censorship.'

Internet activists are urging Barack Obama to pass legislation that would make it illegal for technology companies to collaborate with authoritarian countries that censor the internet.

Leading companies earn hundreds of millions of pounds every year through their relationship with governments in repressive countries. Campaigners are agitating for the US president to put his weight behind the Global Online Freedom Act (Gofa), a law that would see US companies fined if they profit from involvement in online censorship.

The issue has taken on added resonance after recent events in Iran, where questions about western complicity have been raised after a post-election crackdown by the government that has included throttling internet access and blocking websites to prevent information from spreading.

2:38 PM ET -- "A view apart." Chas Danner has created two photo galleries -- here and here -- showing the Iran that most of us haven't seen in the midst of all the rallies and government violence.

For a few days I have been looking for images of Tehran that showed it in a more ordinary light, images that could behave as a control group against the ones we have been seeing. I have compiled them in two parts comprising about 60 total images. Some are of places where we have seen demonstrations, but many are just slices of life or images I somehow reacted to. Iran seems like a very modern place with a fascinating culture that somehow straddles two worlds - I have tried to capture that essence with these selections. BTW 12 million people live in Tehran, which is the combined population of New York and Los Angeles.

It's a great collection of photos -- you can start here.

1:27 PM ET -- Mousavi's political future. Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, a conservative cleric and member of Iran's Guardian Council, claims that the Council will not approve Mousavi as a candidate for any future presidential race.

1:15 PM ET -- German companies 'fleeing Iran.'

The recent unrest in Iran following the disputed presidential election results have shaken German companies' confidence as to continuing their activity in the Iranian market, says Felix Neugart, a German expert in the business field, who is responsible for the Middle East region in the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce.

Neugart told a Kuwaiti news agency that "the riots have caused confusion among German companies as to the future of the Iranian market."

Neugart noted that according to information he had, a significant number of German companies operating in the Iranian market have decided at this stage to freeze all their plans in the Islamic republic until the picture became clear.

1:11 PM ET -- Solidarity. CalTech student Evans Boney writes, "I wanted to mention our solidarity e-vigils, recently covered here by the American Islamic Congress. We're trying to get the word out to as many as students as possible to continue to recognize the plight of students (and professors) in Iran, who are being condemned as terrorists working for foreign countries just for expressing their opinions peaceably. Our student group for Friends of Iranian Culture inspired our vigils as a way to hearten students abroad who may have had their spirits broken from days in jail or too many missing friends. Our Facebook group is here, and we'd really appreciate your help spreading the word."

1:06 PM ET -- Rezai's spokesman claims ballots had similar handwriting. Mohsen Rezai, the most conservative of the three 'defeated' presidential candidates in Iran's election, agreed to drop his official election complaints several days ago. But Rezai's unofficial spokesman Omidvar Rasai charges in an interview here that "between 70 to 80 percent of the votes in some constituencies was written with the same pen and with the handwriting of a single individual."

12:43 PM ET -- Beating up motorcycles. More video emerges of the brave government security officials who roam around attacking inanimate objects:

12:40 PM ET -- Revolutionary Guard "to counter organized web crimes." "Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) had set up a new unit to counter organized crimes on websites, the official IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday. The new IRGC unit which has been named 'anti-cyber system' would engaged in campaigns against organized crimes, espionage, economic and social corruption, money laundering and cultural inroad through the internet, IRNA cited an announcement the source of which was not specified."

12:18 PM ET -- Senior cleric releases statement defending Mousavi. Sara at the 'Where Is My Vote?' blog reports:

Tehran Iranian Labor News Agency in Persian on June 30, 2009 carried a report quoting a statement issued the same day by Esfahan's former Friday prayer leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Jalaleddin Taheri-Esfahani, in support of the defeated presidential candidate, Mirhoseyn Mousavi.

The agency said the senior cleric had condemned "making instrumental use" of the Islamic founder's remarks. In his statement, he asks: "Is it a case of justice to see that an honorable and modest Seyyed [one who is a descendant of the household of the prophet, Muhammad] who until the last moments of Khomeini's life, had been a dear and close companion of that grand leader, is now considered to be a rioter and an agent of arrogance who must be punished?"

11:39 AM ET -- Newsweek journalist reportedly "confesses" to aiding protests. A reader sends along this report in the state-backed outlet Fars stating that imprisoned Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari has "confessed" to "lying" and helping the demonstrations.

Update: A reader sends along a rough translation of the first few paragraphs:

Recent events are a classic and defeated example of a color revolution, the colleague/cooperator of the American and the British Media said.

The movement believing in a color revolution always announces itself a winner in every election and emphasizes that whatever happens except for the victory of this movement is a sign of fraud, and the Western media supporting the movement try to induce this idea as reality to the people.

According to Fars news political reporter, Maziyar Bahari, the 42 year old Britain's Channel 4 correspondent who also works with BBC and is currently the official representative of the American weekly magazine, Newsweek, in Iran, has sent out one-sided and untrue reports to his respective media during the recent election developments. As he admits, because of neglecting the components of true and fast reportage, he was effected by the atmosphere and avarice.

11:30 AM ET -- 'American people smarter than the neocons.' Adam Blickstein from the National Security Network highlights a new poll by CNN:

A new national poll suggests that that nearly three out of four Americans don't want the U.S. directly intervene in the election crisis in Iran even though most Americans are upset by how the Iranian government has dealt with protests over controversial election results.

Most Americans approve of how President Obama's handled the situation. And 74 percent think the U.S. government should not directly intervene in the post-election crisis, with one out of four feeling that Washington should openly support the demonstrators who are protesting the election results.

10:41 AM ET -- Amnesty Int'l warns of torture-induced confessions.

Amnesty International is gravely concerned that several opposition leaders detained in the wake of the 12 June elections may be facing torture, possibly to force them to make televised "confessions" as a prelude to unfair trials in which they could face the death penalty. [...]

According to the Iranian authorities, eight members of the Basij militia, a volunteer paramilitary force under the control of the Revolutionary Guards which has been used to crack down on protesters, have died in the demonstrations. While the authorities have not revealed any information about these deaths or named any suspect, Amnesty International is worried that if these deaths are ultimately attributed to detained opposition leaders, it would pave the way to them being sentenced to death and would make more likely their eventual execution".

Televised "confessions" have repeatedly been used by the authorities to incriminate political activists in their custody. Many have later retracted these "confessions", stating that they were coerced to make them, sometimes after torture or other ill-treatment.

10:09 AM ET -- Khatami urges impartial panel to address election problems. Reformist former president Mohammad Khatami has laid out his proposals to address Iran's post-election unrest. The article, in Persian, is here.

Khatami said that the election complaints must be investigated by an impartial group of experts to restore the nation's trust. Also, he said that Iranians needed to be able to express themselves freely, requiring a change in the atmosphere created by the military and security forces.

Update: A reader sends along a transcript of the article:

Sayyid Mohammad Khatami in a meeting with the Parliamentary Commission of National Security and Foreign Affairs expressed his concern about the damage to public trust among a noticeable portion of the population, demanded the formation of a neutral committee to resolve the problems that have arisen, and emphasized [the need for] a change in the current security and military situation.

According to "The Third Wave", quoting the public relations office of Sayyid Mohammad Khatami, he said to the elected board of the Parliamentary Commission of National Security and Foreign Affairs, which has been meeting with officials and political and religious notables of the country in recent days for the problems that have arisen, "I am certain that all of you will work hard and with sympathy for the system of government, Islam, and the revolution."

He added, "Let me express a few points. My opinions are very clear and transparent. I consider myself a child and devotee of he revolution. I have always loved the Imam (Khomeini) and have worked hard to the best of my ability. After the revolution, I took action any time I felt I had to be involved. It's the same thing now." The reformist president continued, "For me, the system of government is a holy thing that was the fruit of the pure religious and popular revolution for which we have paid a cost...the reform movement has been present in our society for over a hundred years and which culminated in our revolution. The fruit of the Islamic Republic is the same thing." He continued, "what distinguished our Imam [Khomeini] and our revolution from other movements is that the Islamic Revolution brought forth the Islamic Republic. I believe that one thing that will weaken our system of government is deviation from the principles of the Islamic Republic within the country. Naturally foreign countries too intend to damage this very achievement." [...]

Our former president reminded us that, "The excitement that existed in this election had never existed in a previous election. I too played a role in creating this excitement. When I stepped off the political stage, many friends complained but in this fourth decade of the of the revolution, a great atmosphere has been created, and we either did not hear the call for electoral boycott or noticed that it was quite lifeless."

Khatami considered one of reason for the present unrest is the damage to public trust among a noticeable portion of the society and said, "We have to prevent harming the public's trust so that the system of government is not damaged. The real loss in this situation is much greater than the person of the president. The answer to the logical protest and civil action of the society and large portions who criticize this election is not to create a security atmosphere, enact force, make arrests, and make inappropriate charges against people and respectable personalities in order to derail the problem. The solution to returning public trust has been expressed already. You should struggle to make that solution a reality."

He continued, "In any event, an incident has occurred. Many people are protesting it. The problems must be cured and the people must be convinced that the solution to this problem can be obtained through the formation of an unbiased committee." The former president emphasized, "The present military and security atmosphere must be changed in order to move society towards calm. I believe that not all the roads are blocked yet." Khatami also stated, "we love the Supreme leader and have affection toward him. I wish I could express what took place in the meeting between me and him in the days before my decision to become a candidate."

He also said, "for us the essence of our governmental system and the revolution is what matters most. There should exist an atmosphere in which every person can express their opinion freely. The atmosphere should be one in which the people would come forward more." The reformist president emphasized, "We must redefine principle-ism and reformist. Our [intellectuals] can certainly reach common consensus." Mr. Khatami reminded us, "We can make preparations [?] and provide new definitions of our situation in the world. We can create balance among the forces that exist in society. We can reach more logical solutions and thus take steps towards serving the revolution, Islam, and our system of government."

10:00 AM ET -- Emotions in Tehran. One conversation relayed by the Washington Post's reporters in Iran:

At a small gathering in the house of an Iranian writer, people appeared resigned about the news.

"What difference was the council going to make?" one young woman asked a group of depressed-looking friends. No one offered an answer. Instead, people listed colleagues who have been arrested since the election.

"Why would they bring him in?" one man said of a journalist who was picked up in recent days. "I don't care if I am next," another man said defiantly. "What will they do to me?"

The uncertainty of the future dominated the conversation in the smoke-filled room. Some talked about spending time in the countryside. Others were thinking of leaving Iran altogether.

"There is no future here for independent-thinking, cultured people," the writer said. "Things are going to change very rapidly from now on, for the worse."

9:43 AM ET -- Debating the election on state TV. Will Ward at Iran in the Gulf writes, "Here is an interesting debate show in three parts on the election results from Iran's English-language Press TV featuring Ali Ansari, Kaveh Afrasiabi, and Seyed Mohammad Marandi. Angered by Afrasiabi's insinuations that he is a British agent, Ansari walks off the set in segment 2." Here's that video -- more here.

9:30 AM ET -- How Iraq is reacting to Iran. Newsweek examines:

It's been hard not to laugh at some Iraqi officials' poses of complete indifference to the upheaval in Tehran. They're trying their best to pretend they don't know or care what's happening there, unwilling to commit themselves until they know which side will prevail--but the act isn't very convincing. "Nothing is going on in Iran," says Sheik Jalal al-Deen al-Sagheer, a senior parliamentarian from Iraq's ruling Shiite coalition, the Unified Iraqi Alliance. And he says it with almost perfect seriousness. [...]

No matter what Iraq's leaders may think of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, they don't want to antagonize Iran's Supreme Leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the man who makes the big decisions, and after six years of war and insurgency, Iraq is in no condition to challenge him and his armed forces. "The government has no interest in rocking the boat by supporting one side or the other in Iran," says Joost R. Hiltermann of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. "They still have to live with whatever emerges there." For now, senior Iraqi officials are just waiting quietly to see how things shake out in Tehran. Still, says a Western adviser to the Baghdad government, who declines to be identified commenting on sensitive issues, the Iraqis aren't all that sorry for Ahmadinejad and Khamenei: "Some are secretly gloating because they don't like the way the Iranian regime has behaved in the region."

Full story is here.

Useful Resources

Translations: TehranBroadcast.com | Translate4Iran
Helping Iranians use the web: Tor Project (English & Farsi)IranHelp.org (Farsi)
Demonstrations: Facebook | WhyWeProtest
Activism: Avaaz.org

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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.

Tuesday's updates are here.

7:08 PM ET -- Clinton declines comment on Ahmadinejad reelection.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton refrained from comment Monday on the reelection of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but pointed to a "credibility" gap for Iran's leadership.

"I'm not going to speculate on, you know, what happens with their internal regime," the top US diplomat said.

"Obviously, they have a huge credibility gap with their own people as to the election process, and I don't think that's going to disappear by any finding of a limited review of a relatively small number of ballots," Clinton added. [...]

"We're going to take this a day at a time. We're going to watch, and carefully assess what we see happening," she said.

"This is a historic moment for Iran and for the Iranian people, and I don't want to, you know, speculate on how it's going to turn out," Clinton added.

6:37 PM ET -- Mousavi being blocked from appearing on TV. From the National Iranian American Council's great blog:

Amir Kabir newsletter (Amir Kabir Polytechnic University) reports that several supporters of Ahmadinejad in the parliament are trying to prevent Mousavi from attending a live TV program. According to this newsletter, one MP has reported that several Ahmadinejad supporters are writing letters to the IRIB, the Guardian Council and the Secretary of the National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran to prevent Mousavi's appearance on TV. MPs such as Gholamali Haddad-Adel, Hussein Fadaei, and Ruhollah Hosseinian are trying to collect signatures for this letter.

6:21 PM ET -- "Allah-o Akbar!" Many reports tonight of people reacting to the evening news of Ahmadinejad's "official" victory by heading to their roofs and chanting. It's "like the stars were calling out Allah-o Akbar," one person told me earlier, relaying a comment from Iran.

6:13 PM ET -- From the UK's Guardian: Faces of the dead and detained in Iran.

3:58 PM ET -- Clinton condemns Iran's treatment of British envoys. AFP: "US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday decried Iran's 'deplorable' treatment of British embassy staff arrested on accusations they stoked post-election unrest. Clinton said she was carefully monitoring the situation and condemned Iran's 'harassment' of the diplomats. 'We are following the situation with great concern,' Washington's top envoy said. 'We have noted the statements from the (European Union). We find that the harassment of embassy staff is deplorable and we will continue to support the (United Kingdom) in calling for their release,' she said."

3:56 PM ET -- Solidarity. New photos from Iran rallies in the U.S.

3:54 PM ET -- Police out in force in Tehran. ABC's Lara Setrakian reports on Twitter, "Clashes reported in Tehran after people take to the streets protesting the Guardian Council's ruling on #Iranelection." More from the AP:

Iranian police were out in force across the capital Tehran on Monday as the authorities upheld the official results of this month's fiercely-disputed presidential election over opposition protests. [...]

Witnesses said hundreds of policemen and Basij militiamen carrying sticks were deployed in Tehran's main public squares to prevent any recurrence of the opposition protests over the conduct of the election that have broken out since the June 12 poll.

They said security forces were also randomly checking the boots of cars and vehicles, and checking the identification cards of drivers.

2:09 PM ET -- Egypt shuts down Iran solidarity march. "An attempt by Egyptians to march in solidarity with Iranian protesters and to honor Neda-Agha Soltan -- whose death earlier this month made her the icon of Iran's opposition movement -- was halted by security forces in Cairo over the weekend."

1:55 PM ET -- 'US forces attempt to hijack Iranian oil field.' An anonymously sourced story out today by Iran's state media, via reader Jenny.

1:35 PM ET -- Reaction to the Guardian Council's election ruling. Iranians on Twitter say people have begun protesting news that Iran's main election body had affirmed Ahmadinejad's victory. People have "come out on the streets... [they] are in the various city squares," one writes.

1:30 PM ET -- Reporters Without Borders: What is going on in the silence of Iran's notorious Evin prison?

1:26 PM ET -- Military officials push Khatami to intervene. An interesting report in state media, sent by a reader, about how the government is trying to get reformist former president Khatami to help alleviate tensions.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Head of Iran's Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission told ISNA that the committee's governing board held a meeting with former president Mohammad Khatami on Sunday and discussed the latest situation in the country.

According to Boroujerdi, officials attending the meeting expressed grave concern about the political damages brought about on a domestic and international scale in the course of recent protests in Iran.

"The lawmakers asked Mr. Khatami to help resolve the current issues and he vowed support," the Majlis official said.

1:18 PM ET -- EU envoys may be pulled from Iran. "European Union states are considering recalling their ambassadors from Iran in an attempt to secure the release of the British embassy employees being held in Tehran. EU diplomats said the envoys could be recalled temporarily in solidarity with locally engaged staff from the British mission in Tehran who have been accused of involvement in post-election rioting. The British government insists the accusations are false."

1:10 PM ET -- Guardian Council certifies election results. It's official, according to Iran state media. Here's a very rough translation:

The Guardian Council...in a letter to Interior Ministry announced that the council. after studying the presidential election, has confirmed the accuracy of the results. A full statement by the Guardian Council will be released shortly.

For Persian speakers, here's a PressTV video news report.

Update: Here's a piece in English by state-backed PressTV.

1:02 PM ET -- "Freeze for freeze." Mohamed ElBaradei, the savvy outgoing head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, is pushing a trade-off to advance nuclear negotiations with Iran:

The secretary general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, is trying to break the deadlock by suggesting the "freeze-freeze" formula again. Under this formula, Iran would freeze enrichment in return for a freeze on any further sanctions.

Mr ElBaradei is arguing that Iran now has the expertise to enrich anyway so it would not lose anything by a suspension.

He said on 15 June: "With the new overture coming from Washington, why can't we go for a freeze-for-freeze? Why is there a rush now for Iran to build its enrichment capability in terms of industrial capacity? ...And there is also, if we are going into a negotiation, no reason to have additional sanctions applied."

12:42 PM ET -- Today in Tehran. The latest posts from a reliable Iranian online:

# On Parkway right now people are beeping their horns, and basij has responded by smashing their windscreens and slashing their tires

# People had announced that they will form a human chain from Tajrish sq to Railway Today

# The cellphones are down in Valieasr street and surronding area.

# Police and plain clothes forces are settled across the Valiasr street to disallow the protesters to make a human-chain.

# Daneshju Park is full of Basij and special gaurds and militia forces are being organized in the park for dealing with the possible protest or human chain.

# Students of Science and Technology university put a photo of martyr Kianoosh Asa on the university's academic staff board..

12:40 PM ET -- "So far from me as a normal Iranian girl..." The site NYC For Iran publishes an interview conducted over Skype with a 28-year-old Iranian.

"The situation itself is strange for me," she notes. "I was here every summer. I have never seen this situation. There are military people and police on the streets. You really don't know who they are. They are divided into four groups, with different clothes and ideas about how to behave with people. I really don't know who are with the people and who are against."

Gina has also seen things that no one should ever see.

"Yesterday they were carrying around a half of one of the victims," she said. "They start shooting people again. They don't let families have funerals for their children and people who are dying, because they think they are calling people to come again in the streets. I'm afraid of walking in the street after 4 or 5 p.m. Tehran wasn't like this two years ago - it was like a modern city."

But this is not normal for the Tehran of 2009 either.

"I just can't believe that this is happening in Tehran," she said. "This is normal for Iraq and stuff, so far from me as a normal Iranian girl. Now I'm seeing it in front of my eyes and I can't believe it. Everyone is in shock. It isn't finishing. I don't know how its going to end but its not finishing at all."

11:46 AM ET -- Debate reportedly turns physical in Iran's parliament. The news site Baztab reports that Iranian MP Pezeshkian was physically confronted while urging the regime to show tolerance towards critics.

11:24 AM ET -- Mousavi camp says he didn't give in. We noted reports earlier that Iran's Guardian Council, "a 12-member clerical panel charged with vetting and authenticating the June 12 vote, said on Monday that Mr. Moussavi had offered proposals to 'rebuilt public trust' after more than two weeks of rallies and protests by the opposition that have drawn a broad and violent crackdown from government security forces."

A message just posted on Mousavi's Facebook page seems aimed at squashing any rumors that he is caving to the government:

No results in meeting between Mousavi's representative and the guardian council, he didnt give up to them: 'Mir Hossein Mousavi is not under house arrest, he is not about to leave the country, he is under strong pressure to end this. but he always said he will stand for the people's will to the end ! He is from and with the people ...'

10:50 AM -- Adventures in propaganda: Basiji "impostors." From Iran's state media: "Iranian police officials have reportedly arrested the armed imposters [sic] who posed as security forces during post-election violence in the country. Iran's Basij commander, Hossein Taeb, said Monday that the imposters [sic] had worn police and Basij uniforms to infiltrate the rallies and create havoc."

10:40 AM ET -- Mousavi's choices. I don't think this analysis in the Washington Post offers the full range of options open to Mousavi, but it does highlight the extremely difficult choices Mousavi now has in front of him.

"Everything now depends on Mousavi," said Amir Mohebbian, a political analyst. "If he decreases the tension, politicians can manage this. If he increases pressure, the influence of the military and security forces will grow."

Should he continue to fight, other analysts say, Mousavi and many of his advisers could be jailed, which would mean the end of their political influence within Iran's ruling system. The exclusion of such a large group would end Iran's traditional power-sharing system. Authority would rest in the hands of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ahmadinejad, and his supporters, leaving the parliament as the lone outpost of opposition voices.

On the other hand, accepting defeat might allow Mousavi to create a political party that, although unable to challenge the rule of Khamenei, could give him an opposition role during Ahmadinejad's second term. Mousavi's supporters, who are still enraged over post-election violence that they blame on the government, would be extremely disappointed by such a move.

10:20 AM ET -- Persepolis 2.0. Via BoingBoing, here's a fan-art story about Iran's election in the style of the famous graphic novel/movie Persepolis.

10:17 AM ET -- Iran protests at CNN headquarters. Some excellent photos here.

10:04 AM ET -- Raising funds to help Iranians get online. The global online activism group Avaaz.org, which was co-founded by MoveOn.org, is holding a fundraiser:

One small donation of $15 can fund enough bandwidth for Iranians to send hundreds of secure emails. If 5,000 or more of us can donate, we can scale up these services massively -- with more servers, bandwidth and advanced technical support. The next two weeks will be crucial -- donate now to break the blackout.

More information here.

9:53 AM ET -- Iran extends deadline to investigate voter fraud again. Also, the Guardian Council says Mousavi has offered some "positive" proposals:

As officials began a limited recount of Iran's disputed presidential ballot on Monday, authorities in Tehran said they had extended by five days their deadline to investigate opposition claims of electoral fraud. The move could postpone the final certification of the ballot, which Iranian leaders insist was fair.

The Guardian Council, a 12-member clerical panel charged with vetting and authenticating the June 12 vote, said on Monday that Mr. Moussavi had offered proposals to "rebuilt public trust" after more than two weeks of rallies and protests by the opposition that have drawn a broad and violent crackdown from government security forces.

Press TV, the English-language state satellite broadcaster, said the council had found Mr. Moussavi's proposals to be "positive." It did not say what they were. Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei, the council spokesman, was quoted as saying the panel has "given another opportunity to Moussavi" to substantiate his grievances about the election.

Reuters notes, "In a sign that the process would not put into question Ahmadinejad's victory, IRNA news agency said recounting so far in one Tehran district gave him more votes" than in the original count.

9:30 AM ET -- Iran releases 5 British embassy officials. "Iran has said it has freed five local British embassy staff arrested on accusations of stoking post-election unrest, a move that further threatened tense ties with London and the West. ... Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie accused the British embassy of sending its staff to 'escalate the riots'... British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said London had protested strongly over the arrests, which he described as 'harassment and intimidation' and dismissed as baseless the claims the embassy was behind the unrest."

9:20 AM ET -- Ahmadinejad looking for Neda's real killer. Oh brother. "President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad...asked a top judge Monday to investigate the killing of Neda Agha Soltan, who became an icon of Iran's ragtag opposition after gruesome video of her bleeding to death on a Tehran street was circulated worldwide. Ahmadinejad's Web site said Soltan was slain by 'unknown agents and in a suspicious' way, convincing him that 'enemies of the nation' were responsible."

9:14 AM ET -- Iran: Soccer players weren't punished. From Iran's state media:

Iran's manager Afshin Qotbi says no player has been punished for sporting green wristbands during a recent World Cup qualifier with South Korea.

A number of foreign media outlets, spearheaded by CNN, claimed that the four footballers -- Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Hosein Ka'abi, and Vahid Hashemian -- were banned for life over showing 'a display of political support' for Mousavi.

In an e-mail message sent to The New York Times, the team's manager Afshin Qotbi rejected the media reports as "false and rumors."

"The IFF (Iranian Football Federation) has not taken any official stand on this issue. We only saw the story in the international media," he said on Friday.

8:39 AM ET -- More focus on the Revolutionary Guard. We noted some analysis yesterday pointing to the key role of Iran's Revolutionary Guard in the post-election unrest. Crooks & Liars has video of Fareed Zakaria speaking on the topic (posted below). And Bloomberg News looks at the Guard's consolidation of power under Ahmadinejad:

Eight of the 21 posts in the president's cabinet are held by former members, according to Ali Alfoneh, an analyst at Washington's American Enterprise Institute. Among them are Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli, whose agency ran the election, and Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar.

Another five places are occupied by past Basij commanders. The state broadcasting arm is headed by Ezzatollah Zarghami, a former guard. At least one-third of Iran's parliament members are former guards, according to Nader.

Under Ahmadinejad's predecessor, Mohammad Khatami, 65, only three ministers had belonged to the guards or Basij.

A smart Iranian expat I speak to repeatedly presses the important role that the Guard now plays in the economy, a point that Bloomberg's piece makes as well: "Under Ahmadinejad, the government has favored the guards by offering its companies no-bid contracts, especially in oil and natural-gas extraction, pipeline construction and large-scale infrastructure development."

8:30 AM ET -- Solidarity. Dozens turn out for Iran in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dozens more in Cincinnati.

2:17 AM ET -- Video from inside the mosque rally yesterday. We posted several videos yesterday of the vibrant demonstration outside Tehran's Ghoba mosque -- this was the scene inside:

1:53 AM ET -- Touring Tehran. This fascinating, sometimes eerie compilation of scenes from Tehran, apparently shot yesterday, has an almost cinematic quality.

1:45 AM ET -- Something in between? David Sanger explores the Obama administration's thinking:

In background conversations last week, several [U.S. officials] cautioned that it was not clear what the Iranians had in mind. "The students in Tiananmen wanted real democracy, the Poles wanted regime change, but the Iranians might be looking for something in between," one of Mr. Obama's top advisers said. "But the more the supreme leader cracks down, the more radicalized the opposition may become."

Robert Litwak, the author of "Regime Change," a study of how modern regimes have fallen, said last week: "The truth here is that a soft landing for Iranian society is not a soft landing for the leadership." So far, he observed last week, "the Iranians are not as sufficiently united against the regime as the Poles were in the late '80s." Moreover, the Polish regime was more fragile: Because it was considered a Soviet tool, the opposition could play to nationalist emotions.

Not so in Iran. The clerics may be repressive hardliners, but they are authentically Iranian. And so far, the Revolutionary Guard seems completely on the side of the supreme leader and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

1:34 AM ET -- BBC Persia. A powerful new media voice in Iran is profiled by the New York Times.

1:20 AM ET -- California to seek Iran investment data from insurers. "California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is initiating a review of insurance companies doing business in California to determine their level of Iran-related investments." I'm unfamiliar with this

1:16 AM ET -- Rights group suggests at least 2,000 arrests. From the AP: "The Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights said its information suggests at least 2,000 arrests have been made -- 'not just (people) arrested and later released, but who are locked up in prison,' the group's vice president, Abdol Karim Lahidji, told the AP. He said his information came from members of human rights groups in Iran and other contacts inside the country."

1:10 AM ET -- Poetry from Iran. "One Tweet at a time."

1:07 AM ET -- Solidarity. HuffPost reader James Stevenson sends along these images from a demonstration in Westwood, California on Sunday:

Thousands more rallied in Paris yesterday. A bunch of excellent photos are here, and more video (including of Bernard-Henri Levy's speech) is here.

1:05 AM ET -- Decision day? "Iran's powerful Guardian Council is due to give its verdict on the result of the disputed presidential election, two weeks after the poll was held."

1:03 AM ET -- Wall Street Journal op-ed calls for U.S. to topple Iran's government. In the Journal, conservative writer Gabriel Schoenfeld advocates a CIA-led regime change effort, opining that "In a better world, toppling this vicious regime and altering the tide of history would be a primary objective of U.S. foreign policy." Because that worked so well for Iran when the United States did it the first time.

As for legality, Schoenfeld scoffs. "As a matter of law, the critics are right. Such covert action is indeed illegal. But legality is beside the point."

12:45 AM ET -- "Allah-o Akbar!" Their voices are still being heard from the rooftops... this video was apparently taken on Saturday evening:

Useful Resources

Translations: TehranBroadcast.com | Translate4Iran
Helping Iranians use the web: Tor Project (English & Farsi)IranHelp.org (Farsi)
Demonstrations: Facebook | WhyWeProtest
Activism: Avaaz.org

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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. Click here if you'd like to support this post on Digg.

12:00 AM ET -- Monday's updates are here.

10:18 PM ET -- Mousavi's Facebook site denies arrest reports. There are several accounts tonight that Mousavi was arrested. A message just posted on his Facebook page appears to deny them: "Mir Hossein Mousavi is not under house arrest, he is not about to leave the country, he is under strong pressure to end this. but he always said he will stand for the people's will to the end ! He is amongst people..."

8:13 PM ET -- Photos from Sunday. Demotix's brave photojournalists have published several.

6:39 PM ET -- Firing from a rooftops. "Incredible high point overview at the chaos in Tehran when the Iranian regime began to brutally crack down on the pro-democracy demonstrations on June 20th 2009 - look at the Basij shooting down off the roof..."

6:00 PM ET -- Senior Obama aide David Axelrod: Ignore Ahmadinejad's "bloviations."

5:57 PM ET -- The brave women of Iran. The L.A. Times on today's rally: "A female protester, covered completely by a black chador, taunted some of the police. 'Who are you?' she demanded, according to the witness. 'Are you Muslims?' Dumbfounded security officials stood and watched, the witness said."

5:43 PM ET -- Iranian state TV tries to spin Neda's death. An Iranian-American friend sends along some new propaganda from state media making the case for why Neda's death wasn't caused by government forces. Here's a paraphrase:

They provide 3 reasons:

1) She was away from the main center, why should their forces be far away;
2) Why were people there with cameras unless this was already planned and staged?;
3) The bullet used is from a 6-7 mm caliber pistol, which is not used by their forces;

One interesting thing in the video is the older man, which I assume is the same person who wore the blue striped shirt on the day she died. He said the sound they heard sounded like a firecracker, not a gun, with a trailing fizzy sound. The first guy on the street is supposed to be the person who drove her to the hospital, he says there were no agents around.

It feels silly to respond to this but I want to note a couple points: 1) It's clear that there were Basij fighters near Neda because video of her while she was still alive shows them just up the street. 2) The doctor who tried to save Neda's live (and then fled the country in fear) says he saw the crowd detain a Basij member immediately after she was shot. 3) Anyone who's ever heard a handgun go off knows they can actually sound very much like a firecracker, quite unlike how they often sound in movies, etc.

5:39 PM ET -- Senior cleric calls for separation of powers. The NIAC translates a story today about Ayatollah Javadi Amoli calling for separation of powers in Iran.

"When one person alone enacts, executes and judges the law, there will be problems." ... Amoli, who led the Friday prayers sermon in Qom, believes that the best way to resolve the current situation is a separation between the executive branch, the judicial branch and the Islamic jurist. Amoli said separation of powers is not a recent phenomenon and it existed before Islam. "Separation of powers does not belong to a particular century. Islamic and non-Islamic governments have it now, too," he said.

5:31 PM ET -- Mousavi calls into today's protest. Several readers have passed along this video posted on Facebook. Reader Kia offers a description (slightly edited for clarity): "Dr. Beheshti (son of the Ayatollah Beheshti, who was a founder of the revolution and assassinated some 30 years ago -- the event today was held in his memory), who is a supporter of Mousavi, is first talking to people telling them that Mr. Mousavi is stuck in traffic and is not able to join them. Then they call Mousavi, and we can hear Mousavi's voice from his cellphone (very hard to figure out what he is saying -- apparently thanking the protesters and asking them to stay non-violent). Finally, the crowd notices that Karroubi is joining the crowd and is walking toward them, and everybody starts shouting in support of Karoubi and Mousavi."

5:18 PM ET -- Is the Revolutionary Guard really in control? Two U.S. analysts -- former National Security Council staffer Gary Sick and former CIA operative Robert Baer -- argued today that the events in Iran over the last two weeks amount to a military coup by the Revolutionary Guard. Here's Sick writing for the Daily Beast:

Over the 20 years that Ayatollah Khamenei has been the rahbar, or leader, he has allied himself ever more closely with the Revolutionary Guards--to such an extent that it is no longer apparent to me who is leading and who is following. The Revolutionary Guards have been granted extraordinary influence over all functions of the Islamic republic--military, political, economic, and even Islamic. Technically, they take their orders from the leader, but has he ever dared to contradict them? On the contrary, he seems always to court them by granting them ever-greater influence and responsibilities. [...]

Unlike the professional military, which had always abjured a political role in Iran, the Revolutionary Guards were recognized from the start as the protectors of the Islamic republic. They have gone on to acquire an active and pervasive presence at all levels of the political structure, particularly under President Ahmadinejad, who has appointed his fellow guardsmen to positions throughout the bureaucracy.

And here's Baer on CNN's "GPS with Fareed Zakaria": "Fareed, I'm quite sure there's been a military coup d'etat by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran. They've taken over. And the fact that the Basij came out so quickly, they could have only done that on orders from the IRGC. The fact that Ahmadinejad is a former IRGC officer, he has the backing of senior officers, I think what we've seen is a military coup against the old clerical establishment. What do you do about a military takeover in a country like Iran? You just simply wait it out." A transcript of the full discussion is here.

5:16 PM ET -- Some British embassy staff reportedly released. "Iranian state media is reporting that authorities have released some members of the British Embassy staff in Tehran, one day after eight Iranian staffers there were detained for alleged links to the nation's post-election unrest."

5:10 PM ET -- Are clerics in Iran as divided as Iran? Reza Aslan, interviewed by NPR, offers a broad explanation of Shi'ism in Iran.

4:45 PM ET -- Iranian actor reportedly arrested at rally. Via a reader, the news site Kamyab News is reporting that Reza Ataran, a comedic actor, was arrested in front of Ghoba mosque with his wife today. The article "says that he was wearing green and was led away by security forces."

4:36 PM ET -- "The train has left the station." Some analysis from an excellent summary piece by the New York Times:

The leadership seems to recognize that ending the street demonstrations is far easier than turning the clock back to the days before the election, when there was still some degree of trust in a system that sought to marry religious authority with popularly elected institutions, political analysts said.

"I think no one can predict Iran's political future," said an Iranian intellectual who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal. "I do believe some things have changed after this recent upheaval and that events will play out in months and years to come." [...]

In spite of the unrelenting pressure of the state, including threats that protesters should be jailed and even killed, there were still high-ranking insiders who refused to endorse the government's narrative. They were not agitating for the opposition -- or even for defiance -- but by carefully not endorsing the leadership, were seen as challenging it, political analysts said.

"As one colleague said, the train has left the station, and I don't think even the leaders of the country know exactly where it is heading," said Ali Ansari, a professor of Iranian history at St. Andrews University in Scotland.

4:22 PM ET -- Khamanei speaks on Sunday. There seemed to be a slight shift in Supreme Leader Khamenei's rhetoric today, describing the protesters almost sympathetically, as "youth" being "toyed with" and emotionally manipulated by Western governments. From state TV:

The Leader said Sunday that legal measures were the only solution to the issues that the country has been facing since the 10th presidential elections on June 12.

"The people's emotions, especially that of the youth, must not be toyed with and they should not be pitted against one another as the Iranian nation, regardless of the differences of opinion, is a united nation that has good relations with the [Islamic] establishment."

Ayatollah Khamenei went on to urge political parties not to play with one another's feelings and said, "If the nation and political elite are united in heart and mind, the incitement of international traitors and oppressive politicians will be ineffective."

The Leader's remarks came after certain European countries and the US condemned the measures taken by the Tehran government to restore stability in the country following the election, which saw incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad win by a landslide.

"They express their opinions about Iran in a manner that one would think all their other problems have been resolved and only the Iranian problem remains," said Ayatollah Khamenei.

The New York Times noted that Khamenei was "returning to a theme of foreign intervention that historically has resonated across Iran but that has so far failed to silence the opposition."

3:35 PM ET -- Random notes. My appearance with Dana Milbank on CNN today was pretty heated -- video is here if you're interested. Also, if you'd like to support today's live-blog on Digg, the link is here.

3:14 PM ET -- PersianKiwi reappears? Yesterday, there were reports that a reliable and prolific Iranian on Twitter known as PersianKiwi had been arrested. Readers today are directing me to the account of a new Twitter user alleging to be the same person. One of those posts today reads, "WARNING! Am Safe. Basiji corrupted my twitter acct. DO NOT SEND INFO TO ME @persiankiwi! Great danger!"

It's so difficult to determine the reliability of these posts, and I urge readers to consider them very cautiously. But in the absence of virtually any hard information, I'm trying to provide whatever updates I can.

3:08 PM ET -- Iran's mass arrests broadest since '79. "Intimidation of regime opponents with arbitrary detention or house arrest is nothing new in Iran. But the country's current crackdown against citizens angry at the apparent rigging of the June 12 presidential election in favor of the incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is its broadest since the aftermath of the Islamic revolution in 1979."

2:35 PM ET -- Video of police crackdown. Reader Jack passes along this video, the first reportedly from today showing violence against protesters. In the clip, riot police and basiji on motorcycles swarm a handful of protesters. One demonstrator, whose face is blooded, is shown being pushed along the street; at one point, a police officer wearing a helmet headbutts the man.

Two more lower-quality videos apparently from today are here and here.

2:14 PM ET -- More video reportedly from today. Via reader Allie, this incredible video shows Mehdi Karroubi, the other reformist candidate to run in the presidential election who has now allied himself with Mosuavi, marching along with the crowd.

Via a reader, this site reports that, in addition to Karroubi and Faezeh Hashemi, "Ayatollah Ghafari and Mustafa Malikyan participated in the ceremony. Mousavi talked by phone to the people."

Update: And here's yet more video from today:

12:43 PM ET -- Iranian officials crack down on Tehran march. A breaking news alert from the AP: "Witnesses in Iran say police have clashed with up to 3,000 protesters near a mosque in north Tehran. They say security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, and some demonstrators fought back, chanting: 'Where is my vote?' Witnesses at the scene tell The Associated Press that some protesters claimed they suffered broken arms or legs in Sunday's clashes around the Ghoba Mosque. They say some young demonstrators screamed at police and then attacked them after the officers allegedly beat an elderly woman. The reports could not immediately be independently verified because of tight restrictions imposed on journalists in Iran."

An Iranian on Twitter writes, "Anti-Riot Vans Moving toward Shariati, St, Clashes at Mohseni SQ." A reader notes that a commenter on Mousavi's Facebook page says that Faezeh Hashemi -- the daughter of Mousavi ally and former Iranian president Rafsanjani -- was at the demonstration today.

12:14 PM ET -- Rafsanjani breaks his silence. From the AP:

Influential former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, seen by analysts as a possible mediator in any effort to defuse the election row, called for a thorough examination of complaints.

He praised a decision by Khamenei last week to extend a deadline for the Guardian Council to receive and look into objections by defeated candidates, the ISNA news agency reported.

"I hope those who are involved in this issue thoroughly and fairly review and study the legal complaints," Rafsanjani said.

Breaking his post-election silence, he described events after the vote as a conspiracy by suspicious elements aimed at dividing people and the Islamic system, and also targeting people's trust in it. "Wherever the people entered the scene with full alertness, such plots were foiled," the ISNA and IRNA news agencies quoted him as saying, without elaborating.

Rafsanjani, who has occupied key posts since the founding of the Islamic Republic, backed Mousavi's election campaign and was fiercely criticized by Ahmadinejad on television.

12:08 PM ET -- Iran arrests 8 British embassy officials. Here's the state media report:

Iranian security officials have arrested eight local staff members of the British embassy for 'inflaming post-election tensions' in the country.

Iran's Fars news agency reported Sunday that those arrested have had a significant role in the recent unrest. [...]

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Sunday described the arrest of eight "hardworking diplomatic staff" of the UK embassy in Tehran as "harassment" and "intimidation".

He said that London had lodged an official complaint with Iranian authorities about the arrests, which occurred on Saturday.

Miliband, who was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe on the Greek island of Corfu on Sunday, said the development was "quite unacceptable".

"At the moment our top priority is the position of our locally engaged staff, who we want to see released, unharmed and back at work," he added.

More from the AFP: "The European Union vowed Sunday to meet any harassment of diplomats in Iran with a 'strong and collective response' after eight British embassy staff in Tehran were arrested. 'The harassment or intimidation of foreign and Iranian staff working at the EU embassies will be met with a strong and collective EU response,' said a statement by the Czech EU presidency."

11:54 AM ET -- Updates on Tehran march. Several unconfirmed posts on Twitter say that a heavy police presence has joined the marchers. One person on Twitter writes, "Helicopters Flying Over ppl &Anti-Riot Police Asking ppl to leave, The Meeting is Cancled! But ppl Staying in the St." Another: "No News of Mousavi, But People Staying, Some Siting in the Streets, More People trying to join, No Conf of Numbers."

A reader sends in the first video apparently from today. The crowd is chanting a slogan we've heard before, "Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!" The first section, a reader notes, means, "'Hossein help me' - Hossein is the son of Imam Ali, and the grandson of Prophet Mohammed." The second section, Mir Hossein, is of course the first part of Mir Hossein Mousavi's name.

11:50 AM ET -- Several Mousavi campaign aides reportedly released. Via a very helpful reader, the news site Gooya reports, "According to an Ayandeh reporter, Mousavi's election campaign leader (Ghorban Behzadian-Nejad) as well as 22 out of 25 staff members of his newspaper, Kalameh Sabz (translation: green word) that were arrested last week, have been released. However, 1 member of Kalameh's website has been detained since."

11:30 AM ET -- Thousands march silently in Tehran. "About 5,000 protesters marched slowly and silently through Tehran Sunday, near a mosque where the government was allowing a demonstration for the first time in days, a CNN producer said."

Authorities were riding on motorcycles alongside the marchers, who are telling each other to walk slowly and drag their feet, a CNN producer reported. Police were telling the demonstrators to move faster, the producer added, who CNN is not naming for security reasons.

Some of the protesters were telling the police that they have the legal right to protest in peace, the CNN journalist said.

11:27 AM ET -- Bon Jovi, Iranian singer Andy Madadian record 'Stand By Me' tribute. Reader Shahrzad writes, "Andy is a well-known Iranian Armenian pop musician, standing next to Jon Bon Jovi, who is an iconic figure in American music (and also very admirable on a personal level)...to see these two musician unite and sing this song in the fashion that they do is truly inspiring."

TV Guide covers the video here:

Earlier this week, Bon Jovi and bandmate Richie Sambora recorded a version of Ben E. King's classic "Stand by Me" with Iranian superstar Andy Madadian. Their mission: to send a message of global solidarity to the people of Iran who are caught in the midst of debate and protest over the country's recent election.

11:20 AM ET -- Solidarity. An Israeli woman takes part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv in support of Iranian opposition protestors on June 27, 2009. (Getty)

Useful Resources

Translations: TehranBroadcast.com | Translate4Iran
Helping Iranians use the web: Tor Project (English & Farsi)IranHelp.org (Farsi)
Demonstrations: WhyWeProtest

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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.

10:30 PM ET -- Hard-liners and moderates plotting against Khamenei. From Peter Beaumont's piece in the Guardian:

The power struggle inside Iran appears to be moving from the streets into the heart of the regime itself this weekend amid reports that Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani is plotting to undermine the power of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Rafsanjani's manoeuvres against Khamenei come as tensions between the speaker of the parliament, Ali Larijani, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also appeared to be coming to a head.

Mass demonstrations on the streets against the election results have been effectively crushed by a massive police and basiij militia presence that has seen several dozen deaths and the arrests of hundreds of supporters of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. But the splits within Iran's political elite are deepening.

8:43 PM ET -- Former Spanish PM criticizes Obama. Spain's hard-right former prime minister Jose Aznar, who was voted out of office in 2004, writes in today's Wall Street Journal:

President Obama has said he refuses to "meddle" in Iran's internal affairs, but this is a poor excuse for passivity. If the international community is not able to stop, or at least set limits on, the repressive violence of the Islamic regime, the protesters will end up as so many have in the past -- in exile, in prison, or in the cemetery. And with them, all hope for change will be gone. [...]

Delayed public displays of indignation may be good for internal political consumption. But the consequences of Western inaction have already materialized. Watching videos of innocent Iranians being brutalized, it's hard to defend silence.

8:39 PM ET -- "What will happen to those arrested in Iran?" "I can tell you."

8:05 PM ET -- U.S. intelligence in Iran. There isn't much.

The CIA was forced to close its station when the U.S. Embassy in Tehran shut down. For a while, the agency ran a hub out of Frankfurt, from which CIA officers could travel to meet contacts and try to steal secrets about Iran. More recently, it based a collection office in Los Angeles to take advantage of the Iranian expatriate community there.

None of it, however, is a substitute for having CIA staff actually on the ground, says former CIA official Bob Baer.

"We know virtually nothing about Iran. It's very easy to get misled when you collect intelligence through occasional sources, who travel out rarely, that are almost impossible to vet," Baer says. "Your intelligence by force is bad."

8:01 PM ET -- Bernard-Henri Levy... signs a joint letter calling on the French government "not to recognize the results of this rigged election and to keep diplomatic pressure on Iran demanding that the regime."

Also, distinguished Iranian film director Bahman Farmanara has published an open letter to Iranians, "We cannot remain silent."

7:37 PM ET -- "PersianKiwi" reportedly arrested. An Iranian reporter tweeted these two messages in the past hour regarding "PersianKiwi," one of the most reliable and prolific Iranians on Twitter: "persiankiwi is arrested. ... I'm so sorry. I recive [sic] the persiankiwi arrest news from a honest source but I hope it's been incorrect."

Nothing has been verified yet, I'll update as soon as I learn more.

5:06 PM ET -- "Hactivists" take up cause as streets quiet. A report from the AP:

A sharp clampdown by Iranian authorities may have quelled street protests, but the fight goes on in cyberspace.

Groups of "hacktivists" -- Web hackers demanding Internet freedom -- say they are targeting Web pages of Iran's leadership in response to the regime's muzzling of blogs, news outlets and other sites.

It's unclear how much the wired warriors have disrupted official Iranian sites. Attempts by The Associated Press to access sites for state news organizations, including the Islamic Republic News Agency and Fars, were unsuccessful -- with a message saying the links were "broken."

Other Iranian Web sites, including the official site for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were able to be viewed.

5:00 PM ET -- Mousavi rejects partial vote recount.

Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi on Saturday rejected authorities' proposals for a partial recount of votes from this month's election and repeated his demand the entire ballot be annulled.

Iran's top legislative body, the Guardian Council, had offered to recount 10 percent of ballot boxes from the June 12 vote in the presence of senior officials representing the government and opposition.

"This kind of recount will not remove ambiguities...There is no other way but annulment of the vote...Some members of this committee are not impartial," Mousavi said in a statement posted on his website.

4:51 PM ET -- "President Moussavi, give us your orders..." A reader passes along a video posted today by film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who has on occasion acted as Moussavi's 'external spokesman.' The reader writes, "Here is a translated transcription i just did: it's crazy, i really don't know what's going on & where we're going..."

The people of Iran, by phone and mails, have asked me to send their message to mister Moussavi.

This letter is a summary of what they have told me these past days from inside Iran and all over the world:

"President Moussavi:
give us your orders!
Political power is gained by making people act,
and is lost in the contrary case.
The liars and stealers of the people's vote,
by buying time, are weakening people's social powers.

President Moussavi:
do not keep silent, do not wait, give us orders !
What us people of Iran had lost was not information, but courage.
Our fear came from each one of us feeling alone;
but participating in the elections,
and demonstrating by the millions
proved that if we stand together we are invincible.

President Moussavi:
do not send people to their houses !
So that they are once again crushed by despair and fear.
From a goverment that is itself illegal,
do not ask for a legal permission to peacefully demonstrate.

The majority of people of iran, who has voted for you, is waiting for your orders;
give us the orders to demonstrate !
give us the orders of a general strike !
give us the orders of resistance !

The people's common need is your orders.
President Moussavi
give the people your orders !"

on the behalf of the people of Iran
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
the 6th of the month of Tir, 88

4:49 PM ET -- Solidarity.

A woman holds up a ballon with "Freedom for Iran" written on it during a protest against the recent Iranian elections in the central German city of Frankfurt on June 27, 2009. (Getty)

Iranian demonstrators hold placards during a protest against the results of the recent presidential election and in support defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi in Ankara on June 27, 2009. (Getty)

4:43 PM ET -- "The end of the beginning." Trita Parsi and Reza Aslan, two excellent analysts, write, "Iran's popular uprising, which began after the June 12 election, may be heading for a premature ending. In many ways, the Ahmadinejad government has succeeded in transforming what was a mass movement into dispersed pockets of unrest. Whatever is now left of this mass movement is now leaderless, unorganized -- and under the risk of being hijacked by groups outside Iran in pursuit of their own political agendas."

4:08 PM ET -- Mousavi on Facebook. His latest message: "Sunday is the anniversary of 7th. tir martyrs, there will be a gathering in 'Ghoba' Mosque and its legal ! Please send this message to everyone you can in Iran."

It seems that, in an effort to bring the clerical establishment to his side, Mousavi has agreed to only support legal gatherings. But since the government won't permit any protests for his cause, events like this are his only resort.

2:29 PM ET -- What happens in Iran's prisons. A few readers have passed along this 60 Minutes segment from a few months back in which Anderson Cooper interviews an Iranian dissident who managed to escape from prison in Iran. It's quite powerful -- and a reminder of what some of the demonstrators may be experiencing right now:

1:36 PM ET -- Solidarity. In New York. In Amsterdam. In San Francisco. And, below, in Paris.

12:45 PM ET -- Another Ayatollah condemns government violence.

Member of Iran's Guardian Council had a meeting with senior theologist Ayatollah Mousavi Ardebili. The meeting focused on control of the Guardian Council over presidential elections in Iran that took place on June 12, candidates' protests against election results and latest developments, ILNA reported.

"Those responsible for organizing the elections have obligations to the people. Unfortunately, events that taken place after the election has caused turmoil in the Islamic Republic. We do not have to pacify the protest by force. The issue must be solved in a different way," Ardebili said.

He said the demonstrators must be entitled to speak before trying to pacify them. "We need to give protesters the right to speak on television. Answers of the opposite side should also be communicated to people through television. Let the people decide who is right and who is not. The people will not accept the senseless talk," Ardebili said.

12:43 PM ET -- Authoritarian regimes censor news from Iran. "Out of fear that history might repeat itself, the authoritarian governments of China, Cuba and Burma have been selectively censoring the news this month of Iranian crowds braving government militias on the streets of Tehran to demand democratic reforms."

11:29 AM ET -- Programming note. I'll be appearing on CNN's Reliable Sources with Dana Milbank on Sunday at 10AM ET. Dana wrote a column about President Obama's press conference last week, calling me a "planted questioner" and arguing that my question sent the message that "the American press isn't as free as advertised."

This should be fun -- see you soon Dana!

11:20 AM ET -- Mousavi agrees to seek permits. Middle East historian Juan Cole: "AP is reporting that opposition leader Mir-Hosein Mousavi has agreed to the Interior Ministry's demand that he apply for a permit one week in advance for any demonstrations, and will cease calling for unlicensed rallies. This is an about-face on Saturday from his stance just 24 hours earlier, when he said that the election theft attempt would be crushed. Mousavi did complain that rallies for his rival Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are allowed without all this rigamarole, implying that the Interior Ministry is treating him and his followers unfairly."

Though this is a reversal, as Juan Cole notes, Mousavi hasn't actually called for any specific demonstrations in several days, so the practical impact of this change seems limited.

11:10 AM ET -- An angry parliamentarian. Several readers have passed along this video of Iranian MP Alikhani passionately defending Mousavi as a crowd of angry conservative MPs try to shout him down.

I've held off posting because the video is from June 16, and because there was no complete English translation of what he was saying. Someone has now created a version of the video with subtitles. The news relevancy of the video is still minor, considering all the events that have taken place in subsequent days. But it does give a sense of how vibrant the election debate was before the government's vicious crackdown.

11:08 AM ET -- Iran: No soccer players punished (yet). The government-backed Tehran Times reports: "FIFA, soccer's world governing body, said Friday it received a letter from the Iranian federation which stated that 'No disciplinary action has been imposed on any players of the Iran national team by any authority.' 'IFF has not punished any players up to now, but the issue is under scrutiny. If it is confirmed that they wore green wristbands as a political action, we will punish them according to FIFA rules,' [Iran Football Federation President Ali Kafashian] said."

11:02 AM ET -- Iran's national poet speaks out. "NPR's Davar Ardalan interviewed Simin Behbahani, Iran's national poet, today from Tehran. She's 82 years-old and one of the most respected figures in modern Iran. She recites two poems inspired by recent events -- one dedicated to the people of Iran and another to Neda, the woman whose death during the protests was viewed by millions on the web and on TV."

10:58 AM ET -- UK, Italy oppose new sanctions. "UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband expressed reluctance on Saturday for new sanctions against Iran in the wake of violence following elections. ... He said sanctions were not an option that should be sought by the European Union. 'The debate with Iran should continue ... we all have a clear position and that is for the Iranian people to choose their government and for the Iranian government to protect their own people against violence.' Agreeing with Miliband, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said there should be other options if sanctions are not applied against Iran."

10:53 AM ET -- The Financial Times profiles a 46-year-old "senior government worker" they call "Leyla," who spent the last week working for Khamenei's regime and then heading to the protests when she got off work.

10:38 AM ET -- "Leftists" for Ahmadinejad. George Galloway is a British member of Parliament who is perhaps best known to Americans for his appearance before a U.S. Senate panel in 2005, where he ripped Senators for voting to back the war in Iraq.

These days, he's spending his time hosting a television show on Iran's state TV, proclaiming Iran's election completely legitimate. David at Daily Kos posted part 1 of his 7 video series that aired last week (I've embedded it below).

A reader reports that he appeared on Press TV again last night:

George Galloway, a British MP representing the constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow, spent several hours denouncing the protests, Israel and Zionism. He called upon the world to accept Ahmadinejad's re-election and called on the protesters to go home and accept the will of the people. He did not indicate which people he meant when he made that statement.

9:19 AM ET -- Solidarity. Via reader Allie, a candlelight vigil at Tehran University for the students who were beaten and arrested there:

9:00 AM ET -- Translate4Iran. "This grassroots project, called the Translation Initiative for Iranian Protesters (TIIP), is an ad hoc initiative aimed toward producing free, publication-ready translations of the written communication streaming out of Iran in the Farsi (Persian) language." Check it out here.

8:56 PM ET -- Iran officials seize pro-Mousavi party documents. Via reader David: "Iranian officials have seized documents and computers from a political party that had backed opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi in the June 12 presidential election, a newspaper reported on Saturday. The reformist Etemad Melli newspaper said 'officials inspected the office of Executives of Construction Party in Tehran and took away its documents and computers,' without specifying when this took place."

8:52 AM ET -- Rezai ready to join government's "special commission" on election. "Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai said on Saturday he was prepared to join a panel on post-election complaints if the other losers do as well... 'I welcome the Guardians Council's decision to set up a special board for the candidates' complaints, even though this announcement came late,' Rezai, a conservative, said in a letter to the electoral body."

Rezai said he would participate in the commission if Mousavi and Karroubi do as well. He called on both other candidates to take part in the panel in order to "remove electoral ambiguities and suspicions as well as obtain people's rights."

8:50 AM ET -- Ahmadinejad slams Obama for "interfering." From the AFP:

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again slammed US President Barack Obama on Saturday for "interfering" in Iran, as debate over the Iranian president's disputed re-election continued.

Tehran's streets appeared to be quiet after authorities had warned that any further protests would be suppressed.

"He (Obama) who spoke of reforms and changes, why did he interfere and comment in a way that disregards convention and courtesy," Ahmadinejad was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as asking. [...]

Ahmadinejad also said those Western leaders who made "insulting and irrelevant comments will be put on a fair trial" by Iran at every "international gathering."

"It is enough. Do not disgrace yourself further by such language and behaviour," he said, urging them to "correct" their attitude towards Iran.

8:32 AM ET -- Iran and the Syria gambit. Howard Schweber has an excellent new piece:

Our bigger long-term concern is with Iran's role in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. This week two things were announced. First, the U.S. is sending an ambassador to Damascus. Second, Jimmy Carter -- working with Egypt and Syria -- may have worked out terms for the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier whose capture by Hamas was one of the triggering events of Israel's invasion of Gaza. HaAretz reports that Shalit's release will take place within a few days as part of a prisoner exchange, and that the initial proposal was floated by Carter during a visit to Damascus and Gaza last year.

These stories may very well be connected, and they point to the almost incredible possibility that the U.S. may finally be ready to have a serious foreign policy in the Middle East. For what it's worth, I have been saying for many years that relations with Syria are the key. Here's just one reason: if Syria can be brought on board with a peace effort, Iran no longer has direct supply lines into Lebanon. Meanwhile, Syria has itself been supporting Hamas in Gaza (hence its role in negotiating the release of Shalit) as well as meddling in Lebanon. But while Syria has been notoriously difficult to deal with in the past, there is no reason in principle why progress cannot be made. Assad is an opportunist, not a mad ideologue, and certainly not a religious fanatic.

8:14 AM ET -- Some analysts say Iran crisis leaves U.S. better off. Check out Laura Rozen's latest at Foreign Policy magazine, which rounds up the range of thought on how Iran's election fallout will impact U.S. policy:

"The chessboard is moving demonstrably in the U.S. direction." That is the takeaway, said Congressional Research Service Middle East analyst Kenneth Katzman, from recent assessments by administration officials. "What I heard them saying is, 'Let's take advantage of that now, while we have the chessboard, and try to get a nuclear deal and get that resolved, rather than the whole ball of wax.'"

Added Katzman, of the perceived trend: "The strategic picture in the Middle East has moved to the U.S. advantage. The Lebanon elections, reengagement with Syria, stability in Iraq, have added up to a shifting chessboard against Iran."

But he added, while there is some optimism that regional and global trends are working to the U.S.'s advantage on Iran, there is also diminished expectation that near-term engagement is likely to occur. At the earliest, it's not expected -- if at all -- until the fall.

Useful Resources

Translations: TehranBroadcast.com | Translate4Iran
Helping Iranians use the web: Tor Project (English & Farsi)IranHelp.org (Farsi)
Demonstrations: WhyWeProtest

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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. Click here to support this post on Digg.

Saturday's live-blog is here.

7:24 PM ET -- "Calm of the grave." Friday in Tehran.

In the centre of Tehran there are many fewer security forces on the streets. A stadium where Basij militia - an arm of the Revolutionary Guard - were based is now being used for sport again. But the power of the regime is not far from the surface. On the main avenues black cars with the words special police painted on them move steadily through the traffic, each one containing four or five men in camouflage uniforms.

It has been much quieter these last few days. One elderly witness said she felt it was the calm of the grave. [...] When you ask Iranians about the way this might go, a phrase keeps cropping up. They say it might seem quiet to an outsider, but there is fire below the ashes."

Iranian families enjoy their weekend as they picnic at a park in Tehran on June 26. (Getty)

7:16 PM ET -- Iran says U.S. denied visas to U.N. delegation.

Tehran's U.N. envoy on Friday accused the United States of denying Iran's first vice president and members of his delegation visas to attend a three-day U.N. conference on the global financial crisis.

"Their entry visas were not issued by the host country," Iranian U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told the U.N. General Assembly.

It was not clear whether the alleged visa denial was related to the Iranian government's crackdown on demonstrators who have been protesting for nearly two weeks against what they say was a rigged presidential election in which hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a landslide victory.

A U.S. official said he was looking into Khazaee's statement.

5:56 PM ET -- Iran embassy in Switzerland hit by firebomb. We noted the violence at the Iran embassy in Sweden -- now this from a reader: "I have some pics of a protest in Bern, Switzerland. It first startet off peacefully, but one man threw a molotov cocktail at the outer wall of the Iranian embassy."

You can see the man who apparently threw the explosive standing in the background next to the fire:

5:44 PM ET -- What comes next? Nicholas Kristof led a reader chat today with columnist Roger Cohen, whose Iran coverage has been stellar. Here is Cohen's answer to the question of whether the Green movement can progress if Khamenei retains the ability to wield overwhelming force:

Certainly dictatorships can hold onto power through force against the will of the majority of the population, and that likely will be the case for some time yet in Iran. But some important shifts have occurred over the past two weeks that will, I think, weaken the regime. Millions of Iranians who were in a position of reluctant acquiescence, unhappy with the regime but believing they could reform and live with it, have moved into outright opposition. The highest office in the Islamic Republic, that of the supreme leader, has been weakened, because Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has lost the lofty mantle of arbiter, explicitly joining the hardline faction of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The brazen extent of the fraud was such that significant swathes of the religious and political establishment have dissented. Not since the first years after the revolution have there been such open splits in the hierarchy. And Ahmadinejad has emerged as the most polarizing figure in Iranian politics in decades.

The price of survival for the revolutionary establishment, in the medium term, may be throwing him overboard. I could see that happening. I also think that current attacks on the United States will give way to more conciliatory gestures as the regime tries to shore up its position through talks with the US that would be extremely popular at home. President Obama will face a delicate dilemma in deciding how and whether to maintain his outreach.

5:35 PM ET -- Guardian Council appointing election "commission." From Iran's state media:

In an interview with Press TV on Thursday, Guardian Council Spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei said in addition to a five-day extension for filing complaints, the Council had formed a "special commission" to "secure the additional confidence of the complaining candidates and their supporters."

He added that the commission was composed of six "outstanding political, social and religious figures" and the representatives of the two defeated candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi who persist with their complaints and demand a re-run. [...]

Members of the special commission include former foreign minister and current foreign affairs adviser to the Leader Ali Akbar Velayati, former Majlis speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Shahid Beheshti University Goudarz Eftekhar-Jahromi, Chief Prosecutor Qurban-Ali Dorri-Nadjafabadi, Majlis deputy Mohammad Hassan Abutorabi, and the Leader's representative at the Martyrs Foundation Mohammad-Hassan Rahimian.

The commission will supervise the recounting of about 10 percent of the ballot boxes to be "chosen at random," which Kadkhodaei may be broadcast live.

5:06 PM ET -- The comedy of Iran's propaganda. I'm very late in posting this, but on a relatively slow Friday afternoon, it's at least good for some entertainment. At the very least, watch the introduction of the main characters.

Update: As it turns out, the AP runs an interview today with Gene Sharp, who appears in the video.

4:57 PM ET -- Former Revolutionary Guard members charges "military coup." Via reader Carolina, NPR interviews Mohsen Sazegara, an Iranian dissident now living in Washington DC who helped found the Revolutionary Guard after 1979.

Right after the election, 11 o'clock at night, was a military coup because they went to (presidential candidate Mir Hossein) Mousavi's headquarters -- five persons from the Revolutionary Guard -- and told him that, 'Yes, the leader says that this is true, you have won the election, you are the elected president, but you can't be the president. (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad should remain in the position.'

"And then they started to invent those fake numbers in Ministry of Interior. And right after that they started to arrest the people, to disconnect the country, to dismiss the reporters, and that is the reason that we call it a military coup."

Update: CNN's Fareed Zakaria also interviewed Sazegara this past week:

4:51 PM ET -- Life for a foreign journalist in Iran (who hasn't been arrested). A dispatch from Cameron Abadi, who covered the election for GlobalPost:

Journalists found themselves in a special state of limbo. When I discovered that the accreditation for foreign journalists had been rescinded, no one made himself available to me to explain what, precisely, that meant. I was left to sort out my concerns on my own. Could I report from my room based on what other people told me? What if I had filed something before the accreditation was revoked but it was to be published after? Could I join the rallies strictly as a participant, rather than as a journalist? Were my phone calls and email correspondence being monitored?

Paranoia set in. I began having trouble distinguishing real risks from irrational fears. I noticed an intelligence agent taking my photo on the street and I stayed up one night thinking about where that photo might end up. I arranged to leave the country as soon as I could and kept my fingers crossed.

4:48 PM ET -- More Michael Jackson/Iran mash-ups.

4:08 PM ET -- A goodbye on Facebook. From a reader: "I got a very disturbing good bye message on Facebook from my cousin (who has been active in the Tehran protests). Please share my cousin's words with the world because I don't think people will know how many people are being killed and tortured until years from now (this is what happened during the crack down after the revolution) and please share this website with the people in Iran who need to know how to protect themselves."

The note from her cousin:

Hey guys,

I would not be around that much,we have real security issues over here and I have confirmed news that a lot of people are being arrested through Cyber stuff like videos,photos and internet posts.

They r monitoring everything closely now that they are a little bit free.

We will try to somehow pass the news as much as we can,but things are getting too risky over here,there is a lot that you guys don't know about how they r arresting ppl and what happens to some of them,where they are taken and how they are tortured(all I can say is that it is worst than what happened in revolution).

Don't talk about any of this stuff over the phone when you call Ir.I know it sounds scary,but it is true.The way they r monitoring is not a trick just to scare us,they are taking actions against the info they have found.So I am just going to lay low for a while.

Take care all and wish us luck.

3:58 PM ET -- Obama scoffs at Ahmadinejad's apology demand. "President Barack Obama scoffed at the idea that he should apologize to Iran's leaders for criticizing their violent crackdown on demonstrators and said Friday it was President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who must answer to his own people."

Standing next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Obama said the United States and Germany share "one voice" in condemning the Iranian effort to crush dissent. He said Iran's leaders cannot hide the "outrageous" behavior of clamping down violently on their people.

"We see it and we condemn it," Obama said. Said Merkel: "We will not forget this." [...]

Obama said it was too soon to tell how potential direct contact between the United States and Iran will be affected by the recent events. Attempting to break from his predecessor George W. Bush, Obama has sought to loosen the diplomatic freeze with Iran, but that effort is now in question -- at best.

Keeping pressure on Iran's rulers, Obama emphasized the rights of the people there. "Their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice," Obama said.

"The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. In spite of the government's efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it."

3:55 PM ET -- If you'd like to support this post on Digg... click here.

3:24 PM ET -- Ahmadinejad supporters reportedly targeting Larijani. As we've been documenting, Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's parliament, has consistently been a thorn in the side of Khamenei and Ahmadinejad in recent days. Larijani is no great friend of Mousavi's, but he reportedly dislikes Ahmadinejad strongly, and has been acting as an agitator in the parliament, condemning the government's crackdown on students and questioning the legitimacy of the election.

Today, the news site Tabnak reports that Ahmadinejad supporters have threatened Larijani with a vote of no confidence because of his alleged indirect support for Mousavi.

Yesterday, the Open Society Institute published an analysis of how Larijani and a group of high-ranking family members and loyalists have become a third force in the post-election unrest.

The Larijani faction is still coalescing, drawing support mainly from right-leaning politicians and military officers, who, prior to the outbreak of Iran's political crisis on June 12, tended to be conservative opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad... So far, the new faction has not enunciated a philosophical platform, but it seems that its leaders view the recent upheaval as a threat to the Islamic Republic, and they are dedicated to working to preserve the existing system.

Ali Larijani is emerging as the public face of the faction, but behind him stand his very influential brothers and other relatives, according to a well-connected source. One of Larijani's brothers is Sadegh, who is one of the 12 members of the powerful Guardian Council. Another is Mohammad Javad, a physicist and prominent political strategist. The Larijanis' cousin, Ahmad Tavakoli, a prominent rightist politician and a member of parliament, is also believed to be an important player in the faction, as is Ali Motahari, another prominent rightist political operator who is Ali Larijani's son-in-law.

The Larijanis' father was Grand Ayatollah Hashem Amoli, a leading Shi'a scholar who died in 1993. This paternal connection provides the Larijanis with strong ties to religious leaders in the holy city of Qom.

2:57 PM ET -- CBS's Chip Reid questions whether Obama spoke out too strongly on Iran. Sometimes the White House press corps is just insufferable.

2:50 PM ET -- Interviewing a basiji. The website PersianMirror.com has translated an alleged interview with a plainclothes paramilitary that has been circulating widely online. It's difficult to determine whether the interview is legitimate, though it does include quite a bit of detail.

Me: How much do they pay you?

Him: 200 dollars (200,000 tomans) per day. (he smiles)

Me: That's a lot of money. What're you gonna do with all that money?

Him: Get a wife. Or even two, if I can have this kind of money. Do you know how much that is? 2000 dollars. Maybe I won't even go back to Torbat. Maybe I'll stay here. Haji says there will be more demonstrations. They will give us more work.

Me: How many days have you been in Tehran?

Him: 3 days. There are still 7 more days left.

2:26 PM ET -- Iranian embassy officials hit demonstrators in Stockholm. Via several readers, three Swedish papers are reporting violence outside the Iranian embassy in Sweden. A reader passes along an English translation of one of the articles:

Iranian embassy employees have beaten demonstrators with batons at a demonstration outside the embassy on Lidingö in Stockholm on Friday afternoon, according to a witness on the spot.

Between ten and twenty demonstrators (of a larger group) broke through the fence and entered the embassy area. People from the embassy turned up with large batons and began to beat the demonstrators, said Roya Hakimnia, a 24-year-old medical student that was participating in the demonstration.

She saw more people, men and women, hit by baton strikes, but says that no one seems to have been seriously injured.

The incident took place around 4.30 (local time). The demonstrators were unarmed but had earlier thrown stones into the area, where several embassy staff was walking around on the lawn observing the demonstration.

They were perhaps five black-dressed guards, they were beating people with big sticks, like batons but larger.

Roya Hakimnia say that people shouted "Death to the Islamic Republic!" and "Death to dictator!" In the bitter atmosphere, some participants talked about storming the embassy, but many others argued against it. (....)

A woman with a megaphone shouted in Persian: "Don't throw stones. Please stop! Police are here, we have permission (for this demonstration), but are not allowed to throw stones! (....)

According to Swedish police, around 150 people were outside the embassy area. One person were detained by the police.

Sweden is set to take over the EU presidency on July 1. Readers tell me there is a large Iranian expatriate community there.

Update: Here's video -- the crowd at various points chants "Death to the Islamic Republic!" and some scuffles break out at around 1:15. Much more video from the demonstrations here.

2:21 PM ET -- Green balloons in Tehran. A reader offers, "It is very nice, small symbolic video... with a view of the mountains in the backdrop of Tehran..."

2:18 PM ET -- Russia scolds Iran on violence. The first statements from Russia on Iran that didn't echo Khamenei's propaganda:

Russia has said it is seriously concerned by the use of force in Iran after a disputed presidential election and urged Tehran to settle all issues in a democratic way, Interfax news agency reported.

"We naturally express our most serious concern about the use of force and the death of civilians," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on the sidelines of a meeting of Group of Eight foreign ministers in Italy.

"We count on all questions which have arisen in the context of the elections being resolved in accordance with democratic procedures," Lavrov said.

2:10 PM ET -- Back. Sorry for the delay in posting -- long planned meeting of HuffPost's DC staff today.

11:05 AM -- Former UK Ambassador to Iran Richard Dalton... is speaking for an hour today at the New America Foundation beginning at 12:30 PM ET. You can watch streaming video live at Steve Clemons' blog, The Washington Note.

10:53 AM ET -- More on the message at Friday prayers. From the New York Times:

At Friday prayers at Tehran university, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami referred to the demonstrators as rioters and declared, "I want the judiciary to punish leading rioters firmly and without showing any mercy to teach everyone a lesson."

Reuters quoted him as saying demonstrators should be tried for waging war against God. The punishment for such offenses under Islamic law is death, Reuters said.

The cleric's remarks represented a significant hardening of official rhetoric as authorities confronted the biggest political challenge since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Ayatollah Khatami is not regarded as a high-profile figure, so it was not clear how much weight his words carried.

However, he is a member of the influential Assembly of Experts and his threats seemed likely to further intimidate protesters whose presence on the streets has dwindled in the face of the deployment of security forces in large numbers.

10:44 AM ET -- Solidarity. Several hundred gathered at Dupont Circle in Washington DC last night for a really beautiful candlelight vigil. The cell phone pic below, taken at the very end of the evening, doesn't really do the scene justice. (Mark Goldberg has a few more pics here.) Despite the grim events, people seemed very comforted to be with others concerned about Iran, and camaraderie was high, with folks interacting warmly and passing around traditional Persian desserts.

Many more rallies in the U.S. and around the world are listed here.

10:33 AM ET -- "They'll kick you and they'll beat you and they'll tell you it's fair." An Iranian on Twitter posts this video with the note, "BEAT IT U FANATICS."

10:10 AM ET -- VOA: Thousands gather to grieve. Voice of America Iran reports over 13,000 have gathered at Zahra cemetery to mourn the dead.

9:55 AM ET -- Parliament member: Rafsanjani set to back Khamenei. A reader emails, "A strange article here stating that: 'Mohammad KaramiRaad, the representative of Kermanshah in Iranian Parliment, claims that Rafsanjani will soon declare his support for Khamenei...'" Anyone know more about this MP?

Update: Some more details on the piece. "This article was written in reference to the efforts of the National Security & Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament to bring a resolution to the crisis - in doing so, they met with the other two presidential candidates (Mousavi and Mohsen Rezai) in the past 2 days as well with Rafsanjani -- the Representative of Kermanshah that is mentioned is a member of this committee and seemed to be quoting Rafsanjani - the committee is also looking to meet with Hejatoleslam Nategh Noori on Saturday."

9:41 AM ET -- Ayatollah urges "lasting solution." Iran's state media has published a statement by senior cleric Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi, who calls for Iran's presidential election dispute to be settled through "national conciliation."

"Extremely bitter events have occurred in the days following the magnificent 10th [presidential] election, and certain adventurists took advantage of the disputes between the honorable candidates," Grand Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi said in a statement published on his website on Thursday. [...]

He went on to say that the solution to the conflict must not be a superficial one. "Definitively, something must be done to ensure that there are no embers burning under the ashes, and (to ensure) that hostilities, antagonism and rivalries are transformed into amity and cooperation among all parties."

Despite Makarem-Shirazi's seeming jab at the demonstrators, Middle East historian Juan Cole writes, "This statement is significant because it constitutes a clear rejection of the stance of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has declared the issue settled. You would not need practical reconciliation if the issue was settled."

9:15 AM ET -- Basiji drive a truck into a crowd. Via reader Chas, Olivia from YouTube's site CitizenTube continues to post new videos she finds from Iran: "This short video shows a large crowd of Iranians gathered in a public area. The scene seems quite calm until the last few seconds when a truck - supposedly driven by members of the Basij - revs its engine and starts to drive right through the crowd. You can hear screaming as the camera loses focus and the video ends."

9:07 AM ET -- Mousavi's message to Iranian expats. Posted today on Facebook:

Your trust in this insignificant civil servant and your decisive vote for me in most of the voting stations outside of the country has placed a heavy burden on my shoulders. I would like to give you my assurance that I remain true to my existing pact with you and all layers of the great people of Iran, and using all legal avenues will demand your deserved rights that have been violated at the ballot boxes.

Unfortunately, as you witness in the international media, contrary to the letter of the constitution, and the stated freedoms in the Islamic Republic, all my communication with the people and you has been cut off, and people's peaceful objections are being crushed. The national media which is being financed with public funds, with a revolting misrepresentation is changing the truth, and labels the peaceful march of close to three million people as anarchist, and the media that are being controlled by the government have become the mouthpiece of those who have stolen the people's votes.

8:47 AM ET -- The Daily Show in Iran. Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones aired his last dispatch from Iran last night. Worth a watch:

8:36 AM ET -- Green balloons. The Mousavi camp called for people worldwide to release green balloons today in a show of support, but green trash bags work too if you're in a bind.

7:48 AM ET -- Friday prayers: Cleric says punish "rioters" with "cruelty." The AP report is below (a quick note -- the hard line cleric referenced in the story, Khatami, is not to be confused with moderate former president Mohammad Khatami).

A senior Iranian cleric called Friday for harsh punishment for leaders of the country's post-election protests, even as a G8 foreign ministers meeting in Italy urged Iran's rulers to seek a peaceful resolution to the tense two-week confrontation over the disputed presidential vote. [...]

In the latest sign that the regime is not bending, Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami, a senior cleric, said during nationally broadcast Muslim sermon on Friday that the government should punish "leaders of the riots, who were supported by Israel and the U.S., strongly and with cruelty."

In his sermon at Tehran University, Khatami also accused foreign journalists of false reporting on post-election Iran.

He alleged that an icon of the protests, Neda Agha Soltan, was killed by protesters, not Iranian security forces quelling unrest. "Forces of the government do not shoot at a lady standing in a side street," he said of Soltan, who was shot to death a week ago.

Juan Cole comments, "This call is a new and dangerous turn, since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had praised the opposition leaders and simply urged them to accept the official results. Ahmad Khatami is close to the hard line faction of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and is surely voicing the sentiments of the worst of the Basij and Revolutionary Guards elements who have attacked the protesters."

7:37 AM ET -- Solidarity.

People gather for a candlelight vigil to honor victims of recent violence in Iran on June 25, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. Several thousand people gathered in Berlin's center and in other European cities to show their support for the demonstrators who oppose what they claim are manipulated results in recent elections in Iran. (Getty)

1:32 AM ET -- Michael Jackson meets Iran. From a reader: "Here are the lyrics from an early Jackson Five song (often overlooked) -- apropos for what's happening in Iran. The song is titled Young Folks."

You better make a way for the young folks

Here we come, and we're so alive.
We're here for business buddy,and don't won't no jive.
Brighter tomorrows are in our eyes
You better make a way for the young folks
Ooh, yeah,yeah,yeah,yeah

We say yes
And you say no
We ask you why
And you close the door
My old friend I thought you knew by now, yeah
You can't do that to the young folks
Oh, no,no,no,no

You might not like it
But I've got to tell you
I've got to tell you, na na, yeah yeah.
You better make a way for the young folks
Ooh, yeah,yeah,yeah,yeah

We're marching with signs
We're standing in lines, yeah, yeah
Protesting your rights
To turn out the lights in our lives
Here's the deal, accept it if you will
We're coming on strong, yeah
It's our turn to build
My old friend, I thought you knew by now, yeah
You gotta make a way for the young folks
Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah

You may not like it, but I've got to tell you
I've got to tell you, oh, yeah,yeah,yeah
You better make a way, you better make a way
You gotta make a way for the young folks, yeah, yeah
Oh,oh,yeah,yeah, ooh

You may not like it but I've to tell you
I've got to tell you, na na na na

1:19 AM ET -- Oil markets... are staying calm despite Iran unrest, the Washington Post reports.

In related news from earlier in the week -- what's this about? "Iran has unexpectedly fired one of its senior oil officials amid ongoing unrest on the streets of Tehran. 'I am no longer the deputy oil minister for planning from yesterday,' Akbar Torkan told Dow Jones Newswires by telephone late Monday. He didn't provide a reason for his removal from office."

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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. You can support this post on Digg by clicking here.

11:59 PM ET -- Friday's updates are here.

8:28 PM ET -- Iran expected to dominate G8 summit. From an AP report:

Foreign ministers of Group of Eight countries sought to find a common position on Iran's violent crackdown on protesters as they opened a meeting in this northeastern Italian city on Thursday.

Italy, the host of the meeting, said it wanted to send a tough message, but Italian officials speaking in Trieste also stressed the need not to further isolate Iran. The EU commissioner for external relations condemned the use of excessive force, and called for dialogue among battling parties within Iran.

A question: obviously the U.S. and Britain have severe restrictions in their ability to take actions on Iran that don't end up backfiring. What can other nations do that will have a real impact? Feel free to pass along smart articles you've read, or your own thoughts. We'll discuss as we move forward.

7:54 PM ET -- "This young man befriended me..." So begins a terrifying experience described to CNN by a woman who had gone to Iran after the elections to help her friends but ended up being tracked and then ambushed by the Basij.

"This young man befriended me. I was trying to download CNN to find out -- this was the day after the ayatollah gave his prayer on Friday," May said.

Afterward, the man helped her hail a taxi outside the cafe to meet one of her friends for lunch, she said.

"About half an hour into that ride, the next thing I know, there are two motorbikes on either side of my taxi," she said. "He's on the back of one of them, and three big Basij guys are on the other, and they pull me over. I knew what was happening."

The Basij, Iran's feared volunteer paramilitary group, has cracked down on the thousands of protesters in the bloody aftermath of the Islamic republic's disputed presidential election.

"I was terrified, and I immediately started screaming, saying no, no, no," May said.

The young man climbed into the taxi and told her to go with him and the three other men.

The rest is here.

7:36 PM ET -- Electronic warfare versus the Islamic Republic. The latest by Eric Margolis. And for those just getting acquainted with the events in Iran, Robin Wright has a fantastic overview in Time magazine.

6:53 PM ET -- Warning: graphic video. What seems to be the first video actually depicting an Iranian being shot on camera by government officials has hit the internet. The shooting occurs while the person filming is quite far away, but the video then shows closer images of his body. The video is dated June 20. One can only imagine what an accurate count of the injured and dead demonstrators would look like at this point.

5:16 PM ET -- A trail of carnage. In this video posted today (date of taping unknown), a man shows the results of an alleged night raid by government forces, who damaged the cars outside his home, then invaded the house and vandalized or destroyed most everything, including the communications equipment on the roof.

A reader sends in this translated overview:

The man in the video explains that a group of "Arabic accented" riot police entered the building the night before, breaking glasses and doors and destroying the air-conditioning units on the roof top. They were probably after the people who chant slogans on the roof tops at night or wanted to destroy the satellite dishes (which are illegal). At his last sentence, he says that "we might need to get armed if this problem goes on like this..."

Another reader adds more detail:

He says that the doors were locked in the building, as it is a purely residential buidling, and were kicked in. He then states that they would have tried to break in the doors, and you see the baton marks on one of the doors later, but people stood infront of them. He says that one of the women was pregnant and very scared, and lastly, he states that they threw one of the AC units from the roof and it crashed on top of a car. He states that there was a woman and a child inside the car and they got out and started running.

5:05 PM ET -- Swedish PM cautions against Iran sanctions. "Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country is set to take over the EU presidency next week, cautioned on Thursday against European sanctions towards Iran, saying they could be counterproductive."

A reader notes that Sweden has relatively good relations with Iran, with hundreds of companies that do significant export business there.

4:57 PM ET -- Iranian ambassador tells CNN: CIA may have killed Neda.
It's worth noting, through the fog of this propaganda, that the doctor who aided Neda told the BBC in an interview posted below that, after the shooting, he saw passers-by seize "an armed Basij militia volunteer who appeared to admit shooting."

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're anxious to hear your government's response to all of these developments which have been very dramatic over the past two weeks. A key question many people around the world are asking is, why did your security forces kill that 26 year-old beautiful student named Nada?

GHADIRI (through translator): This death of Ms. Nada is very suspicious. She was shot from behind. The location was where there was not much demonstration, there was no police presence and the gun that shot and killed her was a smuggled gun. It was not a government-issued gun. [...]

My question is that how is that this Nada was shot from behind and several cameras take that. And this is done in an area where there was no important demonstration... If the CIA wants to kill some people and attribute that to the elements of the government and then choosing a girl would be something good for them because it would have much higher impact. Therefore, we believe and we are looking into this to find who the elements were who did this. [...]

BLITZER: Do you really believe that, Mr. Ambassador? You're a distinguished diplomat representing Iran. This is a very serious accusation that you're making, that the CIA was responsible for killing this beautiful, young woman.

GHADIRI (through translator): I'm not saying that the CIA had done this. There are different groups. Could be intelligence services, could be CIA, could be the terrorists. However, these are the people who do these things. You could ask Mr. Andreotti, who was an Italian diplomat whether Gladitators were a secret group related to CIA or not. Now they of course they use better methods. Of course, you're not going to say that CIA is a sacred organization that hasn't done anything to other worlds.

BLITZER: Mr. Ambassador, why won't your government allow people to go mourn at a memorial service for Nada, as her family has requested?

GHADIRI (through translator): We have no problem with mournings. Naturally we don't want to provide an opportunity for the rioters to come in and make the situation worse.

4:49 PM ET -- Blogging in Iran. An Iranian-American sends over this cartoon:

4:34 PM ET -- Iran tries to pacify protesters... with a Lord of the Rings marathon.

In normal times, Iranian television usually treats its viewers to one or two Hollywood or European movie nights a week. But these are not normal times, so it's been two or three such movies a day. It's part of the push to keep people at home and off the streets, to keep us busy, to get us out of the regime's hair. The message is "Don't worry, be happy." Channel Two is putting on a Lord of the Rings marathon as part of the government's efforts to restore peace.

Lots of people, adults and kids, are watching in the room with me. On the screen, Gandalf the Grey returns to the Fellowship as Gandalf the White. He casts a blinding white light, his face hidden behind a halo. Someone blurts out, "Imam zaman e?!" (Is it the Imam?!) It is a reference, of course, to the white-bearded Ayatullah Khomeini, who is respectfully called Imam Khomeini. But "Imam" is at the same time a title of the Mahdi, a messianic figure that Muslims believe will come to save true believers from powerful evildoers at the time of the apocalypse. Isn't that our predicament?

A reader emails: "one of my most vivid memories of 79 was the many many american movies,
tv shows they started streaming. it was such a complete contrast to what was happening outside real time. unimaginable that the current regime is doing exactly what the shah did. what goes around comes around..."

3:25 PM ET -- Albright, Berger back Obama. After defending Barack Obama's Iran stance, President Clinton's former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger respond to this question from Bloomberg's Al Hunt:

HUNT: What the critics say is that we wouldn't have taken that attitude in South Africa in the 1980s, we wouldn't have taken - shouldn't have taken that attitude in Tiananmen in 1989, or in Hungary or in Czechoslovakia in the '50s.

ALBRIGHT: I think very different. And I think the point here is you have to understand the differences.

So for instance, I know a lot about Czechoslovakia and Poland. Those were very different kinds of bottom up revolutions against the Soviet Union. And frankly, there was a very big issue in Hungary. And this is something that people have to be careful of.

The administration in the 1950s kept saying to the Hungarian people, we will help you if you rise up. And then we didn't. And so there's a lot of blame that goes around. Czechoslovakia in 1968, same thing.

So first of all, they're very different. Those revolutions were very nationalistic. And just a different situation.

BERGER: Now the fact of the matter is what the President has said has been very tough. And he's escalated his rhetoric as the situation has escalated. In the early first days, it was not appropriate to prejudge how this thing would unfold. But his rhetoric over the past few days and his statements have been clear, have been strong, and have been appropriate.

3:15 PM ET -- What a difference a video makes. This 10-minute video just arrived in my inbox from (the very helpful) reader Jenny. It appears to be video from yesterday's events. And as you can see -- warning, there is footage of protesters beaten and anxious moments when people are trapped in between cars -- there was serious unrest yesterday.

After a day when many news outlets shifted away from their focus on Iran because of the scarcity of new footage, it demonstrates just how vital these citizen-created videos are in establishing a real sense of what's happening on the ground.

3:01 PM ET -- A possible compromise in the works. Iran scholar Reza Aslan on the Daily Beast:

Reliable sources in Iran are suggesting that a possible compromise to put an end to the violent uprising that has rocked Iran for the past two weeks may be in the works. I have previously reported that the second most powerful man in Iran, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Assembly of Experts (the body with the power to choose and dismiss the Supreme Leader) is in the city of Qom--the country's religious center--trying to rally enough votes from his fellow Assembly members to remove the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from power. News out of Iran suggests that he may be succeeding. At the very least, it seems he may have gained enough support from the clerical establishment to force a compromise from Khamenei, one that would entail a run-off election between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main reformist rival Mir Hossein Mousavi.

2:48 PM ET -- A note to readers who read Russian... I'm hearing that there's some interesting Iran reporting coming out of Russia. If you can do a scan of papers and check it out, it'd be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

2:45 PM ET -- Boycotting caviar. The Guardian reports:

One of the leading European importers of Iranian caviar, Hague-based Persian Caviar, has decided to boycott the product, France Soir reports (in French).

"I will not give any more money to a regime that is massacring my people," said Hossein Akef, the Iranian director of the company.

Persian Caviar, which sells about €400,000-€450,000 in Iranian caviar a year, will continue to import the luxury food item from other Caspian Sea countries, "all of which are also good," Akef said.

2:39 PM ET -- Good news. Via reader Alex, the Tor Project, which allows Iranian (and anyone else) to use the internet through private and secure "virtual tunnels," reports a continued spike in users accessing the web from Iran.

2:16 PM ET -- Congress jumps into Iran again. "A Republican effort on Tuesday to cut off U.S. loans to some companies doing business with Iran will bring Congress deeper into the fray over the U.S. response to the Iranian elections," the congressional paper CQ reported earlier this week.

Adam Blickstein of the National Security Network, who calls the Iran provision "red meat for Ahmadinejad and the Khamenei regime," notes today that it was approved by committee and now is attached to a "must-pass" spending bill.

The man behind the measure is Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), who has been highlighting the fact that the Israel lobby group AIPAC supports the measure. But Blickstein notes:

Keith Weissman, AIPAC's former top Iran analyst, strenuously disagreed with such initiatives, at least for right now. "The best policy now is, 'Do no harm,'" he said.

Neither sanctions nor diplomatic engagement has meaning now, since the country is in internal turmoil, Weissman explained: "What AIPAC is doing here is hurting the very people the U.S. and the rest of world would like to assist in Iran. Any kind of message like this just proves what the bad guys in Iran have been saying to their people for years. It makes it easier for them to hurt the people Obama is trying to help.

2:08 PM ET -- "Remember that I helped the BBC." BBC's John Simpson, whose visa expired on Sunday, writes today of the "Secret voices in Iran." (Via Robert Mackey.)

For reasons best not explained, I've come to know a former member of the Revolutionary Guards really well. He's done some pretty dreadful things in his life, from attacking women in the streets for not wearing the full Islamic gear to fighting alongside Islamic revolutionaries in countries abroad.

And yet now, in the tumult that has gripped Iran since its elections last week, he's had a change of heart. He's become a backer of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the reformist candidate who alleges fraud in the elections. He's saved up the money to send his son to a private school abroad, and he loathes President Ahmadinejad. He's not the only one.

I had to leave Iran last Sunday, when the authorities refused to renew my visa. But before I left, another former senior Revolutionary Guard came to our hotel to see us. "Remember me," he pleaded. "Remember that I helped the BBC." I realised that even a person so intimately linked to the Islamic Revolution thinks that something will soon change in Iran.

1:59 PM ET -- The doctor who tried to save Neda. Via reader Margarita, BBC just posted a 20-minute video interview with Dr. Arash Hejazi, who is studying at a university in the south of England, and who tried to save Neda's life after she was shot in Tehran.

Dr Hejazi also told how passers-by then seized an armed Basij militia volunteer who appeared to admit shooting Ms Soltan.

Dr Hejazi said he had not slept for three nights following the incident, but he wanted to speak out so that her death was not in vain.

He doubted that he would be able to return to Iran after talking openly about Ms Soltan's killing. [...]

"They are going to denounce what I am saying. They are going to put so many things on me. I have never been in politics. I am jeopardising my situation because of the innocent look in her (Neda's) eyes."

1:21 PM ET -- Will the U.S. soccer team wear green? A petition:

To the U.S. soccer team players:

Please consider wearing green wristbands in your upcoming match in the Confederations Cup finale. It would be a sign of solidarity and compassion for your fellow soccer brethren who were banned from the game they love and face unthinkable repercussions for simply adorning a green wristband symbolizing peace and freedom. This is not politics, it is human rights. Any slap on the wrist you may face from FIFA pales in comparison to what the Iranian soccer team faced, and what the Iranian people face.

Make us proud. Make the world proud.

You can send the team a message here.

1:17 PM ET -- Chavez 'makes common cause with repression.' Norman Soloman, one of the most frequent Western defenders of Hugo Chavez against U.S. criticism, calls the Venezuelan leader's position on Iran "idiocy."

12:33 PM ET -- Careless murder. Al Jazeera airs some of the clearest, close-up footage I've seen showing basiji on a roof, firing weapons indiscriminately down into the street. It appears about 1 minute in, and is followed by an interview with YouTube political director Steve Grove.

12:29 PM ET -- Solidarity. We noted earlier that Mousavi was calling on supporters to release green balloons tomorrow and take video or photos of the scene. NIAC translated the Mousavi Facebook message:

"Ok, now all the world are going to show their supports to Iranians... This Friday, We all are going to send GREEN BALLOONS to the sky to show that now ALL PEOPLE OF THE WORLD ARE IRANIAN. On 9/11 everybody was American, NOW THE WORLD IS IRANIAN."

12:15 PM ET -- If you'd like to support this post on Digg... please click here, and thank you.

11:56 AM ET -- FIFA soccer organization sends letter on Iran. AFP reports, "Football's world governing body FIFA wrote to the Iranian football federation on Wednesday to ask for answers over alleged punishments meted out to several of their players for wearing wristbands reflecting their support for opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi."

"We wrote a letter to the Iranian Federation to ask for some answers and clarification regarding the press reports over what happened to some of the Iranian players following the qualifier with South Korea on June 17," the spokesperson said.

11:51 AM ET -- Solidarity. A reader from Georgia writes, "I just attended a candle light vigil in Atlanta last night, about 175-200 people showed...emotional." Another reader in Texas: "I can't do much here ... but I can chant. I'm going to go out tonight, and every night that the protestors are protesting ... and chant 'Allaho Akbar' and 'I am Neda' (or God bless Neda). My neighbors won't get it but that's okay."

And cartoonist Darnell Wilburn writes,

I used to work as an editorial cartoonist for a small newspaper but since moved away from it. Now, I only draw when I'm really struck by a story. And this one has got my attention. I sent this cartoon to the Post last night but I don't know that it made it through the filters. So I'm sending it to you, as it seems you'd be the most relevant channel right now. I just wanted to express my support for their cause in the most honest way I can.

11:49 AM ET -- CNN's 'anti-Iran war room.' An Iranian site Jahan News, citing the state-funded FARS, claims the CNN has created a war room to fight a psychological war against the Islamic Republic.

Laughable, though CNN has indeed provided the best cable network news coverage of the events in Iran, and their iReport citizen journalism site is reportedly seeing a surge in readership.

11:41 AM ET -- The Saudis join the plot. ABC's Lara Setrakian: "Iran state tv says Saudi govt also behind iranelection protests."

Meanwhile, "Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Thursday accused the West of fomenting protests in Iran over this month's presidential election but added that it had no worries about the stability of its main foreign backer."

The Saudi allegations are notable (and predictable) because Mousavi ally Rafsanjani is known to be very close with the Saudi leadership.

Update: Stories just published by Iran's state media also go after France and the EU.

11:34 AM ET -- Mousavi back under house arrest... according to the Gooya news site.

Also, state media reports that a Mousavi aide is now subject to a travel ban:

Iran bans one of the aides of defeated Reformist candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi from leaving the country until he elaborates on aspects pertinent to the recent post-election unrest.

Abolfazl Fateh, head of the Mousavi information committee who seeks to visit England, "has been banned (from leaving Iran) because of (his role in) recent developments and his efforts to arrange for the illegal gathering of Mousavi supporters," the Fars news agency reported.

11:20 AM ET -- Rumors of a compromise circulate. Mehdi Noorbaksh, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, emails a message to TehranBureau: "There is a possibility, and I am saying a possibility, for a compromise on the election result among the involved parties in Iran in the next couple of days. I received a call from Iran late last night indicating that there is a possibility for a runoff between Mousavi and Ahmadinejad. There are a few points that we should consider in this context." His full message is here.

10:03 AM ET -- USA Today profiles Iran's women. "One scene stood out, and 'he couldn't believe his eyes,' said Mortazavi, 27, who came to the USA from Iran in 2002 and is helping to coordinate protests in the United States. 'He decided it was time to start running when the police were coming. He turned back and saw some women still standing,' she says. 'These women are not afraid.'"

9:50 AM ET -- Most university professors reportedly released. An Iranian journalist tweets (in Persian) that of the 70 faculty members who were arrested yesterday, 66 are freed while 4 are still detained.

Also, Demotix says one of its freelance photographers was released, and even given his camera back.

9:42 AM ET -- Reza Aslan on the Daily Show. One of the more insightful voices on Iran, Reza Aslan of the University of California Santa Barbara, appeared last night on the Daily Show. "Thank god for Barack Obama," he said.

9:37 AM ET -- Obama playing hard to get? Foreign Policy magazine's excellent Laura Rozen reads into the latest moves from the White House:

[S]ome Middle East watchers believe the timing of news last night that the United States would send an ambassador back to Damascus Syria after a four-year absence is no coincidence, and may be related to the new Obama administration tone on Iran.

Asked about that theory, a U.S. official said: "You're warm." Syrian Embassy and Middle East expert sources noted that news reports on the envoy to Damascus seemed to have originated with the White House -- which has been in the midst of daily meetings about Iran for several days -- not the State Department.

"I think the Obama administration strategy -- while not fully formed -- was always that it wanted to engage with both Iran and Syria, and it wanted to play one side off the other," said Syria expert Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "This does have to do with that. I don't think we fully understand all of their reasoning on this ... but by announcing that it will send an ambassador to Damascus, it sends a message both to Damascus and Tehran."

9:20 AM ET -- Ahmadinejad lashes out, compares Obama to Bush. "President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Barack Obama on Thursday of behaving like his predecessor toward Iran and said there was not much point in talking to Washington unless the U.S. president apologized."

Obama said on Tuesday he was "appalled and outraged" by a post-election crackdown and Washington withdrew invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend U.S. Independence Day celebrations on July 4 -- stalling efforts to improve ties with Tehran.

"Mr Obama made a mistake to say those things ... our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously (former U.S. President George W.) Bush used to say," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

"Do you want to speak with this tone? If that is your stance then what is left to talk about ... I hope you avoid interfering in Iran's affairs and express your regret in a way that the Iranian nation is informed of it," he said.

The New York Times explores how Ahmadinejad maintains his grip on power:

Mr. Ahmadinejad has filled crucial ministries and other top posts with close friends and allies who have spread ideological and operational support for him nationwide. These analysts estimate that he has replaced 10,000 government employees to cement his loyalists through the bureaucracies, so that his allies run the organizations responsible for both the contested election returns and the official organs that have endorsed them.

"There is a whole political establishment that emerged with Ahmadinejad, which is now determined to hold on to power undemocratically," said one American-based Iran analyst, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of his work in Iran. "Their ability to resist the outcome of the election means they have a broad base as a political establishment."

Also, Joe Klein's new Time magazine piece includes some relevant news that I had missed: "The truth is, Iran's government is a conservative, defensive, rational military dictatorship that manages to subdue its working-class majority softly, by distributing oil revenues downward. (On June 23, Ahmadinejad announced that doctors' salaries would be doubled, for example.)"

9:09 AM ET -- Mousavi vows to continue fight against "rigged" vote. "Iran's opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi said on Thursday he was determined to continue fighting against 'major' presidential election rigging despite pressure to stop, his website reported. 'I am pressured to abandon my demand for the vote annulment ... a major rigging has happened ... I am prepared to prove that those behind the rigging are responsible for the bloodshed ... Continuation of legal and calm protests will guarantee achieving our goals,' Mousavi said."

Robert Tait of the Guardian translates more:

He declares: "I am ready to show how the electoral wrong-doers, standing beside the main agitators that have caused the present disturbances, have spilled people's blood. I would not, for the sake of personal expediency and fear in the face of threats, withdraw for one moment my demands for the return of the rights of the Iranian people, whose blood is being unjustly spilled today."

He added: "(The people's) problem is with millions of votes whose fate is unknown."

Calling for people to keep calm while resisting, he goes on: "It is a must for us to neutralise this evil conspiracy through our behaviour and expressions."

8:44 AM ET -- Boston Globe profiles TehranBureau.com. As it turns out, the Bureau is made up of just one extremely committed person channeling the work of many Iranians:

The website is called Tehran Bureau, but it is not housed in the Iranian capital. It's edited from [Kelly Golnoush] Niknejad's parents' living room in Newton.

"Everybody thinks this is some kind of extensive bureau, but it's just me," Niknejad said yesterday as she sat alone at a small round table, tapping on one of two Apple PowerBooks.

8:32 AM ET -- Footage appears to show Neda while alive. The video below, taken on Saturday, appears to show Neda and her professor in the lower right quarter of the screen roughly 20 seconds in. They're walking together as several paramilitaries riding motorcycles appear at the other end of the street.

8:26 AM ET -- Iran slams Britain's asset freeze as "human rights issue." From state media:

Amid growing tension between Tehran and London over post-vote riots, an Iranian dignitary lashes out at the UK for freezing a large sum of Iranian assets. [...]

Britain's Economic Secretary to the Treasury Ian Pearson said last week that the British government had frozen "approximately GBR 976,110,000" worth of Iranian assets. [...]

"The British government has frozen nearly one billion pounds of Iranian assets in England. This is in clear contradiction to what they claim. In their media they repeatedly claim to be advocates of human rights in Iran. They say they are defending the Iranian people but such a move is obviously against the Iranian nation because the assets belong to the people not to particular individuals."

Whose assets did Britain freeze? It's still unknown, but the British media report that they were funds belonging to Ayatollah Khamenei's son.

8:23 AM ET -- The regime exposed. A cartoon published in the Guardian, by artist Steve Bell:

8:14 AM ET -- An Iranian on Twitter reappears. One Iranian on Twitter who had not posted for three days returned today:

I'm only posting this to say I'm still alive & not in Tehran, I had a bad incident with Basij and couldn't use computer

Shayan's brother's fate is still unknown, Reza has been released yesterday & at hospital right now & I think Masood is safe

as soon I can walk properly again, I will go back to Tehran. probably tomorrow night

I will twitt again at night, my back & neck hurts a lot & I can't sit here anymore

sorry about no news at all in these past days, I will try my best to keep you informed again as soon as possible

8:12 AM ET -- More symbolic protests. "Mousavi supporters said they would release thousands of balloons on Friday imprinted with the message 'Neda you will always remain in our hearts' -- a reference to the young woman killed last week who has become an icon of the protests."

8:09 AM ET -- MPs "snub" Ahmadinejad election party. "More than 180 Iranian MPs appear to have snubbed an invitation to celebrate President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election win, local press reports say. All 290 MPs were invited to the victory party on Wednesday night, but only 105 turned up, the reports say. A BBC correspondent says the move is a sign of the deep split at the top of Iran after disputed presidential polls."

8:05 AM ET -- Iran uprising as civil rights movement. Andrew linked yesterday to an analysis by Hamid Dabashi that is worth printing again:

I see the moment we are witnessing as a civil rights movement rather than a push to topple the regime. If Rosa Park was the American "mother of the civil rights movement," the young woman who was killed point blank in the course of a demonstration, Neda Agha-Soltan, might very well emerge as its Iranian granddaughter.

If I am correct in this reading, we should not expect an imminent collapse of the regime. These young Iranians are not out in the streets seeking to topple the regime for they lack any military wherewithal to do so, and they are alien to any militant ideology that may push them in that direction.

It seems to me that these brave young men and women have picked up their hand-held cameras to shoot those shaky shots, looking in their streets and alleys for their Martin Luther King. They are well aware of Mir Hossein Moussavi's flaws, past and present. But like the color of green, the very figure of Moussavi has become, it seems to me, a collective construction of their desires for a peaceful, nonviolent attainment of civil and women's rights. They are facing an army of firearms and fanaticism with chanting poetry and waving their green bandannas. I thought my generation had courage to take up arms against tyranny. Now I tremble with shame in the face of their bravery.

Democracy Now also has video and audio of an interview with Dabashi here.

7:49 AM ET -- A letter from an Iranian. An Iranian who holds citizenship with a Western nation writes:

I haven't gone out much after Saturday because of the giant guilt trip my family put on me...they were so worried that 4 of my family members had to take tranquilizers to calm their nerves. They say that if my grandfather dies it will be my fault. They won't let me shout Allah O Akbar (it really does help relieve a persons stress) from the rooftop for fear of reprisals. All this has depressed me terribly. I feel like I didn't do enough (and that they definitely didn't), I'm almost hoping to be arrested at the airport (I leave in a few days) as it would mean I did enough to be noticed. I think about all the great people who helped change their countries (Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and even our own Khomeini) they were all willing to sacrifice something or spend some time in jail, however most of my family are not willing to sacrifice a single Rial. They are in disagreement with the way the government acts but for fear of losing a little bit of the comfort they have they aren't willing to walk to the door never mind a protest.

I've also been getting a lot of "this is all the work of the British and American's" as if Iranians are to stupid or so low that they can't do anything for themselves. It must all be the work of foreign powers. I just hope that all this lead's to something, that people weren't beaten and killed for nothing. Once again I'm forced to sing Neil Young's Ohio in my head Which seems even more relevant after the video of a young woman dying in the street has swept the world) and hope for change.

"Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are gunning us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?"

I don't know what to think anymore, but I know I won't ever be the same.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LIVE-BLOGGING ARCHIVES

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com 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. To support this post on Digg, click here.

12:00 AM ET -- Thursday's live-blogging... can be found right here.

10:06 PM ET -- Rafsanjani, Mousavi meet with parliamentarians. "Mousavi and Rafsanjani met senior parliamentarians on Wednesday. The semi-official Fars news agency said only that the 'election and latest developments' were discussed and it was not clear whether the pair were trying to make peace with the hardline-dominated parliament or trying to win support."

9:59 PM ET -- Iran's deputy culture minister: 'Iran imposes no limitation on newspapers.'

9:48 PM ET -- AP: Iranian soccer players said to retire.

Several Tehran papers have reported that some Iranian soccer players are retiring from the national team, fueling speculation the departure was related to green bands the players wore in support of the country's opposition movement.

The flurry of conflicting reports on the fate of the players hails back to the incident last week, when several members on the Iranian team wore green tape on their wrists in a World Cup qualifier against South Korea in Seoul.

Some newspapers said the players are retiring voluntarily, reportedly because of their age, but at least one suggested they were forced out.

It was not possible to confirm the reports independently and calls to Iranian soccer officials were not immediately answered.

The speculation focused on two players who both wore green in Seoul: Ali Karimi, 31, and Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32. However, both had earlier announced plans to quit soon because of their age.

9:13 PM ET -- 'Tehran dwellers enter twilight zone.' Financial Times reporters Roula Khalaf and Najmeh Bozorgmehr capture life in Tehran:

You could be stuck in traffic one moment, and suddenly be surrounded by basij on motorcycles as they rush to put down a protest.

"We were driving through central Tehran on Monday when something seemed to go wrong - the traffic stopped, there were shouts of 'Allahu Akbar' [God is great], and people started running in all directions," relates a woman who was caught in a protest on Haft-e-Tir square on Monday.

There is another sign of trouble for Tehran dwellers: if you are next to a protest scene, your mobile signal dies, one of the many technological tricks the government has used to upset the protests.

As Tehran has been convulsed by its most dramatic crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution, with at least 20 people killed last week, hundreds injured and politicians as well as scores of protesters arrested, its residents have been caught in a twilight zone, gasping for normality amid deepening insecurity and uncertainty. [...]

"Life is not normal any more, I'm afraid to go out after 6pm," says Atousa, a 38-year-old electronic engineer. "I don't take my daughter out as much and I don't want her to see so many police in the streets," she adds.

"I feel disappointed and depressed. I don't want an unstable country . . . but I cannot tolerate the continuation of this government."

A brave Iranian emailed me this video he took yesterday of Iranian officials firing at demonstrators from a nearby roof.

8:48 PM ET -- "Foreign bullets." NBC's Ann Curry: "Today Iran's state tv reported that Neda was murdered by a foreign bullet. It is the only source for this claim."

8:35 PM ET -- Iranians gather at notorious Evin prison. The Los Angeles Times runs a powerful piece about Iranians gathering each day outside Evin prison in search of information about their missing family and friends.

Ali, a middle-aged man with five or six days' growth of stubble on his face, stares at the handwritten lists on the trailer. "My son's name is not here, but he called for a minute two nights ago," he says. "And I do not know where to go." [...]

A soldier in a gray uniform tries to disperse the people gathering in front of Evin. "Every night the new list will be stuck on the trailer," he says. "Come back tonight or tomorrow morning."

Still they wait.

8:18 PM ET -- Solidarity. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is in Sacramento today, released a statement to be read at a demonstration happening tonight in in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

"At the height of political and social unrest thirty years ago, thousands of Iranians risked everything for the chance of freedom in a new land. When they had to choose where to make their homes, where to raise their families, and where to start their businesses, they chose Los Angeles. Because of their courage, our City is a stronger city, and home to hundreds of thousands of Iranians -- the largest concentration of Persians outside of Iran.

"You have all gathered here tonight in the same spirit that brought you and your families here thirty years ago. Because 7,000 miles away, people are dying for their right to representative democracy. Millions have taken to the streets of Tehran to make their voices heard. And we're here in Los Angeles tonight standing in solidarity with those courageous voices.

"What we've learned anew from this seminal moment in history is that the voices of freedom know no boundaries. Messages of hope have traveled the globe by Twitter and Facebook. Shouts from the rooftops of Tehran echo in our hearts.

"I'm sorry I could not join you tonight to see the crowd of people lining the streets of Los Angeles in support of freedom in Iran.

"But make the voice of Tehran-geles heard in Tehran. Let them know that they are not alone, that the world stands with them in their quest for freedom and justice and a better future for Iran and the world.

"Thank you."

7:51 PM ET -- "We are at a critical point! An Iranian blogger posts a "request to Iranians outside Iran."

And the Iranian on Twitter known as PersianKiwi, who has been posting virtually non-stop for the last week and a half, posted a final ominous message tonight at around 9PM Iran time:

they catch ppl with mobile - so many killed today - so many injured - Allah Akbar - they take one of us

they pull away the dead into trucks - like factory - no human can do this - we beg Allah for save us -

Everybody is under arrest & cant move - Mousavi - Karroubi even rumour Khatami is in house guardwe must go - dont know when we can get internet - they take 1 of us, they will torture and get names - now we must move fast -

thank you ppls 4 supporting Sea of Green - pls remember always our martyrs - Allah Akbar - Allah Akbar - Allah Akbar

Allah - you are the creator of all and all must return to you - Allah Akbar -

7:15 PM ET -- Brent Scowcroft defends Obama on Iran. From an interview with President George H. W. Bush's national security adviser today with Al Jazeera:

Q: Obama aides told reporters there is little to nothing the U.S. can do. Is it demonstrating a weakness?

SCOWCROFT: No I don't think so. I don't think so. How can we be more influential? We don't control Iran. We don't control the government obviously. There is little we can do to change the situation domestically in Iran right now and I think an attempt to change it is more likely to be turned against us and against the people who are demonstrating for more freedom and therefore I think we need to look at what we can do best, which is to try to influence Iranian behavior in the region, and with nuclear weapons.

Al Jazeera is pushing the more sensational headline -- that Scowcroft said "of course" the U.S. has intelligence officials on the ground in Iran -- but it's pretty clear from the interview that Scowcroft has about as much information about U.S. activity in Iran as anyone who's been out of government for nearly 20 years.

6:30 PM ET -- "We basically cry every night." Two Iranian women who fled Iran for the United States explain their ordeal.

6:24 PM ET -- 70 university professors reportedly arrested. "According to the Kalameh website, this evening, June 24th, Mir Hossein Mousavi held a meeting with the university professors who are members of IAUTI. After the meeting, 70 attendees were arrested."

6:11 PM ET -- In praise of... Jose Antonio Vargas and Chas Danner. Vargas is the stellar Washington Post reporter who is far and away the best U.S. newspaper writer analyzing how technology is changing our politics and media (Vargas, in his spare time, also does groundbreaking reporting on HIV/AIDS). His story about Iran and technology is here -- and it highlights the role of Chas Danner, who among many other things, has been a tireless volunteer helping to gather links and information that ended up being posted on this blog.

6:07 PM ET -- "The Butcher" to oversee prosecutions of protesters. This does not look good.

The Iranian regime has appointed one of its most feared prosecutors to interrogate reformists arrested during demonstrations, prompting fears of a brutal crackdown against dissent.

Relatives of several detained protesters have confirmed that the interrogation of prisoners is now being headed by Saaed Mortazavi, a figure known in Iran as "the butcher of the press". He gained notoriety for his role in the death of a Canadian-Iranian photographer who was tortured, beaten and raped during her detention in 2003.

"The leading role of Saeed Mortazavi in the crackdown in Tehran should set off alarm bells for anyone familiar with his record," said Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch.

5:57 PM ET -- Time magazine's insightful story. Read this:

Day after day they marched, tens of thousands strong, defiant chanting demonstrators surging through the streets of Tehran, a capital unaccustomed to the shouts and echoes of dissent. The subject of their protest was the policies of Iran's supreme ruler. Some carried signs demanding his ouster. Others called for a return of long denied civil and political liberties and the enforcement of laws.... The crowd, at times numbering more than 100,000, was a colorful, sometimes incongruous cross section of Iranian society: dissident students in jeans; women shrouded in the black chador, the traditional head-to-foot veil; peasants and merchants; and most important the bearded, black-robed Muslim mullahs, the religious leaders of the Shi'ite branch of Islam.

Now, consider: that article is from Sept. 18, 1978 (with a few minor edits). Reader Pradeep, who sent the piece along, notes, "When you read the articles from back then, the analogies to the current revolution are stunning."

5:49 PM ET -- Tony Blair on Iran. CBS News sends over this excerpt from his interview tonight with Katie Couric.

5:10 PM ET -- Foreign journalist still in custody. Iran's government has on several occasions been more lax with foreign journalists than their domestic counterparts -- several foreign reporters were detained and then released after several hours.

Not so for Iason Athanasiadis, a Greek journalist based in Istanbul, who was arrested back on June 17. Tehran Bureau notes, "The arrest seems particularly perverse since Iason, on assignment for the Washington Times and GlobalPost, is a long time Iran-hand, Farsi-speaker, and Iran-lover, who spent 2 years at Tehran University. Efforts to secure his release are being managed by the Greek Foreign MInistry, and the Greek embassy in Tehran."

4:57 PM ET -- How to defend against riot police. In a sign of the times, many on the web are linking to this piece posted on Iranian.com describing methods of "defending yourself when attacked by Basij or Security forces."

Another sign of the times: YouTube videos with the faces of demonstrators blacked out after a few websites popped up urging people to identify people in the videos and report them to the government.

4:38 PM ET -- "The measure of a nation is its vote." Mousavi's Facebook page highlights posters featuring what the NIAC calls one of Khomeini's "more famous quotes."

4:30 PM ET -- July 4 invitations rescinded. AP reports: "An offer for Iranian envoys to attend U.S. embassy Fourth of July parties has been rescinded as the violent crackdown in Tehran continues, the White House said Wednesday. 'Given the events of the past many days, those invitations will no longer be extended,' presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs said."

3:07 PM ET -- "Bullets Versus Facebook, Power Versus Dignity... Who Wins?" Via Andrew, a new message from Mousavi's Facebook page:

Guns versus 'the greatness of God'; armed forces versus mobile phones, batons versus mourning, lies versus cameras, state-run television versus twitter, bullets versus Facebook, power versus dignity... who wins?

3:04 PM ET -- The full CNN interview. Reader William passes along CNN's complete interview with an Iranian student emotionally recounting the brutal violence she'd seen at a demonstration today in Tehran.

2:45 PM ET -- If you'd like to support this post on Digg... click here.

2:23 PM ET -- Mousavi legal adviser reportedly arrested. An Iranian journalist on Twitter reports, "Ardeshir Amir Arjman, who is in charge of Mousavi campain's [sic] legal matters is arrested."

2:20 PM ET -- State Department: No Iranians have accepted July 4 invitation. From the AP:

The State Department says no Iranian diplomat has accepted an invitation from U.S. diplomatic posts abroad to attend embassy Fourth of July parties.

Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had authorized U.S. envoys abroad some weeks ago to invite Iranian diplomats to attend the annual celebration. Her authorization was required because Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Iran.

Kelly said no Iranians have accepted, and he indicated that the U.S. saw little reason for them to, given the political crisis over their disputed presidential election.

2:08 PM ET -- Firing at crowds. This video, uploaded three days ago but apparently not widely viewed, seems to show the Basij paramilitaries firing shots at a crowd of people. Near the end, as the camera shifts right, you can make out uniformed police beating some members of the crowd.

2:05 PM ET -- Neda's family forced out. Via my colleague Stuart Whatley, the Guardian reports:

The Iranian authorities have ordered the family of Neda Agha Soltan out of their Tehran home after shocking images of her death were circulated around the world.

Neighbours said that her family no longer lives in the four-floor apartment building on Meshkini Street, in eastern Tehran, having been forced to move since she was killed. The police did not hand the body back to her family, her funeral was cancelled, she was buried without letting her family know and the government banned mourning ceremonies at mosques, the neighbours said.

"We just know that they [the family] were forced to leave their flat," a neighbour said. The Guardian was unable to contact the family directly to confirm if they had been forced to leave.

2:00 PM ET -- Rumor patrol. You should confirm anything on Iran printed by IBTimes.co.uk with another source. They seem willing to print just about any rumor that floats across their collective desk.

1:55 PM ET -- Money leaving Iran? The Russian paper RBC Daily reports here that Russian and Italian officials are seeing large amounts of money, apparently held by wealthy Iranians, being moved out of the country into banks in other countries. An Iranian-American noted to me that it "someway parallels what happened around the '79 revolution, when the powerful and 'in-the-know' took out their money because of the infighting."

1:23 PM ET -- Who is writing this propaganda? Via reader Laura: "Iran said the gunman who killed Neda Agha-Soltan may have mistaken her for the sister of an Iranian 'terrorist,' the Islamic Republic News Agency reported Wednesday."

1:04 PM ET -- New photos from today's demonstration outside Iran's parliament. Published by the excellent Demotix, whose brave correspondents are still out trying to document the violence.

1:00 PM ET -- Tehran mayor wants protests allowed. Iran's state media:

Tehran's mayor has urged relevant Iranian officials to authorize peaceful opposition rallies, saying the public should have an outlet to express its opinions.

In a Tuesday interview with IRIB channel two, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf said that legalizing street rallies would prevent 'saboteurs who draw weapons and kill people'.

Qalibaf drew a clear line between 'those protestors who had voted in the presidential election but had doubts about the result' and 'some saboteurs, taking advantage of the situation'. [...]

Tehran's mayor stressed that the 'use of force' was the wrong way to clarify public's doubts about the election results, calling all 'the supervisory and executive bodies in the government' as well as, 'the media and presidential candidates' to play a major role in resolving the issues.

12:58 PM ET -- CNN: Obama administration reconsidering July 4 invites. "The Obama administration is seriously considering not extending invitations to Iranian diplomats for July 4 celebrations overseas, senior administration officials tell CNN. The officials said intense discussions on the issue were taking place, but the final decision had not been made."

12:24 PM ET -- Karoubi: Iran government "illegitimate." "Iran's moderate defeated candidate Mehdi Karoubi rejected Wednesday the June 12 presidential election result and said the new government was 'illegitimate,' his website reported. 'I do not accept the result and therefore consider as illegitimate the new government. Because of the irregularities, the vote should be annulled,' Karoubi said."

12:11 PM ET -- Iranian describes horrifying scene on CNN. Just watch:

Another Iranian who has been reliable in the past posts on Facebook, "In Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping ppl like meat - blood everywhere - like butcher . . . Fighting in Vanak Sq, Tajrish sq, Azadi Sq - now . ."

12:06 PM ET -- Big crowds. Video reportedly from today:

11:42 AM ET -- More reports of clerics putting pressure on Khamenei. From the Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat:

[S]enior sources of emulation in Qom were exerting pressures on the authorities in Tehran to search for a compromise to the current political crisis shaking Iran. They said a delegation from the Guardian Council's members visited the religious leaders and ayatollahs in Qom to get their public support for the legitimacy of the election and the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for a second term. But an Iranian source told Asharq Al-Awsat: "But praise be to God, the sources of emulation did not support the demands" of the Guardian Council and added that many of the sources of emulation in Qom formed a "neutral" voice during this crisis and because of their tendency to remain "above politics" can play an important role during the crisis shaking Iran.

An Iranian source talked about reports to the effect that around 50 of the sources of emulation, ayatollahs, and clerics in Qom sent messages to Ayatollah Khamenei urging him to look into the complaints of the reformists and examine the reported violations.

11:02 AM ET -- State media: Mousavi 'disowns' Wednesday protest. From the state-funded PressTV: "Mir-Hossein Mousavi's website claims that the gathering outside Iran's Parliament (Majlis) building is not called by the defeated presidential contender. Following report that supporters of Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi -- another defeated candidate -- have staged an illegal gathering the parliament building on Wednesday Mousavi's website Kalemeh denied that he is behind the move 'This gathering has no link, whatsoever, to Mr. Mousavi and his camp, and is held independently,' kalemeh.ir reported on Wednesday."

Mousavi's camp actually posted yesterday that the rally was organized independently of his efforts. But this is account reflects two points: 1) the state's efforts to divide Mousavi from his supporters, and 2) the threat of arrest or worse that Mousavi faces in being associated with any behavior by opposition demonstrators that the state deems illegal.

10:53 AM ET -- Mousavi's wife: Iran under 'martial law.' AP reports, "The wife of Iran's opposition leader is comparing a government crackdown on protests to martial law. Zahra Rahnavard campaigned beside her husband, Mir Hossein Mousavi. She says on one of his Web sites that his followers have the constitutional right to protest and the government should not deal with them 'as if martial law has been imposed in the streets.' She is calling for the release of all activists and others arrested at protests."

10:44 AM ET -- Washington Times: U.S. sent letter to pre-election Khamenei. "Prior to this month's disputed presidential election in Iran, the Obama administration sent a letter to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for an improvement in relations, according to interviews and the leader himself. ... U.S. officials declined to discuss the letter on Tuesday, a day in which President Obama gave his strongest condemnation yet of the Iranian crackdown against protesters."

Rather than reading the Washington Times write-up, though, I'd urge you to read this piece by Adam Blickstein putting it all in context.

10:30 AM ET -- Students released? NIAC: "The University of Tehran has reported that the students who were arrested during the attack on the campus last week have been released. This report has not been confirmed by independent media."

10:15 AM ET -- Doctor who tried to save Neda flees Iran for London. Author Paulo Coelho -- who was a friend of the doctor, Arash, who tried to save Neda's life -- posts an email he received yesterday:

Dearest Paulo,

Trying to leave the country tomorrow morning. If I don't arrive in London at 2 pm., something has happened to me. Till then, wait. My wife and my son are in (edited). Their phone (edited) Her email (edited) Please wait till tomorrow. If something happens to me, please take care of (name of wife) and (name of son), they are there, alone, and have no one else in the world. Much love, it was an honor having you as a friend.

Arash

He updated today to say Arash had arrived safely in the UK.

10:02 AM ET -- More bloody accounts from today's rally. From a reliable Iranian on Twitter, @persiankiwi: "I see many ppl with broken arms/legs/heads - blood everywhere - pepper gas like war... ppl run into alleys and militia standing there waiting - from 2 sides they attack ppl in middle of alleys...
saw 7/8 militia beating one woman with baton on ground - she had no defense nothing -... so many ppl arrested - young & old - they take ppl away"

This sounds awful.

9:36 AM ET -- Shooting in In Baharestan Square reported. Unconfirmed messages are coming in about today's opposition rally from several usually reliable Iranians, all variations of this: "In Baharestan Sq. in the Police shooting, A girl is shot and the police is not allowing to let them help!"

Reader Amir sends along a map of the scene of the protest, which is located next to Iran's parliament.

Update: More from the same Iranian...

About 5,000 Protesters gatherd at Sadeghieh Sq, Bassij and Hezbollah attcking them

Gunshot being heard at Baharestan Sq.

All shops and Passages are closed at Baharestan SQ, Gunshot being heard from Jomhori St

Ppl gathered in Baharestan but police & plain cloths don't let the core of the rally to form

The New York Times reprints these messages:

just in from Baharestan Sq - situation today is terrible - they beat the ppls like animals

Ppl gathered in Baharestan but police & plain cloths don't let the core of the rally to form.

9:17 AM ET -- Solidarity. Iranian Jews demonstrate in Israel -- photo below via the Los Angeles Times. And here's a new, easy-to-read site listing rallies in the U.S. and abroad (you're also encouraged to list new ones).

9:05 AM ET -- The latest propaganda. Via Robert Mackey, Reuters translates the comically transparent "confessions" of demonstrators airing on state TV:

8:52 AM ET -- Gordon Brown's influence in Iran. Via reader JS, the UK Times publishes a uniquely British editorial responding to Iran's allegations that Gordon Brown help spur the opposition demonstrations:

The purported extent of British influence in the Gulf will be news to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It will appear particularly implausible, though possibly gratifying, to an intelligence service whose failings concerning Iraq will soon be scrutinised in yet another inquiry. And it is a bizarre and nonsensical notion. Gordon Brown's embattled Government cannot persuade more than 16 per cent of British voters to support it. The notion that it can with total secrecy incite hundreds of thousands of Iranians to take to the streets of Tehran is fantastic. It suggests that Iran's rulers believe Mr Brown has more sway with voters in Tehran than on Tyneside.

8:36 AM ET -- "Beat me!" A woman of incredible courage confronts the police:

8:34 AM ET -- "Disturbing account." ABC's Lara Setrakian: "just heard disturbing news of 22-yr-old in Mashad shot dead while chanting allahu akbar on roof. unconf, tho from trusted srce"

8:26 AM ET -- Celebrating the companies behind Iran's tech censorship. A software developer named Jason argues against the grain: "With regards to surveillance technology being provided to Iran by Western companies... I think that the presence of any communication infrastructure far outweighs the negative aspect of forced controls placed on that infrastructure. If you own the wire, you own the data. Having said that, there are ways to protect data, and there are ways to attempt circumvention of the internet controls. Cheers to the companies who connected Iran to the rest of the world; I can't imagine that the gov would've allowed it but for the ability to control it."

Update: Reader Grayson writes, "I just did an interview with an IT security expert (Atlanta area) who echoes the same sentiments expressed in your 8:26am post. Yes, selling surveillance tools to rogue governments is bad, but not as bad as people may think. Within most of these technologies are inherent ways for independent people to maneuver... as is the case in Iran.... Here's Ariel Silverstone on Iran and the internet. Tons of good info here that the, er, common reader can comprehend."

8:05 AM ET -- Iran media float Neda conspiracy theories. The Guardian's Robert Tait sums them up:

Jomhouri Islami newspaper is blaming her shooting on snipers from the MKO (a militant group calling for the overthrow of the republic). It said the group exploited the lack of security created by the demonstrations.

Javan, another pro-regime paper, blamed an even more unlikely source - my friend and recently expelled BBC correspondent Jon Leyne. It claims that Leyne hired "thugs" to shoot her so he could then make a documentary film.

8:01 AM ET -- Shirin Ebadi offers to represent Neda's family. "Shirin Ebadi, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel peace prize winner, has told Al Jazeera that she is prepared to represent the family of a young woman shot dead during a protest in Tehran."

Ebadi told Al Jazeera on Wednesday: "I am personally prepared to legally represent her family against the people who ordered the shooting and those who fired at her. This act was against the law."

7:48 AM ET -- A compromise? The possibility of Iran's post-election crisis ending up in some kind of power-sharing agreement has received little attention. But Time magazine's Tony Karon published a piece this morning suggesting that is the most likely scenario:

Despite fantasies of insurrection in some of the more fevered Western media assessments of the confrontation, the balance of forces appears to militate against a knockout blow by either side. U.S.-based Iran scholar Farideh Farhi, speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations, stressed that Ahmadinejad and the Supreme leader may not have the majority of the people behind them, "but they do have support. They also have the resources of the state - both financial and military. So that makes them quite robust."

At the same time, Farhi notes, the opposition coalition includes some very powerful figures from within the regime, who together command the support of a large section of the population. Thus, she warns, "To assume that this will lead ultimately to a victory of one over the other is unrealistic as well as dangerous because it may come at the cost of tremendous violence." More likely, she argues, is the pursuit of some sort of compromise that allows the regime to back down to some extent, without necessarily surrendering.

7:25 AM ET -- Iran parliament speaker pushing for Mousavi television time. Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's parliament, has been an occasional thorn in the side of Khamenei's regime since the election -- he has criticized the beatings of students at Tehran University, acknowledged the majority of Iranians don't trust the election results, and defended demonstrators against charges of "rioting." Larijani's latest, via the NIAC:

According to Tahlile Rooz, the speaker of the parliament is trying set up a time for Mousavi to appear on the state TV and discuss his complaints. One of the members of the committee charged with investigating the election violations said "the biased behavior of [IRIB] has fueled the current situation and some authorities including the speaker of parliament are critical of this [behavior]."

According to this member, "Larijani believes that censorship and taking sides by IRIB does not solve the problems or gain people's trust. Rather, the opposition's voice must also be heard."

7:13 AM ET -- Demonstrations going local. An editor for the Kahylan newspaper notes to Al Jazeera that university students are now returning to their home towns, and bringing demonstrations with them. "In provinces, where people were before gathering in universities, in recent days were are seeing people gathering in main squares."

6:55 AM ET -- Khamenei vows no retreat.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Wednesday he would not budge in response to protests over a disputed election that has sparked the biggest street demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"I had insisted and will insist on implementing the law on the election issue ... Neither the establishment nor the nation will yield to pressure at any cost," Khamenei said.

Now that riot police and religious militia have regained control of the streets, Iran's hardline leadership seems to be taking a harsher line with its foreign and domestic critics.

6:40 AM ET -- The torture of a 17-year-old in Iran. Salon.com translates an account that's been circulating among Iranians: "A teenager's story, with graphic photos, of abuse at the hands of Iran's religious paramilitaries, the Basij."

6:30 AM ET -- Iran considering downgrading UK ties. "Iran says it is considering downgrading ties with Britain after days of rising tension over criticism of Iran's disputed presidential election. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was asked about the option of reducing diplomatic relations with London after a Cabinet meeting in Tehran. 'We are studying it,' Mottaki said, according to state television."

Also, via Reuters, Iran's intelligence minister claimed on Wednesday that "some people with British passports were involved in post-election violence in the Islamic Republic."

6:14 AM ET -- Good to be back. And I see on the television that my question to President Obama is giving the cast of Fox & Friends palpitations.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LIVE-BLOGGING ARCHIVES

This is an archive of my Iran live-blogging from Monday, June 22. For the latest updates, click here.

8:12 PM ET -- Pictures of Neda. The wrong photo and the right one.

8:07 PM ET -- 'Rafsanjani poised to outflank Khamenei.' An analysis by Eurasianet, a project of the George Soros' Open Society Institute:

Looking past their fiery rhetoric and apparent determination to cling to power using all available means, Iran's hardliners are not a confident bunch. While hardliners still believe they possess enough force to stifle popular protests, they are worried that they are losing a behind-the-scenes battle within Iran's religious establishment.

A source familiar with the thinking of decision-makers in state agencies that have strong ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said there is a sense among hardliners that a shoe is about to drop. Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani -- Iran's savviest political operator and an arch-enemy of Ayatollah Khamenei's -- has kept out of the public spotlight since the rigged June 12 presidential election triggered the political crisis. The widespread belief is that Rafsanjani has been in the holy city of Qom, working to assemble a religious and political coalition to topple the supreme leader and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"There is great apprehension among people in the supreme leader's [camp] about what Rafsanjani may pull," said a source in Tehran who is familiar with hardliner thinking. "They [the supreme leader and his supporters] are much more concerned about Rafsanjani than the mass movement on the streets."

7:01 PM ET -- Solidarity. If compilation videos aren't your thing, move along. But a reader passed along this video with the note, "Something uplifting after a week of dreadful news. Would be great if this could reach as many people as possible in Iran so they see how much support there is worldwide." Take a look:

6:29 PM ET -- Special court for arrested protesters. "Iran's judiciary will set up a special court to try protesters arrested in the surge of civil unrest since the disputed reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a judiciary official said on state television, as the government continues its crackdown aimed at crushing its greatest domestic challenge in 30 years."

6:00 PM ET -- Google moves quickly. In the course of a few hours, it spikes a blog using Google's publishing service to post photos of the demonstrators to collect their personal information.

5:53 PM ET -- Another form of peaceful protest. Turning on your car brights and honking your horn a lot.

5:48 PM ET -- Googoosh. Several Iranians have sent over this video, by a singer named Googoosh. Here's Wikipedia's summary:

In the 1970s, Googoosh was considered the most celebrated recording artist in Iran. In addition to music, Googoosh was also an actress in many Persian films of the 1960s and 1970s. She is more widely known as a singer than as an actress. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979 she remained in Iran until 2000 but did not record or perform again due to the ban on solo female singers. Still, her following grew. Younger people have rediscovered her music via bootleg recordings.

In the song below, meant for Iranian expats, she asks if they have forgotten about Iran since the '79 revolution. She answers the question with the title of the song -- "Man Hamoon Iranam," or "I am the same Iran." She dedicates it to the young Iranians who have died in Iran during the last week.

5:39 PM ET -- Big day on Thursday. "Mousavi's facebook page just announced that they want to hold global solidarity demonstrations on Thursday 'for the martyrs that have been lost so far in our fight for justice.' In Tehran, the demonstration will be held at Imam Khomeini Shrine, according to the announcement."

This follows another statement by Karroubi today also calling for a demonstration to commemorate the martyrs.

A reader notes, "According to Islam, no violence is allowed inside the Imam Khomeini's shrine. Good tactical thinking."

5:20 PM ET -- A word about the past two days. In ordinary times, the violence in the streets on Sunday and Monday would have been shocking. But compared to Saturday's massive outpouring, the turnout of demonstrators has been significantly smaller. There is a good reason for it.

Over the past week, the reformist rallies that have succeeded were those scheduled days in advance, with turnout aided by massive word-of-mouth promotion. Today's mourning rally for Neda, on the other hand, was announced only this morning on Karroubi's social networking sites. In the midst of a near-complete media and technological blackout, these large demonstrations need time to develop.

It's virtually impossible for anyone to gauge whether there is a petering off of intensity among demonstrators, who now know they face incredible risks if they show up in the streets. But the last two days should not be used to argue that the unrest has dampened. The reformists are organizing another major demonstration for Thursday, and a national strike is set to begin by tomorrow or Wednesday. Those will be far better guides to how Iranians are reacting to the government's campaign of repression.

4:51 PM ET -- Terror in the streets. A dispatch about today's events published by TehranBureau.com:

we moved through the various alleyways too until shouted at to leave. these police are v v intimidating. like animals really as u just dont know if they are gonna wack you (which they would). i wanted to take photos of the milit presence, but it was way too scary. honestly people who manage to record or take photos are incredibly shoja (brave). then we saw that they had blockaded one alleyway (koocheh mina) and people were getting trapped and beaten up with the batons. there were people on roofs/windows looking so i hope they managed to record some stuff. we moved around the meydoon and streets. after hearing/seeing that they were blockading people in alleys.

we decided it was safer to stay in the main square and move around. over the few hours it was getting busier with protesters, but i think they needed someone like mousavi or another figure so as to gather around him. it was v v difficult to gather.

then we moved to another side of the square and the police started chasing and tear gassing people -- it really spreads... and though i wasn't too close it went up my nose and had a strong burning/stinging sensation. people were now wearing those surgical masks but there eyes were all red. people were lighting cigarettes and blowing the smoke into peoples eyes as it helps get rid of the stinging. i gave several people cigarettes to help and blew smoke into a strangers faces to help them (something i would of course never do!!). then the police started chasing people down a street and smashing windows and following protesters into bldngs which was quite scary (no where is safe then).

4:43 PM ET -- Iran's state television network... becomes a focus for Iranian anger.

4:28 PM ET -- Demonstrators help an injured riot cop. This video was uploaded several days ago, but I hadn't seen it until today, and it only has 2,000 views, so it doesn't seem to have spread widely. As we've seen on other occassions, this clip shows an injured riot officer with a significant head injury being attended to by demonstrators, who wrap a cloth around his head to stop the bleeding and then help him away from the large crowds.

4:17 PM ET -- John McCain addresses Neda on Senate floor. "Today, I and all America pays tribute to a brave young woman who was trying to exercise her fundamental human rights and was killed in the streets of Tehran."

3:54 PM ET -- Iran scraps certain punishments. Strange timing, I'd say. "Iran's parliament plans to scrap stoning and amputation of a hand as punishments in a revised version of the Islamic penal code, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday."

3:43 PM ET -- Journalists say conditions worse than during Iraq-Iran war. The U.S.-funded Radio Farwa reports that over 180 Iranian journalists signed a letter today protesting severe restrictions on their ability to publish. According to the report, the journalists say that state agents now must approve a wide range of their content, and that the crackdown is worse than even during the long war between Iraq and Iran.

3:41 PM ET -- Italy gets "testy." "[I]n a sign of testiness with Iran, Italy said Monday it will consider Iran's G-8 invitation rejected if the country does not reply by the end of the day."

3:25 PM ET -- What Iranians are seeing in the papers. The front page of Kayhan News, a major Iranian newspaper. The splash headline: "$400 Million CIA Budget For Creating Riots After The Election."

A couple readers have said that the article is based off a piece by Paul Craig Roberts, likely this one. Others have written to emphasize that while claims of U.S. involvement in the current demonstrations are unfounded, the U.S. government does have a long well-documented history of meddling in Iran.

3:13 PM ET -- Obama "moved" by demonstrators. White House Press Secretary just now on President Obama: "I think he has been moved what we've seen on television. I think particularly so by images of women in Iran who have stood up for their right to demonstrate, to speak out and to be heard." Gibbs said that the president "continues to have concerns and questions" about the way that Iran's presidential election was run.

3:07 PM ET -- 'Iran to release box-by-box vote count.' That's what Iran's state media is reporting:

Amid claims of a 'rigged-election' by certain defeated Iranian presidential candidates, a top election official says the box-by-box details of the vote will be released.

"During previous elections in the Islamic Republic, statistics concerning individual ballot boxes were considered confidential information ... this kind of information was only available to certain officials," deputy head of the Interior Ministry's election headquarters Ali-Asghar Sharifi-Rad said Sunday.

According to Sharifi-Rad, the Ministry had, however, decided to publish the results "box by box," to resolve ambiguities about the disputed election in which incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a landslide victory, ILNA reported.

2:47 PM ET -- Warning: Graphic video. This video was posted on YouTube today though there is no mention of when it was taped. It shows two men apparently injured, one in the upper thigh and another very badly in the head, possibly by gunfire (multiple shots are heard through the tape).

2:32 PM ET -- Karroubi criticizes Guardian Council, calls for new election. Via the excellent NIAC, the latest statement by one of the other presidential candidates who has since been supporting and appearing with Mousavi:

In an open letter, Karroubi complained to the speaker of the Guardian Council about the provinces where the number of votes exceeded the number of eligible voters. According to Karroubi, there are more than 200 such regions. "But the problems are not limited to these regions... the interesting thing is why the Guardian Council, which oversaw the qualification of the administrators, did not report such widespread fraud on the day of the election?" Karroubi said. Therefore, he asked the Guardian Council to save the country from great danger by canceling the elections instead of "wasting time" by recounting the votes.

2:19 PM ET -- Mousavi fever spreads to volleyball. A reader sends along this video (said to be filmed in Dubai) with a note:

It was apparently taken during a volleyball match between the teams Peykan and Alhelal held yesterday. Iranians wearing green rooted for the number 4 player with the name Mousavi (his first name is Mohammad though). I read in Balatarin (a kind of Farsi version of Digg) that after the police present in the stadium told them that even if there is a player with that name, they are not allowed to shout this name, they started chanting "Rahnavard!" Then the police got angrier and told them if they wanted to watch the match, they had to refrain from mentioning certain names. After this, the slogans changed to, "Liar, liar, you who we can't name!" "Shall I say, shall I say? Say, say! Best team is blue, no, no, no. Best team is red, no, no, no. It's green, green, green!" "Doctor (referring to Ahamdinejad), go away!" Then they raised their hands above their heads and observed a few minutes of silence out of reverence to Neda.

2:17 PM ET -- Mocking Ahmadinejad. By popular demand, via various emailers, a video satire of the Iran election unrest:

2:14 PM ET -- More video, alleged from today.

And another big crowd in Tabriz apparently gathered at night:

2:03 PM ET -- Iran's citizen journalism. Some newsworthy recent tweets from one of Iran's most reliable Twitter users. Of course, they are all unconfirmed. But it is very impressive how a key group of Iranians on Twitter have filled the media vacuum not just by tweeting, but by noting when their information is unverified, or when it comes from sources whose reliability they cannot know for certain.

Clashes today confirmed in Jaam Jam and Mellat Park - militia used tear gas - shooting heard

Kalame Newspaper attacked by militia and several journalists arrested - #Iranelection2 minutes ago from web

Hospital sources - at least 1000 people injured so far by Gov in the streets against Sea of Green

Hospital sources - as many as 47 killed so far by Gov in the streets

Tehran is now alive again with the sound of the people - Allah Akbar - Death to the Dictator

The Combatant Clerics Group has strongly supported Mir Hossein Mousavi - Qom - Today

Mousavi has today had a meeting with several high rank clerics from Qom

1:55 PM ET -- TehranBroadcast.com. Via Alex, this looks to be an excellent new resource for English speakers.

1:46 PM ET -- Iran needs more guns. So argues Florida Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio.

1:30 PM ET -- Rafsanjani 'fighting furiously' for re-vote. Roger Cohen's latest for the New York times is out. One newsworthy passage: "On Sunday, I saw Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, the son of the establishment's embittered éminence grise, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He told me his father, who despises President Mahmoud Adhmadinejad, is fighting a furious rearguard action to have the election annulled by the Guardian Council, the 12-member oversight body that will pronounce this week on the election's legality."

His closing line: "I bow my head to the youth of Iran, the youth that is open-eyed, bold and far stronger and more numerous than the near-beardless vigilantes."

1:03 PM ET -- An interview with Neda's fiance. As I noted earlier, BBC Persia today aired an interview with Neda's fiance. Several readers graciously volunteered English translations. I'm posting the full transcript below -- it's long but very interesting. Her fiance says that the coroners asked to remove a part of Neda's leg (for apparent use for another person), that Iran's authorities refused to allow her family to hold a memorial service, and that Neda was not a firm backer of either Mousavi or Ahmadinejad -- she simply "wanted freedom and freedom for all."

Caspian Makan, Neda Agha-Setan's fiancee, was interviewed by BBC Persia, noting that Neda would have turned 27 this year. "Neda's goal was not Mousavi or Ahmadinejad, it was her country and was important for her to fight for this goal," the BBC narrator says while introducing the segment. "She had said many times that if she had lost her life or been shot in the heart, which indeed what happened, it was important for her to continue in this path. Considering her young age she has taught a lesson to us all."

About the day of the incident, Mr. Makan said: "When the clashes were occurring, Neda was far away from the demonstrations, she was in one of the side alleys near Amir Abad. Thirsty and tired or being cooped up for about an hour in the car in heavy traffic with her music instructor, she finally gets out of the car and, based on the pictures sent in by the people, armed forces in civilian clothes and the Basiji targeted and shot her in the heart."

"It was over in a matter of minutes, the Shariati Hospital was nearby, the people around her tried to bring her to the emergency room by car, but before that could even happen she died in her instructor's arms."

Mr. Makan added: "We got her body back finally yesterday with some diffculties. Of course, her body was not at the Tehran Coroner but at a one outside of Tehran. The medical examiners
wanted parts of her body, including a portion of her femoral bone but the chief medical examiner would not say why and no explanations were ever given."

"Finally the family consented just so they could get her body back as soon as possible, since just this issue could have resulted in delaying the reception of the body. We buried the body in a small area in the Zahra Cemetery in the late afternoon of 31 Khordad. Also, they had brought in other people who had been killed in the protests so it seemed that the whole event was scheduled to be such."

About payment for releasing the remains, Mr. Makan had this to say: "No specific amount has been paid at this time, although hospitals, clinics, surgeons and medical examiners have been ordered by the Iranian security services, based on various orders, not to list 'bullet wound' as the cause of death on the death certificate in order to prevent the families from filing international complaints in the future. I haven't seen the release notice of Neda's remains yet, but I will obtain it from her father in the coming days."

Mr. Makan regarding government ban of memorial service for Neda Agha Setan said: "We were going to hold her memorial Monday 1st of Tir at 2:30 PM at a mosque at Sharyati street north of Seyed Khandan. But Basijis and mosque officials refused our request for her memorial service so to avoid further public confrontation and instability. They knew that Neda was an died innocently, and people in Iran and the international community are informed of that fact. So they decided to avoid a situation where a mass rally would take place. In any way, we do not have permission for a memorial service for now."

However, many eye witnesses told BBC Persia that a large gathering took place with the intention of performing a memorial service at Al Reza Mosque at Nilofar square in Tehran. But the security forces intervened by throwing people out of the mosque and intervening with the service.

Mr. Makan also commented on fake pictures of videos claiming to be Neda at various sites:"I was looking at some sites including 'iReport'. There was a picture of a young woman with green signs from previous calm demonstrations and had claimed it was Neda before being shot. These pictures have no relation to the event. It seems that Mr. Mousavi's supporters are trying to portray Neda as one of his supporters. This is not so. Neda was incredibly close to me and she was never supportive of either two groups. Neda wanted freedom and freedom for all."

BBC Farsi tried to contact Neda Agha-Sultan's other family members but was told by a close relative of hers that, for reasons of their own, the Agha Sultan family could not grant an interview.

12:56 PM ET -- Report of violence in Mousavi's hometown. Via the NIAC, an Iranian reporter tweets, "Frightening reports coming from Tabriz (Mousavi's hometown)."

12:54 PM ET -- Iran ambassadors summoned. "The Czech European Union presidency asked the bloc's members on Monday to consider summoning the heads of Iran's missions in Europe to express 'deep revulsion' over post-election violence there. The Czechs said they had summoned the head of the Iranian ministry in Prague to reject Iran's protest that the EU and its member states were illegitimately interfering in Iran's affairs."

Also: A European Union-wide proposal to coordinate aid for wounded Iranian demonstrators was expected to be discussed Wednesday in Stockholm, ministers said. Ministers of Italy, France and Finland called for a common EU response for people seeking assistance in the violent aftermath of Iran's June 12 election."

12:42 PM ET -- New video. Purportedly from today. The text accompanying the video reads, "Shiroudi Sports Compound turned into a military garrison."

12:08 PM ET -- Iran considering dismissal of EU ambassadors. So reports BBC Persia.

11:21 AM ET -- Neda was engaged. BBC Persia has an interview with Neda's fiance (some translation would be great). Also, AP prints some new details: "An acquaintance of her family said Neda worked part-time at a travel agency in Iran and that the government barred the family from holding a public funeral Monday. The acquaintance spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared government reprisal. The Iranian government has banned all public gatherings, though there was no specific information about funerals for those killed in recent clashes."

11:18 AM ET -- Nokia/Siemens responds to report it provided Iran with censoring technology. Via reader Paul, the statement is here. Here's the original Wall Street Journal story if you missed it below. Any thoughts from experts on this issue?

11:16 AM ET -- Italy willing to open embassy to protesters. Reuters writes up the news we noted yesterday: "Italy is willing to open its embassy in Tehran to wounded protesters in coordination with other European nations, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday. The move follows a Swedish initiative to look into whether European Union nations can put together a plan to take in and provide aid to demonstrators at their embassies in Iran, the ministry said."

11:11 AM ET -- "It has become a dangerous zero-sum game." If you're just starting to follow this conflict, the New York Times has an excellent piece on former Iranian president Rafsanjani and his intense behind-the-scenes campaign to tilt the center of power away from Khamenei.

11:01 AM ET -- Government accuses demonstrators of murder. From Iran's state TV: "Tehran's prosecutor general's office has said that some armed saboteurs opened fire on civilians and killed people in post-election violence in Tehran. 'A number of Tehrani citizens were shot dead by unknown vandals Saturday night,' said the office on Monday."

10:55 AM ET -- Riot police again violently cracking down on demonstrators. The latest from AP:

Riot police attacked hundreds of demonstrators with tear gas and fired live bullets in the air to disperse a rally in central Tehran Monday, carrying out a threat by the country's most powerful security force to crush any further opposition protests over the disputed presidential election.

Witnesses said helicopters hovered overhead as about 200 protesters gathered at Haft-e-Tir Square. But hundreds of anti-riot police quickly put an end to the demonstration and prevented any gathering, even small groups, at the scene.

At the subway station at Haft-e-Tir, the witnesses said police did not allow anyone to stand still, asking them to keep on walking and separating people who were walked together. The witnesses asked not to be identified for fear of government reprisals.

Just before the clashes, an Iranian woman who lives in Tehran said there was a heavy police and security presence in another square in central Tehran. She asked not to be identified because she was worried about government reprisals.

"There is a massive, massive, massive police presence," she told the Associated Press in Cairo by telephone. "Their presence was really intimidating."

10:40 AM ET -- Google updates Iran satellite imagery. Another very impressive move by Google: "Many of you have been letting us know through Tweets, emails, blog posts, message boards, and even an online petition that you're very interested in seeing recent satellite imagery of Tehran. Well, we've heard your requests and over the past few days have been working with our satellite imagery partner GeoEye to make this possible. We just received updated satellite imagery of Tehran, taken on Thursday the 18th at approximatly 11:18am local time."

Also, YouTube employees over at their Citizen Tube site have been posting Iran videos for several days now. This morning, they noted that Iran's state media have launched a "YouTube strategy" in recent days, posting propaganda videos and clips from its television station. One YouTube post states, "Is Iran's YouTube strategy working? The above episode of Reality Check was posted a day ago, and has 13 views at the time of this posting."

10:36 AM ET -- Police breaking up memorial for Neda. ABC's Lara Setrakian tweets, "People are trying to gather in 7 Tir square, but being dispersed before they can gather momentum. Many many Basijis. People btwn 1000-2000. they're preventing others from joining. As soon as they gather somewhere they attack, so they run away & regroup"

The 7 Tir Square gathering was a memorial for Neda, the young woman whose violent death in the street on Saturday was captured on video.

10:33 AM ET -- British foreign ministry evacuating staff from Iran. NBC News reports, getting more details. The UK also revised its travel advisory for Iran:

Large scale demonstrations following the Iranian Presidential elections on 12 June 2009 continue. There have been violent clashes at and after some demonstrations with some deaths. Further violence is possible. Some forms of international and internal communications have been disrupted, e.g. SMS, mobile telephone coverage and internet. You should avoid demonstrations and large public gatherings.

10:20 AM ET -- Revolutionary Guards threaten to crush protests. "Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Monday it would crush further demonstrations over the disputed presidential election after the opposition defiantly vowed to press on with its protests. The Guards -- an elite force set up to protect the Islamic republic in the wake of the 1979 revolution -- warned of a 'decisive and revolutionary' riposte to any further unrest."

9:58 AM ET -- "You can't beat our grandmothers." A very moving appearance by Melody Moezzi on CNN last night:

5:22 AM ET -- Karroubi calls for public mourning of Neda today. In a Facebook post, the reformist candidate who has been supporting Mousavi and appearing with him at rallies calls for people to gather at a central Tehran location at 4PM to mourn Neda. This could get explosive.

5:03 AM ET -- Khamenei to deliver another address on Friday. That news comes via a very reliable Iranian on Twitter, who cites Iran's state television. The same Twitter user also wrote earlier today about apparent plans for a broad strike being organized by reformists:

Soon Mousavi will announce full national strikes, probably starting with Petrochemical - prepare for this... Expect food shortage - transport stoppage - money shortage in bank... Gov will respond with electric power cuts - prepare and have gas cylinders at home or gasoline for light/cooking... People of Iran - THIS IS THE DAWN - This is the new begining - have hope and prepare.

4:43 AM ET -- Report: 40 senior clerics want election results annulled. The intense infighting among Iran's clerical establishment appeared to play out in new dramatic fashion on Monday. Via reader Art, the news site Peiknet reported that Ayatollah Rafsanjani has a letter signed by 40 members of the powerful 86-member Assembly of Experts calling for the annulment of the recent presidential election results.

Moreover, the letter (the authenticity of which has, again, not been verified) charges that the arrest of Rafsanjani's daughter Faezeh on Sunday was a way to exert pressure on him, and that she was followed and identified by the intelligence services during the rally.

More translation via a reader:

It says Khamenai has lung cancer and wanted to have his son as Supreme Leader (the position that Rafsanjani wants), and that the attempt to alter the election results was done in an attempt by Khamenei to eventually allow his son Mojtaba to replace him. It says that at the core the argument is not just about Mousavi but the overall system of government, as it's becoming a like Monarchy rather than a republic. So far, it says, most of the clerics have not accepted Ahmadinejad presidency, and quotes Ayatollah Javadi Amoly saying of the attack on Tehran University students, 'no Muslim will destroy another's property, they must be foreigners.'

If you see any related news, let me know. In the meantime, it's useful to watch this video recounting Rafsanjani's key role in electing Khamenei as Supreme Leader some two decades ago:

3:44 AM ET -- Archives. I've been trying to keep the size of this page relatively small so it loads more quickly, but full archives are available down below. Here are Sunday's updates.

3:40 AM ET -- Mohsen Makhmalbaf. If someone has the contact information for Mousavi's external spokesman, can you please pass it along?

3:39 AM ET -- Rafsanjani speech? Powerful Iranian cleric Ayatollah Rafsanjani, whose family members were arrested and held for several hours on Sunday after his daughter was filmed supporting the demonstrators, will "speak after Friday's sermon," reports Jamal Dajani, a journalist and HuffPost blogger.

3:32 AM ET -- Some stunning video... of street clashes between basiji paramilitaries and demonstrators on Saturday. (Via reader Farbod.)

3:18 AM ET -- Time magazine covers Neda. "In Iran, one woman's death may have many consequences."

Iran's revolution has now run through a full cycle. A gruesomely captivating video of a young woman -- laid out on a Tehran street after apparently being shot, blood pouring from her mouth and then across her face -- swept Twitter, Facebook and other websites this weekend. The woman rapidly became a symbol of Iran's escalating crisis, from a political confrontation to far more ominous physical clashes. [...]

Although it is not yet clear who shot "Neda" (a soldier? pro-government militant? an accidental misfiring?), her death may have changed everything. For the cycles of mourning in Shiite Islam actually provide a schedule for political combat -- a way to generate or revive momentum. Shiite Muslims mourn their dead on the third, seventh and 40th days after a death, and these commemorations are a pivotal part of Iran's rich history. During the revolution, the pattern of confrontations between the shah's security forces and the revolutionaries often played out in 40-day cycles.

2:30 AM ET -- Foreign ministry: U.S. has "racial mentality" toward Iran. CNN aired extended footage of a live press conference by Iran's foreign ministry on Monday morning. An anchor noted many empty seats in the briefing room, a result of the foreign media crackdown.

In one key exchange, a questioner asked about reports that foreign embassies had aided demonstrators after Saturday's violence. The foreign ministry representative said there was, at that moment, a "heated debate" over those reports taking place in Iran's Parliament, and he promised that a "proportional response" from Iran's government was being planned. In the same response, he accused the United States of acting with a "racial mentality" in its behavior towards Iran.

REPORTER: Yesterday we had in the news that some foreign embassies in Tehran, in the past two or three days, they have given shelter to rioters. You said that there's a meeting held right now in Parliament. How does Iran look at this?

FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL: Well, I said that this was asked several times. I ask that you allow me not to make any prejudgments. All the reports and attitudes [sic] are being observed and they're being looked into, and measures proportionate to facts on the ground will be taken. We will not act based on our emotions and feelings. But a proportionate measure to take is being studied now. I have no permission to comment at this point, and just now, I said that there's is a heated debate in parliament right now, and they are looking into all the aspects of this issue. And like I said, at the same time, some Western officials say, some American officials say they don't want to engage in a political football, but that's not true. Reality is different. There was one statement out by those proclaimers of democracy -- there was no sentence, no statement in their comments to invite people to democracy! Not even one statement was mentioned, for your information, we observed it all, we monitored all that they said. They never invited people to do things based on law, legally. If there is going to be some protest in their own countries, people need to be issued a permit. They did not allow them to have a rally in their own countries. Why don't they find the same story in Iran? Why don't they treat us the same way? This is a racial mentality, that Iranians belong to the Third World, we shouldn't talk about law or regulations with them. But we belong to the first class, we are first-class citizens, and therefore you should permits from police to have a rally.

At another point in the press conference, he referenced the 2004 Bush-Kerry presidential race, noting that foreign governments didn't urge Kerry voters like those "in Los Angeles" to not accept the results.

1:39 AM ET -- Web access for Iranians. A site called Your-Freedom.me says it is offering free access to its services for Iranians, with widened bandwidth and no time restrictions.

1:13 AM ET -- Calm overnight, state media reports. "Iranian state radio said on Monday that no unrest broke out in Tehran overnight and the capital had been calm for the first time since a disputed June 12 presidential election. 'Tehran last night witnessed the first night of calm and peace since the election,' state radio said."

The New York Times reports, "There were reports of scattered confrontations but no confirmation of any new injuries by evening. But as they had on previous nights, many residents of Tehran clambered to their rooftops and could be heard shouting 'Death to the dictator!' and 'God is great,' their rallying cries since the crisis began."

12:46 AM ET -- State radio: 457 arrested. "Iranian state radio said Monday that 457 people were arrested in clashes between demonstrators and security forces in Tehran that took place late Saturday. The arrests were made around the Iranian capital's Azadi square, the radio report said, quoting the police."

-- Sunday, June 21
-- Saturday, June 20 -- Part I | Part II
-- Friday, June 19
-- Thursday, June 18
-- Wednesday, June 17
-- Tuesday, June 16
-- Monday, June 15
-- Sunday, June 14

This is an archive of my Iran election live-blogging. For the latest updates, click here.

11:58 PM ET -- The Chatham House study on Iran's election. I was traveling today and only briefly mentioned the major Chatham House study examining the results of Iran's election. Here is the full study (pdf), and the New York Times highlights some key points:

[S]erious new questions about the vote's integrity were raised outside of Iran. Chatham House, a London-based research organization, released a study done with the University of St. Andrews challenging the Iranian government's results, based on a comparison with the 2005 elections as well as Iran's own census data.

The study showed, for example, that in two provinces where Mr. Ahmadinejad won a week ago, a turnout of more than 100 percent was recorded.

The study also showed that in a third of all provinces, the official results, if true, would have required that Mr. Ahmadinejad win not only all conservative voters and all former centrist voters and all new voters, but up to 44 percent of formerly reformist voters.

11:15 PM ET -- CNN: "Her name was Neda." I'm late getting to this but CNN really should be commended for producing the report below. Even tonight, as we near midnight on a Sunday, CNN's Don Lemon is still anchoring live news and commentary on Iran. Very impressive.

11:04 PM ET -- Siemens, Nokia helped provide Iran's censoring technology. The Wall Street Journal has a very important report:

The Iranian regime has developed, with the assistance of European telecommunications companies, one of the world's most sophisticated mechanisms for controlling and censoring the Internet, allowing it to examine the content of individual online communications on a massive scale. [...]

[I]n confronting the political turmoil that has consumed the country this past week, the Iranian government appears to be engaging in a practice often called deep-packet inspection, which enables authorities to not only block communication but to monitor it to gather information about individuals, as well as alter it for disinformation purposes, according to these experts.

The monitoring capability was provided, at least in part, by a joint venture of Siemens AG, the German conglomerate, and Nokia Corp., the Finnish cellphone company, in the second half of 2008, Ben Roome, a spokesman for the joint venture, confirmed.

The "monitoring center," installed within the government's telecom monopoly, was part of a larger contract with Iran that included mobile-phone networking technology, Mr. Roome said. "If you sell networks, you also, intrinsically, sell the capability to intercept any communication that runs over them," said Mr. Roome.

A reader notes, "Here is some software that was used in China as an effective tool for circumvention of the censorship controls. The software is Tor it is used by Human Rights Watch and others, including bloggers who don't want to get caught in a place where they can be killed for speaking out. It's open source for Windows, Linux and Mac. Here is the link."

10:49 PM ET -- Mousavi's words on tape. This video, uploaded on YouTube today, purports to be of Mousavi's appearance at Saturday's rally. It seems more likely to be from an event earlier in the week, but either way, it is among the first post-election videos I've spotted where his words can be heard.

A Farsi-speaking reader tried to help translate but it was tough: "The crowd's chanting makes it so hard to pick out what he is saying. I can pick up a few word here and there, but not his full sentences. The gist is that he is among the martyrs... -- then the crowd chants. The crowd chanting is clear, but not Mousavi's speech." Let me know if you're able to pick up more.

Update: Readers write in with additional quotes: "For this 'sacred path' we are ready to sacrifice ourselves," he says at one point, and then later, "We came here to defend the right of our own nation [inaudible]..."

Another reader, Ollie, offers this description: "'In our sacred path we have to give sacrifice," he says, and 'We have to defend our rights.' The first phrase sounds to be not 'to make' sacrifices" but to 'give them' ('ghorbani bedahim' as opposed to 'Ghorbani beshavim'). I don't wanna make too much of it, but it sounds like a call to confront violence and be prepared to face the consequences."

10:09 PM ET -- Keeping an eye out for for a strike. NBC's Ann Curry writes, "Word spreading that protesters r trying to organize a general strike. People told to stock up on supplies, medicines."

A knowledgeable reader writes, "Keep watch for any info on strikes, especially if bazari (major importers) and in particular if the oil workers will join. I am reading/hearing rumors about this. If/when oil workers join - I would say end of the regime. That is what happend '79: Oil-workers went on strike, the U.S. gov't had to give the shah oil at very high costs, until they gave up and the shah fell. This time no one will give them oil and if oil-workers go on strike, that is the most potent weapon against the regime. They will not have any money to finance (pay basij etc) for this."

9:45 PM ET -- "Stop or I'll tweet!" An editorial cartoon. Here's another, via reader Alex. Yes, there are those who overstate the role of new technology in Iran's unrest right now. But there's a reason that government forces are targeting demonstrators carrying cell phones and cameras.

9:40 PM ET -- Rafsanjani's daughter released. Iran's state media confirms the reports we posted earlier.

The New York Times adds that four of Faezeh's other relatives, also arrested, "were released after several hours."

8:43 PM ET -- Imprisoned Iranian politicians and journalists. An updated list. And below, a photo of Maziar Bahari, a Canadian reporter for Newsweek who has been arrested without charges in Iran. Bahari's colleague Fareed Zakaria has posted a statement over at PostGlobal.

8:36 PM ET -- Where should people send donations? I've received several emails asking for suggestions for groups that Americans and others can donate to. It's not appropriate for me to be making donation recommendations in this capacity, but I'm happy to pass on thoughts from readers. If you have a group/outlet/etc. you'd like to recommend, email me 1) their website and and 2) a short description of why you think they're great. I'll reprint them here later.

8:09 PM ET -- Demonstrators arrested. This video captures the tense scene as two individuals are arrested in a small alley. At one point, the police seem to place a shoe in one of men's faces. Later, they have him pick up the shoes with his teeth and carry them with him when they move him. The caption posted on YouTube says the man filming is quietly cursing the officers.

8:02 PM ET -- Rafsanjani ally calls for "political bloc." "A political party affiliated with Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, the former president and key member of the Iranian regime, on Sunday called on Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the opposition leader, to form a 'political bloc' that would pursue a long-term campaign to undermine the 'illegitimate' government."

7:31 PM ET -- Building the case for arresting Mousavi. Washington Post: "Mousavi made no public appearances Sunday and some analysts in Tehran were concerned that the [state's] media campaign, which featured at least one militia leader and a law professor questioning the legality of his actions, was preparing the ground for his arrest. ... Authorities appeared to be seeking to blame the violence on radicals. State television charged that 'the presence of terrorists . . . was tangible' in Saturday's events. It asked viewers to send video of protesters in order to help authorities to arrest them."

7:19 PM ET -- The stand-off. Finally, after a couple hours of searching (and a trip to Penn Station, I'm finally heading back home to DC), I've found an embeddable version of this BBC Persia video, via reader Chas. As Andrew writes of the video, "Yes, you can hear the shouts 'Hurrah!" and I confess I found myself yelling it at my lap-top as well." Watch till the end.

6:55 PM ET -- A bit more on Neda. A blogger apparently in touch with Neda's family members offers some new details (translated by reader Nima): she was born in 1982, apparently her full name was Neda Agha-Soltan, and she was at the protest with one her professors and several other students. She was, they said, shot by a basiji riding by on a motorcycle. Also, she was apparently buried today at a large cemetery in the south of Tehran. ABC News' Lara Setrakian writes, "Hearing reports Neda was buried in Behesht Zahra cemetery earlier today, memorial service cancelled on orders from authorities."

6:28 PM ET -- Daylight vandalism. An Iranian passed this video on through a friend in the United States. About 3/4 of the way through, the big crowd of people walks off the right side of the screen and you see a smaller group of uniformed police walking in from the left. After a few seconds, they walk up to some cars parked in front of a building and start smashing their windows with batons. Totally senseless, they're like villains out of a comic book.

6:09 PM ET -- Guardian Council admits: more votes than voters. Another fairly shocking report given that it comes from Iran's state-funded PressTV:

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

The council's 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.

The spokesman, however, 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," reported Khabaronline.

5:39 PM ET -- Vote-rigging claims were backed by an analysis of the results done by British academics from the University of St Andrews and Chatham House - especially their finding that the number of votes exceeded the number of eligible voters in the conservative provinces of Mazandaran and Yazd, reports the Times of London's Martin Fletcher:

"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.

4:27PM ET -- A young woman marching to Freedom Square on Saturday shared her amazing story with CNN: She was beaten by paramilitary forces with clubs, escaped with her camera and shared her photos with the network after tricking a member of the Basij by giving him an empty memory card, keeping the one that held her photos.

She told CNN about the intensity of the protests and the strong female presence:

There were many women among the crowd of demonstrators trying to get to Freedom Square, she said. "We gave the boys the stones because we can't throw them so far. We gave them the stones, and we said the slogans."

Here is one of her photos:

3:39 PM ET -- Another photojournalist missing. Via reader Teni, Life magazine posts this message about the photojournalist who runs TehranLive.org: "A NOTE TO OUR READERS: We are saddened to report that the Iranian photojournalist, whose pictures appear in this gallery, is missing. He has not been in contact with us; this morning we received the following email from one of his relatives. We will update this space when we have more details. THE EMAIL: Hi im [photographer's relative], when he go out side yester day for he never came back home and also his friend and a lot of our young brave people, government arrested them [. . .] don't let them suffer in those bloody hands. With thanks."

The photo below, taken earlier this week by the same photographer, accompanies this post. More of his work is here.

3:10 PM ET -- More on the Newsweek reporter arrested without charges.

A Canadian journalist working in Iran for Newsweek magazine was detained without charge by Iranian authorities Sunday, the magazine said, adding that Maziar Bahari had not been heard from since.

"Newsweek strongly condemns this unwarranted detention, and calls upon the Iranian government to release him immediately," the New York-based weekly news magazine said in a statement.

It said Bahari, who has been living and covering Iran for the past decade, was "detained without charge by Iranian authorities and has not been heard from since."

"Mr Bahari's coverage of Iran, for Newsweek and other outlets, has always been fair and nuanced, and has given full weight to all sides of the issues. He has worked well with different administrations in Tehran, including the current one," it said.

3:07 PM ET -- Are European embassies in Tehran helping the injured? It's still unclear. It may be that activists outside Iran are relying too heavily on unconfirmed reports, or it may be that the embassies are simply not admitting it publicly for fear of 'foreign involvement' tainting the demonstrators. AFP has some reporting:

European embassies in Tehran addressed Sunday what officials said were concerted email calls for them to offer refuge to Iranian democracy protesters, diplomats said.

Talks amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Western nations over post-election violence followed a string of messages sent to embassies and an Internet circular listing overseas missions willing to accept "wounded refugees."

No request for asylum at a European embassy has yet been confirmed, the diplomats added.

UPDATE: A major Italian paper Repubblica reports that Italy's Foreign Minister has instructed its Iran embassy to "'accommodate and assist the injured demonstrators' where there is demand."

2:44 PM ET -- Reports: Rafsanjani's daughter Faezeh released. A reader says that's what Al Arabiya is reporting. Looking for more confirmation. Update: BBC Persia is also reporting this.

2:37 PM ET -- Mousavi's latest message. A short post to Facebook here. No major news: he expresses condolences for yesterday's dead, and again urges his followers "to not to give in to violence and continue non-violence resistance." He points out that Iran's constitution allows for peaceful demonstrations. Via reader Abdollah.

2:23 PM ET -- Neda before she was shot. A reader forwards this video showing Neda (in the black shirt and blue jeans) and a companion (blue striped shirt) during the rally. Another reader sends an unconfirmed report of a memorial service for Neda planned for tomorrow at 5PM at Niloufar mosque at Abas Abad, Tehran.

By comparison, here is the image from after she was shot:

2:19 PM ET -- "Sounds of gunfire reported in tehran's northern districts," NBC's Ann Curry tweets.

2:16 PM ET -- Netanyahu remarks on Iran demonstrations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday hailed the "incredible acts of courage" by Iranian demonstrators as they flooded into city streets and "unmasked" the true nature of the regime.

"Obviously you see a regime that represses its own people and spreads terror far and wide," Netanyahu told NBC's Meet the Press in an interview from his Jerusalem office, repeating Israel's longstanding position towards an Iranian leadership which has vowed the destruction of the Jewish state.

He then took the rare move of praising Iranians whose boisterous defiance on the streets of Tehran and elsewhere have pushed the regime to the brink.

"It is a regime whose real nature has been unmasked, and it's been unmasked by incredible acts of courage by Iran's citizens," Netanyahu said.

2:12 PM ET -- Newsweek reporter arrested without charges. The New York Times reports:

The number of reporters arrested since the June 12 election has risen to at least 24. The Lede has learned that Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari was arrested without charge on Sunday morning in Tehran, and has not been heard from since. Mr. Bahari, a Canadian citizen, has been living in and covering Iran for the past decade. His most recent article for Newsweek examined opposition supporters' concerns that pro-Ahmadinejad groups were staging violent incidents at their rallies to undermine support for their movement.

12:57 PM ET -- Understanding Ayatollah Montazeri's statement. A reader who has been very helpful over the last week sends in this note about today's statement (highlighted below at 12:28 PM) by dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Montazeri (slightly edited for clarity):

Just had call with Iranians who read the whole Montazzeri statement (I have not myself - note - my farsi is not good enough to get all the nuances of the thing). But the main point I think you should be aware of is that he's asking people this coming Wed-Fri to mourn the people who have died. The people I talk to suggest it's his covert way of asking people to strike.

As point of reference - in the '79 Revolution, it was the strikes that did it. This is super important - because roughly right now you have some of the population that are hitting the streets, while others are Ahmadinejad people -- and it's the silent 30-40% they are after. Each day this silent majority is slowly stepping towards the reformists.

One important point with strikes -- they cannot shoot people who are striking. That will leave them in a bind -- and more people dare to strike than hit the streets. Again, this is in reference with what happened in '79 - strikes are the most potent weapon.

Also - what is happening now with regards to spreading information to the people. They are going back to 79 strategies. basically they are printing papers having people distribute them all over the country. twitter/net etc is not effective right now - they are going back to old-fashioned style.

12:51 PM ET -- Where are the guns? Some readers have been surprised not to see more guns in the hands of the Iranian demonstrators (they're not urging them to carry guns, by the way, just surprised not to see them in light of the violent crackdowns). Regarding this, NBC's Richard Engel reported this morning:

The information war is one war. But [the regime] is much more concerned about a real war. And the only people who are armed in this country, in Iran, are most of the ethnic minorities -- the Baluchis, the Kurds, the Arab populations. So if this protest movement spreads deeply into those areas, then you have a real significant threat against the regime. That is why you are seeing the regime try and say don't participate, this is a foreign-inspired coup, these people in the streets are rioters and terrorists who will be dealt with accordingly.

12:38 PM ET -- An alternative leadership structure. According to Al Arabiya (via reader Pasha), an outline of what Rafsanjani is pushing for among the clerical leadership:

Religious leaders are considering an alternative to the supreme leader structure after at least 13 people were killed in the latest unrest to shake Tehran and family members of Ayatollah Rafsanjani were arrested amid calls by former President Mohammad Khatami for the release of all protesters.

Iran's religious clerks in Qom and members of the Assembly of Experts...are mulling the formation of an alternative collective leadership to replace that of the supreme leader, sources in Qom told Al Arabiya on condition of anonymity.

The influential Rafsanjani, 75, heads two very powerful groups. The most important one is the Assembly of Experts, made up of senior clerics who can elect and dismiss the supreme leader. The second is the Expediency Council, a body that arbitrates disputes between parliament and the unelected Guardian Council, which can block legislation.

Members of the assembly are reportedly considering forming a collective ruling body and scrapping the model of Ayatollah Khomeini as a way out of the civil crisis that has engulfed Tehran in a series of protests,

The discussions have taken place in a series of secret meetings convened in the holy city of Qom and included Jawad al-Shahristani, the supreme representative of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who is the foremost Shiite leader in Iraq.

Also, via Andrew, a report on this topic from Al Jazeera:

12:34 PM ET -- An historical analogy. Offered by Fareed Zakaria:

CNN: But shouldn't the U.S. be more vocal in support for the Iranian protesters?

Zakaria: I think a good historic analogy is President George H.W. Bush's cautious response to the cracks in the Soviet empire in 1989. Then, many neo-conservatives were livid with Bush for not loudly supporting those trying to topple the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. But Bush's concern was that the situation was fragile. Those regimes could easily crack down on the protestors and the Soviet Union could send in tanks. Handing the communists reasons to react forcefully would help no one, least of all the protesters. Bush's basic approach was correct and has been vindicated by history.

12:28 PM ET -- Khatami, Montazeri step up criticism. From Reuters:

Pro-reform clerics in Iran stepped up criticism of the authorities on Sunday after more than a week of unprecedented popular defiance against the leadership of the Islamic Republic. [...]

As authorities fulminated against protesters backing defeated presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, moderate former president Mohammad Khatami signaled increased opposition among pro-reform clerics to Iran's conservative leadership.

"Preventing people from expressing their demands through civil ways will have dangerous consequences," Khatami, a Mousavi ally, said in a statement, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

His comment, implying criticism of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has backed a ban on protests and defended the outcome of the election, found an echo with Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the most senior dissident cleric.

"Resisting people's demand is religiously prohibited," said Montazeri, an architect of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution who fell out with the present leadership and has been under house arrest for some years.

In a statement on his website, Montazeri called for three days of national mourning for those killed.

Here is Montazeri's statement. Andrew has a translated version of Khatami's full statement here.

12:09 AM ET -- Solidarity. Facebook continues to be, I'm told, the best place to get information about rallies outside Iran to show support for Iran's reformists. Here's a list of events today, but it's worth searching around if you don't see one in your city listed on that page. There is also a large list here, though not as user friendly.

11:55 AM ET -- At least 23 bloggers and reporters arrested. Via my colleague Nick, the Associated Press reports:

Iranian authorities have arrested 23 journalists and bloggers since post-election protests began a week ago, according to a media watchdog that says reporters are a "priority target" for Iran's leadership.

Among those arrested was the head of the Association of Iranian Journalists, Reporters Without Borders said Sunday. [...]

The group released a list of 23 Iranian journalists, editors and bloggers arrested since June 14, and says it has lost contact with several others believed detained or in hiding. Hervieu said RSF verified each arrest via its network of reporters and activists in Iran. No foreign journalists were on the list.

Reporters Without Borders writes, "The Islamic Republic of Iran now ranks alongside China as the world's biggest prison for journalists." They have a hotline for journalists here.

11:50 AM ET -- Peaceful demonstrations on Sunday. Here's alleged video from a blogger in Iran. CNN reported on Twitter: "Eyewitnesses: Thousands of riot police lining Tehran streets Sunday; marches taking place, but no violence reported."

11:22 AM ET -- Fake Iranian Twitter accounts. The site TwitSpam has listed several, via reader Larry.

11:20 AM ET -- "El pueblo uNEDA jamás será vencido." Reader Marco:

Your liveblog has opened my eyes and awakened my slumbering sense of injustice.

As the life went out of Neda's eyes, I looked over at my daughter --21 months old-- and felt my eyes welling with tears. [...]

We must all do our part to end the world's tyrannies or be complicit in our silence.

11:15 AM ET -- Lead BBC reporter ordered to leave Iran.

The BBC reports that Iranian authorities have asked its Tehran correspondent, Jon Leyne, to leave the country within 24 hours.

The BBC said its Tehran office would remain open despite the departure of Mr. Leyne, the broadcaster's permanent correspondent there.

The BBC adds: "Iran has singled out Britain and the BBC in its widespread condemnation of what it calls meddling by foreign powers in its affairs. In the days following the 12 June election, BBC Persian TV was disrupted by "deliberate interference" from inside Iran, the corporation said. In response, the BBC increased the number of satellites that carry its BBC Persian television service for Farsi-speakers in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan."

10:54 AM ET -- Rage against the machine. An Iranian-American writes: "In my spare time, I make short documentaries and music videos, and my 22 year old cousin in Iran asked that I make a video for him with his favorite song. I just spoke with him and he told me that his friends and him are watching it before they go out to protest. He was stepping out the door to protest when I spoke with him just a few minutes ago. A lot of Iranians from Iran rely on huffingtonpost.com for their information. If you could somehow post this on your website and get this out to the youth in Iran, it would mean a lot."

10:50 AM ET -- Video from Saturday's events. So much is pouring in now. I can't post it all but will try to feature the best few in this entry and at least link here to others that turn up.

Here's one allegedly of a young boy injured. A 3-minute video (via Mona) of chaos in the streets.

10:45 AM ET -- Mousavi's web site hacked. Readers note that the Mousavi news site Ghalam News is now calling "for those injured in recent violence to leave their names and contact number.

10:34 AM ET -- Another shift in state TV: calling protesters terrorists. From a great contact in Iran:

State TV just claimed 10 dead 100 injured. They also called the people in the streets terrorists and repeatedly show a mosque that was set on fire...we're watching it now my cousin says that they turn all the word's of obama around and lie about everything to witch my grandfather replies in that in Islam it is permissible to lie in a state of war. They are now show footage of the riots and people that are saying rioters destroyed their livings...I want to reiterate that for 3 or 4 hours I walked through street fighting, I didn't see one broken store window or one car damaged. However I have a feeling the followers of Ahmadinejad will believe the lies said by Seda va Sima. I don't know what to think anymore and I wish I had never watched the video of Neda.

10:27 AM ET -- What Neda's companion said. The image of Neda, a young Iranian woman, being shot and killed in the streets yesterday has become a rallying cry for Iranian reformists and their allies internationally. If you haven't seen the video, I'm reposting it below, but please be warned, it is very very graphic.

A reader who couldn't quite make out what her companion was saying in the video understood after learning that her name is Neda. He sent in the transcript: "Neda, don't be afraid. Neda, don't be afraid. (There is yelling and screaming.) Neda, stay with me. Neda stay with me!"

10:22 AM ET -- PressTV using new term to describe Khamenei? I received an email this morning reader who is a reporter in Washington DC but "lived in Tehran from 2002 to 2008, worked extensively with Basij youth and also at Iran state TV for 2 years." The person writes, "PressTV is calling him the 'Father' of the revolution in its only recent video report from inside Iran." More below -- let me know if you've noticed the same pattern.

mabe you can check to see if all state media in iran are now calling the Supreme Leader the "Father" of the revolution. [...]

I used to work at PressTV and previously we were only allowed to name him as the Supreme Leader, or the Leader of the Islamic Revolution,

i realize it sounds like a minor point but these nuances carry lots of quiet meaning in iran and "Father" was the name reserved solely for the original imam khomeini.

Could be a propoganda tool to make iranians think attacks against the Leader now are akin to attacks on the Imam, who even today holds a 'special place' in the hearts of iranians, even those who don't fully agree the regime.

8:50 AM ET -- More protests today CNN is showing new video from today of what looks to be a very large protest, with the crowd chanting and marching through the streets.

June 21, 8:40 AM ET -- State media report at least 10 deaths. The AP reports on more deaths and the arrests of Rafsanjani's daughter:

State media reported Sunday at least 10 more deaths in post-election unrest and said authorities have arrested the daughter and four other relatives of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of Iran's most powerful men.

The reports brought the official death toll for a week of unrest to at least 19. State television inside Iran said 10 were killed and 100 injured in clashes Saturday between demonstrators contesting the result of the June 12 election and black-clad police wielding truncheons, tear gas and water cannons.

However English-language Press TV, which is broadcast only outside the country, put the toll at 13 and labeled those who died "terrorists." There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.

Amnesty International cautioned that it was "perilously hard" to verify the casualty tolls.

"The climate of fear has cast a shadow over the whole situation," Amnesty's chief Iran researcher, Drewery Dyke, told The Associated Press. "In the 10 years I've been following this country, I've never felt more at sea than I do now. It's just cut off."

On Sunday, the streets of Tehran were eerily quiet.

-- Saturday, June 20 -- Part I | Part II
-- Friday, June 19
-- Thursday, June 18
-- Wednesday, June 17
-- Tuesday, June 16
-- Monday, June 15
-- Sunday, June 14

This is part II of the archive of my Iran election live-blogging from Saturday, June 20 14. For the latest updates, click here.

11:49 PM ET -- Parliament Speaker: Majority of Iranians think election was fraudulent. And printed in state-run media no less!

Iran's Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani suggests that some of the members in the Guardian Council have sided with a certain candidate in the June 12 presidential election.

Speaking live on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Channel 2 on Saturday, the speaker said that "a majority of people are of the opinion that the actual election results are different than what was officially announced."

"The opinion of this majority should be respected and a line should be drawn between them and rioters and miscreants," he was quoted as saying by Khabaronline -- a website affiliated with him.

He was referring to rallies that have been held on a daily basis in Iran, since the announcement of the presidential election results last Friday, in which incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected with almost two thirds of the vote.

Via reader Oliver.

11:10 PM ET -- Terrifying home invasion video. CNN just aired this amateur video of a basiji raid tonight on what looks to be an apartment complex. Just listen to the audio -- pure terror.

A reader helps transcribe: "'They are vandalizing all the cars,' the voice says, with all the car alarms going off. I think the banging sound is from the baton on the windshield and on banging the cars. The last loud female scream is, 'Go GET LOST!'"

10:05 PM ET -- More on the Assembly of Experts statement. Earlier today, the Tehran Times posted an article claiming that the powerful clerical group, the Assembly of Experts, had on Saturday "expressed its 'strong support' for the Supreme Leader's statements on the presidential elections on Friday." It would have been a major blow to reformists' efforts to win the support of many senior clerics.

But as it turns out, it's not true. Reader Ali writes in:

I just wanted to point out that the letter of support written by assembly of experts in support of Khamenei's sermon is only signed by the deputy leader of the assembly, who is a former head of the judiciary and a staunch supporter of ahmadinejad, as well as a rival of Rafsanjani for the assembly's leadership election. He is the only one signing the letter and the government sponsored news media are reporting it as a letter from the full assembly.

And reader Majid provides more details:

Once again thanks for the great job in reporting the events. Just a comment about your 7:33pm item about the Assembly of Experts. The statement is not by the Assembly of Experts, but by Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the "Dabirkhane" of the Assembly of Experts. His statement doesn't carry much weight and definitely not a blow to the freedom movement. After all, there are certainly many Khamene'i loyalists in the Assembly of Experts and such comments could be expected from these cowards.

9:48 PM ET -- Bill Clinton on Iran.

"What's going on in Iran, really?" Clinton asked. "They have some ethnic differences there and some religious differences, but basically, this is about a government trying to deny the modern world.

"And the idea is they just don't think they can keep control, if everybody gets to say what they really believe, and go where they really want, and be who they want to be," Clinton said, adding with a chuckle: "And they're right, right there."

9:30 PM ET -- "Secret meeting of Ahmadinejad in Qom." This grainy video was posted on YouTube today. It shows Ahmadinejad in a small room with several other men talking about current events. An Iranian-American friend who watched it commented: "It's very interesting...not in itself, but it has to have a second part since it's not a full length. It's almost like he is taking credit for all the youth that is outside. Either he is trying to convince them he is the reason they are out, or that he is the right person to fully utilize their 'energy.'"

If you have any other thoughts, or know where the second half of the video is, let me know.

Update: A Voice of America reporter writes in to say that, despite being uploaded today, this video is not new.

9:19 PM ET -- Solidarity. A big crowd turns out tonight, despite some rain, in Washington D.C. Photo via reader Artin.

8:53 PM ET -- "Sister, have a short sleep, your last dream be sweet." Yesterday we printed a touching letter from an Iranian woman that began with these ominous lines: "I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to get killed..."

Tonight, she posted a second letter, passed along and translated by two readers. She writes about her "sister" in this cause who was killed today, referring to Neda.

Yesterday I wrote a note, with the subject line "tomorrow is a great day perhaps tomorrow I'll be killed." I'm here to let you know I'm alive but my sister was killed...

I'm here to tell you my sister died while in her father's hands
I'm here to tell you my sister had big dreams...
I'm here to tell you my sister who died was a decent person... and like me yearned for a day when her hair would be swept by the wind... and like me read "Forough" [Forough Farrokhzad]... and longed to live free and equal... and she longed to hold her head up and announce, "I'm Iranian"... and she longed to one day fall in love to a man with a shaggy hair... and she longed for a daughter to braid her hair and sing lullaby by her crib...

my sister died from not having life... my sister died as injustice has no end... my sister died since she loved life too much... and my sister died since she lovingly cared for people...

my loving sister, I wish you had closed your eyes when your time had come... the very end of your last glance burns my soul....

sister have a short sleep. your last dream be sweet.

7:57 PM ET -- Neda. That appears to be the name of the woman whose death in the streets today was captured on film, and has been broadcast around the world. I posted it earlier at 2:57 PM.

From Twitter, via Chas: "Her name was ندا (#Neda), which means voice or call in Farsi. She is the voice of the people, a call to freedom - RIP, Neda"

7:42 PM ET -- Rights group: Injured demonstrators arrested at hospitals. "Numerous Iranians beaten and injured by security forces as they tried to stage peaceful demonstrations have been arrested and detained when they sought medical treatment in hospitals," the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported today.

"The arrest of citizens seeking care for wounds suffered at the hands of security forces when they attempted to exercise rights guaranteed under their own constitution and international law is deplorable," said Hadi Ghaemi, spokesperson for the Campaign. "It can only be taken as a sign of profound disrespect by the state for the well-being of its own people."

Additionally, the Campaign said it had "learned that communications out of Tehran's Evin prison have been cut off. Evin prison is where many of Iran's long-term political prisoners and a number of intellectuals, opposition politicians, human rights activists and journalists detained over the past several days are incarcerated."

7:33 PM ET -- Top clerical group Assembly of Experts supports Khamenei. (Update see Saturday 10:05 PM entry.) If accurate, this statement reported by the Tehran Times -- by the one council with the authority to unseat the Supreme Leader -- appears to deal a significant blow to the idea that the clerical establishment would help bring down Khamenei.

In a statement issued on Saturday the Assembly of Experts expressed its "strong support" for the Supreme Leader's statements on the presidential elections on Friday.

The 86-member assembly stated in the statement that it is hoped that the nation would realize the current condition and by sticking to the Leader's guidelines preserve their patience and manifest their unity.

The Qom Seminary Teachers Society also issued a statement on Saturday declaring strong support for the guidelines of the Supreme Leader.

7:13 PM ET -- Mousavi's message of reform. Spencer Ackerman helps us understand the relevance of the statement released today by Mousavi.

6:55 PM ET -- Another Iranian apparently shot dead today. It's important to remember, in the midst of all this violence, that for several days this week, the reformist demonstrators marched peacefully -- sometimes silently. The scenes today look chaotic, and some might mistakenly think that police forces in Iran felt it necessary (however unfortunately) to use force because the protests were getting out of control. This is the opposite of the truth. The violence that apparently killed the man in this video was completely indiscriminate, competely unjustifiable.

6:44 PM ET -- "I was beaten for taking photographs." That's Hanif, a contributor to the citizen photojournalism site Demotix, which has captured dozens of great images over the past week. (Check out Hanif's full gallery from today here.)

Hanif is the third person today who says they were targeted for carrying a camera or cell phone. The paramilitaries have found a new target now that the foreign media are off the streets.

6:30 PM ET -- "Top cleric may be playing role in Iran unrest." The AP digs into the role that Rafsanjani may be playing in working to undermine Supreme Leader Khamenei.

One of Iran's most powerful men may be playing a key role behind closed doors in the country's escalating postelection crisis.

Former president and influential cleric Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani has made no public comment since Iran erupted into confrontation between backers of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reformists who claim he stole re-election through fraud.

But Iranian TV has shown pictures of Rafsanjani's daughter, Faezeh Hashemi, speaking to hundreds of opposition supporters. And Rafsanjani, who has made no secret of his distaste for Ahmadinejad, was conspicuously absent from an address by the country's supreme leader calling for national unity and siding with the president.

6:22 PM ET -- Crowds. The U.S. cable news networks, particularly this morning, were reporting that the crowds out today were not as big as in past rallies. At this point, no one has any idea how many people were in the streets. And given the high expectation of violence -- and then the violence itself -- one would expect them to be smaller. But watch this video -- that is a lot of people:

6:00 PM ET -- Where is Rafsanjani? "According to an online reformist news source Rooyeh, Rafsanjani has been in Qom meeting some members of Council of Experts and a representative of Ayatollah Sistani.

According to the source that asked to remain anonymous, during this meeting they recounted memories of the days of the Revolution.

A reasonable purpose of these meetings, according to the source, is that Rafsanjani is looking for a majority to possibly call for Ahmadinejad's resignation.

As one reader points out, Sistani is "one of the most respected Grand Ayatollahs within Shia Islam in the world. He's Iranian (from Mashhad, same city as Khamenei), but spends most time in Najaf/Karbala in Iraq."

5:55 PM ET -- Photos. Just updated the front page slideshow with several new wire photos.

4:28 PM ET -- Roger Cohen's latest. Via reader Maher, it begins with an amazing moment:

The Iranian police commander, in green uniform, walked up Komak Hospital Alley with arms raised and his small unit at his side. "I swear to God," he shouted at the protesters facing him, "I have children, I have a wife, I don't want to beat people. Please go home."

A man at my side threw a rock at him. The commander, unflinching, continued to plead. There were chants of "Join us! Join us!" The unit retreated toward Revolution Street, where vast crowds eddied back and forth confronted by baton-wielding Basij militia and black-clad riot police officers on motorbikes.

Full piece is here.

4:16 PM ET -- If you'd like to support this post on Digg... click here.

4:04 PM ET -- Freeway overtaken by battle with the basij. Reported to be from today, near Azadi Square. It's a bit difficult to tell what's happening here but it seems that the basij are the smaller crowd on the right hand side, being confronted by the much larger crowd of demonstrators.

Here is another longer video with some graphic content near the end. Reader Chas sums it up: "Its a roaming shot of protesters walking toward a street corner where people are already clashing with the militia, Women hand them rocks on the way, and when they get there shots are fired and the crowd carries back a man who has been hit, and then the crowd retreats away from the scene, showing the blood of the man who has apparently been killed."

3:31 PM ET -- "I was in the middle of a war." Another email from a contact in Iran:

You couldn't imagin what I saw tonight, I walked down many streets(Vali asr, keshavars, amir abad, Fatemi, Shademan, Satarkhan, Khosro), and I was injured by tears gas, but the main thing : The big killer group, called "Basij", weared our special military service group -"Sepah"- dresses and they were all armed , I saw by myself one of them had only around 15 years old!!!! and he had the shot order! I saw a girl injured by gon shot (in Amir abad St.)! and there weren't enough ambulances . I walked through Shademan St. they start shooting , a young boy in front of my eyes murdered , and 3 other people were injured , there were also a big fight between people and Basij at Tohid Sq. 7 people was murdered there, I walked from my company to my home , It was taken 4 hours and I couldn't be able to make a video , cause I was in the middle of war!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3:25 PM ET -- Riot police target people with cell phone. A brave Iranian photographer has been sending us photos (through an amazing Iranian-American reader who has been helping us cover the situation since we started). The photos are in the slideshow currently on the homepage.

The photographer also included this note:

I could not get through. the guards were hitting people really hard to block their way. I got hit a few times, fortunately a few bruises but nothing major. they were hitting the women as hard if it didn't seem harder. they smashed all mobiles and then smack the mobile owners with batons. they also blocked all above ground routes out. the only way out was via the metro

This isn't the first we've heard of the riot police and basiji targeting people with cell phones and mobile devices. A contact from the National Iranian American Council wrote this today:

Security and police have been confiscating cameras and arresting those who are taking footage. I saw this young guy taking a video and 5 people attacked him and throughout it all he help his hand up with a peace sign.- then they arrested him. They have also handcuffed students to the Tehran University fence.

We talk to some normal police and patrolling cops- they are nice and are trying to help people. But it is the Basij and anti-riot that are ruthless.

3:20 PM ET -- Accounts from the ground. From a reader in Iran who I've been corresponding with for the last several days:

Just got home...haven't read you're blog yet but if there's a lot of stories about violence I'm sure they're all true. I don't know where to start, I'd taken my camera but had the sence to take out the memory card this came in hany as I was serched twice (by Basij) before getting stuck in the middle of hell. If I'd been caught with pictures it would mean jail time and a possible a charge of spying (as I'm a Canadian citizen). Eventually I dropped of the camera at the house of a friend without being able to take any pictures as it would make me a definate target...The chants of death to Khamenei are true...I witnessed peoples fear of the Basij dissapear, an 80 year old chadori woman with rocks in her hands calling for the exacution of khamenei and all Basij...A group of Basij were surrounded and forced in to a building, the front was blocked with garbage and set on fire, They (basij) opened fire on the crowd with what I assume were blanks, the crowed disspersed for a moment the came back with a fury...thats when the molotov cocktails came out. When I moved on the building was on fire...an hour later when I passed by again there wasn't much of a building left. There was full blown war...there was a young man who had taken all of a basij's things including their teargas rifle. We were finnaly able to get out on the back of motorcycle...the ride home took 25 minutes,for 15 minutes of it we were passing intermitently though Basij and protesters fires placed to displace the teargas... might I add the 3 hours that we walked through fire we didn't see one shop or car that had been damaged by protesters...however I just recieved word for the one who was kind enough to keep my camera and other belongings that the Basij had gone into her street and destoryed cars...thats all I can get out for now hope some of it may be useful...I'm pissed I was unable to get pictures.

In a follow-up email, he adds, "oh and one last thing the water canons didn't seem to do anything but cool people down. the one that I saw was chased off my a mass of people not seconds after it opened fire (or is it water)."<