Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has given Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an ultimatum that could soon leave Iran without a president.
The Ayatollah of Iran demanded Ahmadinejad either reinstate former Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi or resign his post, according to Morteza Agha-Tehrani who serves as a close…
A follow to our piece from earlier. ProducerMatthew’s sources are a little bit better, and the Al Aribya report is also informative.
We’ve seen a couple posts in our dashboard about Ahmadinejad resigning. The sources in these pieces are Current TV and Examiner.com, two user-generated content sites. Now, while there is drama around Ahmadinejad right now — including staffers reportedly charged with sorcery of all things and the Iranian president disappearing from the public eye for nearly two weeks — we’ve seen no reports suggesting that Ahmadinejad has actually resigned outside of those two sites. Nothing on Twitter, even. Nothing against Examiner.com, but it does not have a strong reputation due to the way it handles content. Do yourself a favor and heed what mohandasgandhi says here: “Take this with a huge grain of salt.” (EDIT: Please see our update on this story.)
The group wants to use International Workers’ Day, which commemorates the first national general strike in the United States, as an opportunity to reignite last year’s protests in Iran.
The group Anonymous is known for its volunteer association with the perceived underdogs, the side that comes under pressure from the authorities, its statement said, and it views the people of Iran as the next step in the wave of revolutions passing through the Middle East and North Africa.
If you’re on Twitter, the relevant hashtag is #OpIran, and @Anonym_Iran is listing the downed sites. Here’s the Anonymous Press Release.
Wondering what happens here, but we’ll be keeping an eye on this as it happens.
![zeitvox:
Iran’s Blue-Collar Revolution
[the working class] have historically made up a significant portion of Ahmadinejad’s base. Their loyalty cemented with generous government largesse, they mostly stayed on the side of the president after the contested June 2009 election, when thousands of protesters took to the streets to denounce the results. Those discontents called themselves the Green Movement, drawn primarily from the ranks of the middle class, intelligentsia, and students. The underclass, still loyal to the regime and Ahmadinejad, became known as the Blues
… As its leaders understand, the Green Movement’s future hinges crucially on its ability to make common cause with the Blues. The continued deterioration of the economy creates that opportunity >read more<
Though the “The Blues are going Green” argument may be cause for hope, perhaps causing existential angst among the Basij “enforcers”, there may also be reason for dread. The crisis in Bahrain - featuring Saudi aid in the brutal marginalization of the 70% Shia majority - could provide a useful pretext for Iranian brinkmanship in the Gulf. It wouldn’t be the first time domestic political woes enticed leaders into working national aspirations toward an external focus.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj9owhvXOV1qebfjho1_500.jpg)
[the working class] have historically made up a significant portion of Ahmadinejad’s base. Their loyalty cemented with generous government largesse, they mostly stayed on the side of the president after the contested June 2009 election, when thousands of protesters took to the streets to denounce the results. Those discontents called themselves the Green Movement, drawn primarily from the ranks of the middle class, intelligentsia, and students. The underclass, still loyal to the regime and Ahmadinejad, became known as the Blues
… As its leaders understand, the Green Movement’s future hinges crucially on its ability to make common cause with the Blues. The continued deterioration of the economy creates that opportunity >read more<
Though the “The Blues are going Green” argument may be cause for hope, perhaps causing existential angst among the Basij “enforcers”, there may also be reason for dread. The crisis in Bahrain - featuring Saudi aid in the brutal marginalization of the 70% Shia majority - could provide a useful pretext for Iranian brinkmanship in the Gulf. It wouldn’t be the first time domestic political woes enticed leaders into working national aspirations toward an external focus.
Iran is the source of all evil in this region. It finances, supports, encourages and supplies all the terrorist organizations operating here.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu • Pointing the finger after the Israeli military found a ship headed from Turkey to Egypt loaded with weapons, which the Israeli government believes was headed to Gaza. “The source of the weapons is Iran, which is trying to arm Gaza,” Netanyahu said in a text message (which is apparently how Bloomberg interviews all of its sources these days). The ship had a Liberian flag. So, let’s see … a ship heading from Turkey to Egypt, with a Liberian flag on it, has ties to Iran? Wait, what? Last month, an Iranian ship headed through the Suez Canal to Turkey – the first time that’s happened since 1979’s Islamic Revolution. Also worth noting – Israel says that Turkey is completely uninvolved in the current incident. source (via • follow)
“You look at that and see the word ‘Zion’? I see maybe like a drunken llama, or a Rock’em Sock’em Robot taking out his recycling, a one-night stand between a parallelogram and a rhombus… mostly I see what should’ve been the losing submission to the 2012 Olympic logo contest.”
- JON STEWART, reacting to Iran’s threat to boycott the 2012 Olympics because they claim the logo actually says the word “Zion,” on The Daily Show.
To our eyes, it appears to be something rather offensive involving a member of the Simpson clan.
So, Iran got a couple of dinghys through the Suez canal. A subject of much controversy over the last few days, when it actually happened, it wasn’t a big deal. The effect is very symbolic, though: It shows that Iran can have influence far away from its own shores, it strengthens the ties between Iran and Syria (where the ships will be stationed), and – most importantly – it makes a statement to Western nations that it won’t mess around. Just like everything else Iran’s leadership does these days. (By the way, in case you were wondering – of course you were! – this had nothing to do with the current unrest.) source
What makes Iran different from Egypt: Well, innumerable things, really, but here’s a good example: the Iranian parliament, chanting from their chamber for the executions of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. The extent of the totalitarian power the Iranian regime holds over its people is immense, and to this point the strategy of media blackout has worked far more successfully than it did in Tahrir Square, but make no mistake – a video of a parliament chanting for the deaths of their political opponents should chill you no less than a video of some thugs beating up people in the streets. source
I can’t add much to what’s already been (and will be) ...
One of the perks of being an early employee...
Over the last 90 days, the Digg...
#FMMDI (at 30 Rockefeller Plaza)
Thanks. I guess my thoughts are as follows:
1. I think...
Two Months Ago I set out to interview the principal cast...
What we see happening in Iran today is a testament to the courage of the Iranian people, and an indictment of the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime – a regime which over the last three weeks has constantly hailed what went on in Egypt.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • The American official issued a strong statement of support for the protests currently taking place in Iran. It will be interesting to see what tact the Obama administration takes towards these new protests in light of the criticisms of fence-sitting they absorbed during the Egypt affair, as well as their relative inaction during the protests of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s fradulent election two years ago. The line then was that vocal American support would undermine the Iranian opposition’s appeal to their own people, implying a western interference. But now tasting some revolutionary blood, will the U.S. try to fan the flames against the Iranian ruling authorities? Can’t think of a better time to try, right? source (via • follow)
![seaofgreen:
NYT: Iranian Lawmakers Call For Death of Death of Opposition Leaders
A day after the most significant street protests in Iran since the end of the 2009 uprising there, members of the Iranian Parliament called on Tuesday for the two most prominent opposition leaders to be prosecuted and sentenced to death for stirring unrest.
[…] The official IRNA news agency reported, 222 members of the 290-seat Parliament issued a statement on Tuesday saying they “are corrupts on earth and should be tried.” the official IRNA news agency quoted members of parliament as saying in a statement. The offense of being “corrupt of the earth,” a catchall indictment of political dissent, carries the death sentence. It was not immediately clear whether the two men would be arrested. Both are under effective house arrest with their communications and movements restricted.
Iranian Prosecutor General Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said that the judiciary will deal “firmly and swiftly” with those behind the riots, the state-controlled Press TV said.
The authorities had refused to issue a permit for the demonstration but Amir Arjomand, the spokesman for Mr. Moussavi said: “If the government had issued a permit and guaranteed the safety of the people there would certainly have been millions of people out in Tehran and other cities.”
Initial reports said one person died in the clashes.
The dead man was officially identified on Tuesday as Saane Zhaleh, a student at Tehran Art University. But the government and opposition disputed his loyalties, with the authorities saying he was shot by opponents of the regime while opposition accounts said he was beaten to death by plainclothes government forces who roamed the streets on Tuesday on motorcycles.
Continue reading.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgo482ffSI1qzh4p9o1_500.png)
NYT: Iranian Lawmakers Call For Death of Death of Opposition Leaders
A day after the most significant street protests in Iran since the end of the 2009 uprising there, members of the Iranian Parliament called on Tuesday for the two most prominent opposition leaders to be prosecuted and sentenced to death for stirring unrest.
[…] The official IRNA news agency reported, 222 members of the 290-seat Parliament issued a statement on Tuesday saying they “are corrupts on earth and should be tried.” the official IRNA news agency quoted members of parliament as saying in a statement. The offense of being “corrupt of the earth,” a catchall indictment of political dissent, carries the death sentence. It was not immediately clear whether the two men would be arrested. Both are under effective house arrest with their communications and movements restricted.
Iranian Prosecutor General Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said that the judiciary will deal “firmly and swiftly” with those behind the riots, the state-controlled Press TV said.
The authorities had refused to issue a permit for the demonstration but Amir Arjomand, the spokesman for Mr. Moussavi said: “If the government had issued a permit and guaranteed the safety of the people there would certainly have been millions of people out in Tehran and other cities.”
Initial reports said one person died in the clashes.
The dead man was officially identified on Tuesday as Saane Zhaleh, a student at Tehran Art University. But the government and opposition disputed his loyalties, with the authorities saying he was shot by opponents of the regime while opposition accounts said he was beaten to death by plainclothes government forces who roamed the streets on Tuesday on motorcycles.
Continue reading.
Teargas in the streets of Tehran: So says the Facebook page of Iranian opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi, where this video was posted. It shows Iranians protesting, reportedly against the Iranian government’s detainment of political prisoners, before fleeing back towards the camera. Mousavi’s Facebook claims this was caused by a sudden teargas attack. source
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