Iran news roundup

Events in Iran seem to be headed in a positive direction, at least if you consider an overthrow of the scumullahs a positive, as I do. But we've seen this before and nothing has come of it, so I'm not getting my hopes up. Still ...

Los Angeles-based Ardeshir Arian has a nice roundup of news from the Iran Press News Agency. Some of the gooder stuff:

From Tehran and Tabriz to Mash’had, Esfahan, Kerman, Shiraz, Sanandadj, Babol, and many other cities and towns across Iran people are out in the streets, rioting against the Khomeinist regime’s election results, chanting “Death to the Dictators.”

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Entekhab News Agency reported on late Saturday night (June 13) that the other three candidates, Ahmadinejad’s opponents, Mir-Hossein Moussavi, Mehdi Karoubi, and Gholam-Hossein Karbashchi, are now all under house arrest. This report adds that thirty of the journalists who write for the newspaper Etemad’eh Melli (National Trust), owned by Karoubi, are all now also under arrest.

Tehran University and several of its dorms are also surrounded by anti-riot security forces that are armed with weapons and various forms of chemicals and gases. Also from the vicinity of Tehran University sounds of explosions can be heard and it is reported that cars and buses are being set on fire ([1] video of bus burning).

Demonstrations are now being organized for Tuesday, June 16, 2009, in front of all the Iranian embassies, consulates, and interest offices around the world, in every major international city and the international media is being called upon to cover these protests. Already on Sunday, June 14, groups of Iranian dissidents and fellow supporters from various countries of residence have begun protesting in front of the Iranian embassies both in Rome and in Copenhagen.

It is also reported that the police freely tasered pedestrians in the street who spent too much time in one area or didn’t walk along fast enough. There are widespread reports of police and security forces, around Tehran and other big cities where there have been demonstrations, who are not Iranian and either speak Persian with a very pronounced Arab accent or speak no Persian at all.

There are also reports that special guard forces from the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) have stormed several hospital emergency rooms in order to arrest some of the individuals who were severely injured during demonstrations. It is said that the guards were confronted with doctors and nurses, refusing them access to their patients. However, due to the presence of the guards and as a result of the time the hospital staff was forced to spend fighting the guards off, the patients were unable to receive the necessary care. In some cases where the guards were forced to leave, the injured did receive the required medical attention.

Reports from various sources around Tehran claim that a minimum of 900 people were arrested and taken to Evin Prison’s wards 240 and 7, which are areas of sequestration and seclusion. Human rights activists also note that the Judiciary and MOIS began moving all the prisoners from Evin’s infamous ward 209, solitary confinement, out to the public wards and they’ve prepared and emptied out that ward in preparation for new arrests.

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There are also ongoing calls for protests around Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Rasht, Mash’had, and Ahvaz. The protests are entitled “Let’s Turn Ahmadinejad’s Victory into Hell for Him.”

Ahmadinejad, who spoke at a press conference today, said: “Free elections in Iran are the true voice of the people of Iran and that this election was a huge slap in the face of those ‘world powers.’” He added: “The nuclear issue is a done deal and is no longer inevitable. The people of Iran will stand up to the bullying; the days where a few arrogant countries got to designate the fate of the nations of the world have come to an end.”

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After President Ahmadinejad declared victory, his challenger Mirhossein Mousavi’s camp publicly charged the government with massive election fraud and vote-rigging.

Currently, Mousavi and his family and many others in his camp are under house arrest.

The arrest took place when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who gave a public endorsement of the official election results, refused to answer Mousavi’s telephone calls and Mousavi and his followers began to walk towards Khamenei’s quarters. It was there he was told there were court orders for his arrest and he was turned back to his house, surrounded by security forces. Prominent members of Mousavi’s key advisers and staff, including clergy, have also been arrested.

Angry protests have been taking place in cities across Iran. In addition to Tehran, protests have reportedly been taking place in Karaj, Mashad, Saari, and Sanandaj. Messages are being passed asking people to keep their doors open for protesters to seek sanctuary from police attacks.

Many gas stations are closed, with police guarding them. Universities, traditionally hotbeds of unrest, are the focus of protests and police response in numerous cities. Cellphone communications have been shut down and many websites filtered. In addition, landlines are out of commission.

In response to Khamenei’s support for Ahmadinejad’s version of the election results, influential politician and former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, a longtime Ahmadinejad rival, has threatened to resign from all his positions.

Reports are circulating that Venezuela has sent anti-riot troops to Tehran to help Ahmadinejad, joining Hezbollah members from Palestine and Lebanon who are employed by the Islamic government as anti-riot police — the reason such forces are being brought in is that some of the Iranian police are unwilling to hit people as ordered and some are even joining the protesters.

Hmmmm. Perhaps based on the same sources as Arian, Michael Ledeen has some interesting nuggets:

Reports that some of the thugs doing the “crowd control” are foreigners, who speak Arabic, not Farsi. These seem to be Hezbollah people, from both Lebanon and Syria.

Rumors that Venezuelan security personnel are also participating, although this is unconfirmed.

It does seem that some Revolutionary Guards have refused to participate in the crackdown; some have reportedly gone over to the protesters. This of course is a key indicator, but it will be extremely difficult to get accurate information.

Roger Simon calls this "a defining moment for Barack Obama."

These same despicable mullahs are the ones that arm the terrorists of Gaza (Hamas) and Lebanon (Hezbollah)and instigate their activities. It is time for Obama to take that much more deeply into account and stop sounding like a Jimmy Carter clone. He should refocus away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which will only be resolved when Hamas loses power, and onto the issue of Iranian freedom, the much larger issue for the world. It would be inspiring to see the American president, in his words at least, standing by the side of those Iranian students.

Yet, what is Obama doing to help these protesters for freedom? Nothing. Worse than nothing, he is saying he will negotiate with the despicable Iranian regime. As if negotiation with these people has any hope of being fruitful. For us.

But of course, we can expect Barack Obama to be sympathetic to people who steal elections. It's the same atmosphere he grew up in, after all. It's the Chicago Way.