 RFE/RL Iran Report 8/3/2009 6:15:14 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Iran.For more stories on Iran, please visit and bookmark our Iran page . |
 Under Pressure The main leader of Iran's opposition, defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Musavi, so far remains a free man. But that could change if some allies of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad have their way. As some 100 reformers face charges of inciting the postelection unrest, hard-liners are now calling for the prosecution of Musavi as well as former President Mohammad Khatami. More  What A Difference Four Years Can Make Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, today formally endorsed Mahmud Ahmadinejad for a second term as president in a ceremony that was snubbed by prominent critics of the disputed election, including former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. More  Iranian Ex-President Khatami Denounces Trial Of Reformists Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has joined the voices denouncing the trial of around 100 people for their alleged involvement in the post-election violence in Iran. Khatami described the trial of prominent reformists as a "show" that will further damage the Iranian establishment, and said he hopes it will not "lead to ignorance of the real crimes," including the alleged torture and murder of detainees. More  Prominent Reformists On Trial For Post-Election Unrest For the first time since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, dozens of high-ranking officials -- including former vice presidents, ministers, and lawmakers -- are on trial in the Islamic state. They are accused of acting against national security by planning unrest, attacking military and state buildings, and conspiring against the ruling system. More  Streets Quiet After Fresh Clashes Around Mourning Ceremony The streets of the Iranian capital are reportedly quiet one day after clashes erupted in several neighborhoods when police forcibly dispersed mourners of those killed in Iran's postelection unrest. But is mounting public anger in the shadow of the clampdown emboldening the government's strongest critics? More  Eyewitness: Fighting To Mourn For Neda At 4:15 p.m. on the 40th day of mourning for Neda, I arrived with my cousin at the Behesht Zahra cemetery. The dust here is so fine the particles don't just stick to your clothes but find their way into your lungs. More Blogger Barane Gonah (Rain Of Sins) is angry over the Iranian government's assistance to Palestinians and others outside the country. More Video of the mother and brother of the late 19-year-old Sohrab Arabi appearing at Behesht Zahra Cemetery on July 30 to mourn those killed in the postelection violence. More  Iran Offers To Supply Armenia With Nuclear Fuel Ashot Ghahramanian, governor of the Armavir region in southern Armenia, has confirmed a report in the "Tehran Times" of July 27 that Iran has offered to supply Armenia with nuclear fuel for the Medzamor nuclear power plant, which is located in Armavir. More Hundreds of people, including some opposition leaders, gathered in Tehran's Behest Zahra Cemetery to mark the 40th day since the death of Neda Agha Soltan and remember other victims of the postelection unrest at Neda's grave. Presidential candidate Mir Hossein Musavi was in attendance, though police later forced him to leave and began arresting demonstrators. More  Armenian Governor Says Iran Offered Nuclear Fuel An Armenian governor says Iran has offered to supply an Armenian power plant with nuclear fuel, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  'I Asked Her Not To Go' Neda Agha Soltan has become a symbol of Iran's brutal suppression of protests over the results of last month's presidential election. Forty days after her death, her mother talks to RFE/RL's Radio Farda about her daughter's shooting during a peaceful protest in Tehran. More  Postelection Crackdown Scrutinized For Crimes Against Humanity 24-year-old Amir Javadifar was detained during a July 9 peaceful protest in Tehran. About two weeks later, the Iranian authorities informed Amir's family about his death. Amir's death in custody is one example of the many cases of violence committed in Iran in recent weeks, which some legal experts have said are violations under international law. More  Another Victim Of Postelection Unrest Buried The body of Amir Javadifar, the latest known victim of the postelection crackdown, was buried on July 27 at Tehran's Behesht Zahra cemetery. More The famous Iranian actress Pegah Ahangrani was detained by security forces on July 26, reportedly in relation to the postelection crisis. More  San Francisco Artist Pays Tribute To 'Neda' California-based artist Paula Slater unveiled a sculpture of Neda Agha Soltan in San Francisco on July 25 on the occasion of the International Day Of Solidarity With The People Of Iran. She talked to RFE/RL's Radio Farda correspondent Nader Sadighi. More There is a sense of outrage in Iran following the country's recent spate of air crashes. People are blaming the government for poor maintenance and the sanctions against Iran that prevent the country from upgrading its air fleet. Iranian airlines have increasingly turned to Russian aircraft, which don't have the best safety record in the world. More  Jailed Reformist 'Cried During The Whole Meeting' The wife of prominent reformist figure and journalist Saeed Hajjarian, who was arrested during the postelection crackdown, has said after seeing her husband in jail that his health situation is critical. More  'Confrontation Is Almost Inevitable' It has become a routine event for all of us to join rallies, get beaten, and then escape through the alleyways and then scream our lungs out at 10 p.m. every night with chants of "God is great." More  Chomsky On The Iran Protests U.S. linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky spoke to RFE/RL's Radio Farda on July 24 about the postelection unrest in Iran. More  Iranian Journalist Implicates Nokia In His Arrest Issa Saharkhiz, a prominent journalist and former senior Culture Ministry official, has told his family in a short phone call from prison that several of his ribs were broken during his arrest in northern Iran on July 4 in the postelection crackdown. More  A British 'Friend Of Iran' Discusses Crisis Lord Lamont of Lerwick is a leading Conservative member of Britain's House of Lords. Lamont served as chancellor of the Exchequer in John Major's government, and he held several ministerial positions in the administration headed by Margaret Thatcher. He is chairman of the British-Iranian Chamber of Commerce and serves on the advisory board of the Iran Heritage Foundation. He is widely regarded in Europe as someone who wants better diplomatic and economic ties between Iran and the West. Lamont recently spoke with RFE/RL Executive Editor John O'Sullivan. More Norooznews.ir reports that several plainclothes agents went to the Tehran home of the late Masud Hashemzadeh, removed all signs of mourning -- including black cloth and condolences messages from neighbors -- and detained Hashemzadeh's father. More  I Would Like To Thank Ahmadinejad For Uniting Us All! Blogger Zeitun (Olive) says many Iranians have become united as the result of their opposition to Mahmud Ahmadinejad. More  Postelection Iran And Its Clients A couple of worthwhile efforts to examine the possible effect on Tehran-backed militants (think Hamas and Hezbollah) of the current troubles in Iran. More  Iran Says Bosnian Writer Insults Muslims One of Bosnia's most prominent writers is in a bitter dispute with Iranian diplomats who say his latest book is an attack on Islam. Bosnian intellectuals and writers' groups have rushed to Zeljko Ivankovic's defense, but Bosnian officials remain on the sidelines. More |
