Iran Uprising Blogging: Friday Updates

 

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.

Worldwide demonstrations tomorrow. Check United4Iran.com for updates. Amnesty International's web sites highlights some of the larger events planned in the United States.

If you attend one of the rallies, click here to submit photos to the Huffington Post. We'll feature them as they come in.

Here's a news write up by the Washington Times:

Human rights groups and Iran activists are organizing a massive "Global Day of Action" on Saturday, hoping to rally people in more than 60 cities in support of Iran's democracy movement.

The rallies are to take place from Kabul to Kansas City, from Tokyo to San Francisco and include a march in Washington, from the local office of the United Nations to the national Mall, said Hadi Ghaemi, spokesman for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

Mr. Ghaemi said the demonstrations will be live-streamed to Iranians on YouTube and other Internet sites in hopes of encouraging them to persist in their rejection of disputed results in Iran's June 12 presidential elections.

The Iranian government says the landslide victor was incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, hundreds of thousands of Iranians have turned out in the streets - risking arrest and even death at the hands of security forces - to decry the results as fraudulent and demand a new vote.

11:54 AM ET -- Demonstrators give flowers to Army soldiers. A friend describes the scene:

This video is from the city of Kerman (I am unsure when it was taken but it was posted yesterday) and shows demonstrators clapping for and giving flowers to security forces (Nirooye Entezami) who are coming towards them - I guess this is an ingenious way to stop them from getting beaten up. How can you beat someone who hands you a flower? This is the slogan they chant:

"Nirooye Entezami, Hemayat, Hemayat" - meaning: Security Forces, Protect us, Protect us.....

At the very end they chant:

"Nirooye Entezami, Tashakor, Tashakor" - meaning: Security Forces, Thank you, Thank you....

11:50 AM ET -- Son of Rezai's consultant reportedly dies in Evin prison.
According to reformist paper Mowj Sabz (Green Wave), the son of Dr Abdolhossein Roh Allamani Najafabadi, one of the top consultants to Presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei (who is actually fairly conservative), has died in Evin Prison. The paper reports that his family was informed via phone on Tuesday of the death of Mohsen Roh Allamani, who was arrested during the 18 Tir protests on 9 July.

11:45 AM ET -- Ayatollah issues fatwa over Ahmadinejad's inauguration. Ayatollah Bayat-Zanjani, responding to questions from a "concerned person," has issued a fatwa regarding the presidential inauguration of Ahmadinejad:

If the individual [claiming to be president] has attained his position illegitimately and fraudulently, the inauguration ceremonies and investment of power done by the supreme leader will are not sufficient to confer legitimacy [upon the aforementioned president] because [the act of] performing these ceremonies is not the main foundation upon which [presidential legitimacy is built upon] . These ceremonies can only invest power if the president has reached his position through an honest election process.

11:42 AM ET -- Tehran mayor slams Ahmadinejad over VP choice. Translated by a reader: "In a meeting with a number of members of Parliament today, Tehran's Mayor, Dr. Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaaf, strongly criticized Ahmdinejad's pick for VP, Rahim Mashaie. In that meeting, Ghalibaaf said: 'What is surprising is that how can Ahmadinejad who goes on about "Velayat-e Faqih" make such a choice? It must be that Ahmadinejad does not believe in "Velayat-e Faqih." Ghalibaaf went on to talk about Mashaie as being anti-revolutionary - that Mashaie had spent time in prison for being an opposition member and had married the woman he met in prison."

Velayat-e Faqih is a book written by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

9:59 AM ET -- Hunger strike updates. From reader Mario: "Here's the Akbar Ganji and Noam Chomsky speeches in NY yesterday. Ganji's speech is worth translating, I found it to be quite amazing."

8:17 AM ET -- More pressure on Ahmadinejad to sack VP. From today's prayers in Tehran:

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, who led Friday prayers in Tehran, once again called on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to sack his acting president, Esfandir Rahim-Mashaie.

"I hope that the president will pay attention to critics and especially the demand by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and revise the appointment of his first vice-president," the ayatollah said.

Ahmadinejad appointed Rahim-Mashaie was last week as first vice-president, making him de-facto acting president until his own inauguration on Sunday.

"The demand by the leadership should be implemented by the president at the earliest term without any hesitation," said the cleric, himself a supporter of Ahmadinejad.

 

Also, several ministers of Ahmadinejad's cabinet reportedly walked out of a meeting with him on Wednesday:

Amid a continued political controversy in Iran over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first vice presidential pick, cabinet members engage in a verbal quarrel with the president over his insistence on the choice.

The quarrel broke out at Wednesday's cabinet meeting between President Ahmadinejad and the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi.

Despite a reported call by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution advising the president to reverse his decision in appointing Rahim-Mashaei as his top deputy, Ahmadinejad insisted that Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei would serve as the vice president.

Following President Ahmadinejad's refusal to reverse the decision, Saffar-Harandi left the meeting of cabinet members, Ayandehnews reported on Wednesday.

During the meeting, President Ahmadinejad also criticized what he called "interference by certain officials" in the shape-up of his future cabinet.

The president's criticism prompted reactions from some other cabinet members with ministers of intelligence and labor walking out of the meeting in protest at the remarks.

 

7:51 AM ET -- Haystack update. I've spent some time here discussing Haystack, a brand new tool developed by tech guru Austin Heap and his team to help Iranians break through their country's Internet firewall. Haystack has a brand new website -- you can check it out here.

This afternoon, Austin Heap and his team will be here in Washington DC, explaining Haystack and demonstrating the technology. (If you're in the area and would like to attend, email me at the address above. Space is extremely limited but I'll try my best.) But more importantly, I wanted to let you know that Austin has just posted an important request for donations of USB thumb drives.

If you've got some mini USB drives hanging around, going unused, or if you'd like to buy a few at your local electronics store and send them Austin's way, click here for instructions.

7:13 AM ET -- A day in the life of the Basiji. A fascinating 10-minute documentary produced by Current TV:

Meanwhile, Reuters features this Q&A on the Revolutionary Guard.

6:53 AM ET -- Parvin Fahimi speaks. Via reader Chas Danner, the activist mother of 19-year-old Sohrab Aarabi, who was murdered during last month's election demonstrations, addressed Tehran's City Council yesterday. The videos -- part I and part II -- are each several minutes long and in Persian.

Update: On his blog, Chas Danner writes about Fahimi and "the power of mom."

Update II: A volunteer has transcribed Fahimi's very powerful statement. Here's a portion -- read it all here:

Now I just want to know why my son has passed away, is it just for the vote he had given? Or for the protests or whatever else? My 19 year old child who has not yet even been given the entrance examination for his Bachelors Degree, a child who hadn't yet reached for any of his wishes, is assassinated by whom? And by whose order? and why? I ask the City Council, what had my son asked of you? Of the government? Of the country? We just wanted tranquility, liberty, my son was just thinking about who he would vote for, and then asking "Where has my vote gone...?" He asked for nothing more, he was just killed because he was supporter of Mr. Mousavi... for what kind of crime was he killed...? My son was just a 19 year old boy.... He hadn't yet reached for any of his wishes... I, his mother - day and night I am asking God to put an end to this oppression....

6:50 AM ET -- Clinton: Iran unable to respond to overtures.

The United States is still willing to 'reach out' to Iran but political turmoil there means Tehran is not now in a position to respond, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the BBC on Thursday.

President Barack Obama made diplomatic overtures to Iran before its June 12 election, but Clinton told the BBC: "We haven't had any response."

She added: "We've certainly reached out and made it clear that's what we'd be willing to do, even now, despite our absolute condemnation of what they've done in the election and since, but I don't think they have any capacity to make that kind of decision right now."

 

6:41 AM ET -- Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi criticizes state media coverage. As reported by Iran's state-backed media Press TV:

With Iranian media criticized over its post-election coverage, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi touches on the "aggressive language" employed by Iran's state broadcaster. [...]

In its reports of the post-election rallies, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) referred to protesters as "rioters".

The state television came under criticism by the opposition for having a "biased stance" in its coverage of the unrest.

In a meeting with the managers of the semi-official Fars News Agency, Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi urged the "use of the language of friendship and compassion" to help maintain security in the country.

"We should urge everyone to use the language of friendship and compassion because the aggressive language used by IRIB will not help resolve any of the problems," Mehr news agency quoted the Grand Ayatollah as saying on Thursday.

 

6:31 AM ET -- Graphic video apparently of injured demonstrator. Please be aware, this video is very graphic. It was uploaded relatively recently but the caption states that it was filmed last month, on June 21.

6:25 AM ET -- Iran's economy reportedly suffering. This report from RFI states that the economic situation has worsened in Iran in recent years, contrary to government claims. Citing the Center of Statistics of Iran, the unemployment rate hit 11 percent in April 2009, up one percent from a year ago. But, an informed emailer writes, Iranians who work even one hour each week are considered "employed," so the true figure is higher.

WEDNESDAY JULY 22

10:47 PM ET -- Rep. Berman wants sanctions on Iran petroleum sector. Well, here's the key takeaway from the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing we've been talking about the last few days.

I'm going to save extended comment on this development until tomorrow. The gist is below -- this editorial piece from Voice of America has much more. Reuters also has a write-up.

Reading these stories did make me recall the conversation I had with Berman one month ago. At the time, Berman was backing a non-binding resolution on Iran, and I asked him if he foresaw any additional congressional actions on Iran. He said no. "We have said what we've said. And my view now is the principle of 'do no harm.' Stay out of this."

Apparently his views have changed.

The chairman of a key U.S. House of Representatives committee has signaled his intention to move ahead with sanctions legislation targeting Iran's refined petroleum sector, if Iran does not take up the U.S offer of direct talks on its uranium enrichment program. The statement by Democratic Representative Howard Berman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee came amid other steps in Congress to increase pressure on Iran.

Congressman Berman's statement came during a hearing on Iran, and refers to his Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (IRPSA) which now has 260 sponsors in the House of Representatives.

The legislation would amend the existing Iran Sanctions Act to target persons or companies involved in exporting refined petroleum products to Iran, or investing $20 million or more directly contributing to maintaining Iran's domestic petroleum infrastructure.

Although a major oil producer, Iran imports most of the gasoline it uses because of inadequate refining capacity. U.S. lawmakers see this as leverage in efforts to persuade Iran's government to halt its nuclear enrichment program.

Describing his bill as "Plan C" in a strategy that includes President Barack Obama's offer to Iran to begin a dialogue, and stronger international sanctions, Berman says he will move it forward in the next few months if Iran fails to take up President Obama's offer of engagement:

"I view the bill as a "Sword of Damocles" over the Iranians, a clear hint of what will happen if they do not engage seriously and move rapidly to suspend their uranium enrichment program as required by numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions. If engagement doesn't work than I am prepared to mark up the bill in committee early this fall," he said.

 

10:38 PM ET -- Rumor patrol. There's a graphic photo being passed around allegedly showing bodies of people killed at Iran's notorious Evin prison. That's not right. Here's the same photo, posted months ago, reportedly showing individuals killed in Iraq.

10:36 PM ET -- Iran nuclear reactor set to be switched on this year. "Russian news agencies quote the country's nuclear agency chief as saying a Russian-built nuclear power reactor in Iran is still set to be switched on this year."

10:35 PM ET -- Time magazine: "Iran opposition tries to spark power outage."

10:29 PM ET -- More Facebook issues. Apparently the moderators of the Facebook page for Mousavi's wife, Zahra-Rahnavard, are being blocked from posting. I've let my Facebook contacts know, and will update when I hear anything.

Update: Facebook's Chris Kelly writes again to say his team is working on this.

3:09 PM ET -- Solidarity. Reporters in Afghanistan show support for their colleagues in Iran.

2:34 PM ET -- Major hunger strike begins outside the U.N. Readers have been sending me emails about this for days and I feel guilty about not posting about it earlier, it just slipped through the cracks.

In any case, here's one reader's description:

I am not sure whether you are aware of the hunger strike that is going on in front of the UN building right now. It started today and will continue till Friday evening. Many prominent Iranian figures are taking part or supporting the hunger strike (including major political figures, academics, journalists, clerics, etc). In fact, what is very important about this effort is that it has brought together many figures with different beliefs and backgrounds, but who share the desire for true democracy in Iran and the release of political prisoners.

The idea for the strike was initiated by Akbar Ganji, the well-known Iranian journalist who was jailed by the regime and went on a hunger strike in prison that lasted for weeks and almost took his life.

 

Here's the language from the press release association with the strike:

In solidarity with the Iranian people's Green Movement and condemning the widespread electoral fraud, the merciless repression of the popular protests, and the illegal arrest of hundreds of citizens and activists in Iran, we the undersigned are going on hunger strike between 22 to 24 June in front of the UN building in New York. We intend to have the voice of the long-suffering Iranian people to be heard. We ask the responsible members of the world community to demand the release of all the recent prisoners. Considering the alarming condition of the recent detainees, with their health and even lives in jeopardy, we demand they be visited by representatives of the General Secretary of the UN and immediately freed.

In addition, we the undersigned call on all our compatriots living in the United States to join this protest, meeting on the above-mentioned dates in front of the UN to declare their solidarity with Iranian people's Green Movement during these dangerous and crucial days.

 

Some photos from today are here and here.

Actor Sean Penn co-authored an article declaring his support for the strike, you can read it at the official website for the strike, Strike4Iran.com. Actor Robert Redford also pledged support:

Political events in Iran over the past month have been dramatic. Many have been killed and hundreds of innocent people have been imprisoned. I strongly defend the human rights of the people of Iran. A hunger strike in front of the United Nations is one way of drawing world attention to the plight of political prisoners in Iran. I support this effort and my daughter, Amy Redford, will be there as an expression of solidarity with the Iranian people, and in the hope of achieving the humanitarian goal of freeing political prisoners in Iran.

Update: Here's coverage from CNN International:

2:00 PM ET -- Remembering Neda. A sculpture in San Francisco.

1:52 PM ET -- Brother of Mousavi's wife arrested, according to U.S. funded outlet Radio Farda.

1:49 PM ET -- Paging Facebook staff. Why is Mousavi's page suddenly down?

Update: It appears the page is functioning at this alternate address.

Also, I reached out to Chris Kelly at Facebook -- he writes back, "I have our folks looking at this..."

Update: It's back!

1:20 PM ET -- Reaction to Clinton's remarks. I posted earlier (7:30 AM) about Hillary Clinton's comments regarding the creation of a U.S. "defense shield" in the Middle East in response to Iran.

A smart reader argues that the "defense shield" concept will undermine U.S. interests in Iran and region-wide by too closely allying the U.S. with (non-democratic) Arab states, many of which have a long history of enmity with Iran. He argues that the "defense shield" sends the message that "regardless of regime in Iran, the U.S. will always support the Arabs."

Meanwhile, Israel has taken a different stance, arguing that Clinton's remarks are a sign that the U.S. does not intend to stop Iran from producing nuclear weapons:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday stirred Israeli fears that Washington would accept a nuclear armed Iran when she raised the idea of a US "defence umbrella" for Gulf allies.

However, Clinton, during a visit to Thailand for an Asian security conference, said later that she was not announcing a new policy and simply wanted to turn Iran away from pursuing a nuclear weapon. [...]

In Jerusalem, Israeli Intelligence Services Minister Dan Meridor criticised her remarks.

"I heard without enthusiasm the American declarations according to which the United States will defend their allies in the event that Iran uses nuclear weapons, as if they were already resigned to such a possibility," he said.

"This is a mistake," Meridor said. "We cannot act now by assuming that Iran will be able to arm itself with a nuclear weapon, but to prevent such a possibility." [...]

Speaking at a press conference in Phuket later, Clinton suggested her remarks were misunderstood.

"I'm not suggesting a new policy. In fact we all believe that Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons is unacceptable, and I've said that many times," she said.

 

1:18 PM ET -- Mousavi: More woes for Iran under Ahmadinejad.

Opposition leader and defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi said on Wednesday the new government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could cause domestic and international problems for Iran.

Mousavi, who has refused to acknowledge Ahmadinejad's victory in the June 12 election, said senior technocrats, managers and other professionals were not keen to work with the new government.

"You are facing a government which the elite do not want to work with, and on the other hand the government too is not interested in using the experience of the elite," Mousavi was quoted as saying by the ILNA news agency.

"This will result in a lack of efficiency and legitimacy, which can increase domestic and foreign problems," he said, speaking to academics and journalists.

 

12:47 PM ET -- Human Rights Watch: Iran 'framing' government critics: "Iranian authorities are coercing detained supporters of reform presidential candidates to implicate leading reformists in illegal acts, Human Rights Watch said today. Intelligence forces have also intensified pressure on the families of detainees to be silent about their cases."

In related news, Reuters reports:

An Iranian defense lawyer voiced concern on Wednesday about two leading reformers detained shortly after last month's disputed election, saying he did not know where being held and who was holding them.

Lawyer Saleh Nikbakht says he represents several pro-reform activists who were detained after the June 12 presidential vote, including Mostafa Tajzadeh and Behzad Nabavi, both allies of opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi.

"We know nothing about their whereabouts and which body has arrested them," Nikbakht told Reuters. "The families ... have not been able yet to meet with them and expressed their concerns over the conditions of the two."

 

12:42 PM ET -- Ahmadinejad bucks Khamenei, defends VP pick. Ahmadinejad is unbowed on Wednesday. This is getting interesting.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defiantly defended on Wednesday his appointment of controversial aide Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie as first vice president, saying he liked him for "1,000 reasons."

Iranian hardliners and clerics are pressuring Ahmadinejad to reverse the appointment of Rahim Mashaie, whose daughter is married to the president's son, after he enraged them last year for making pro-Israel comments.

Ahmadinejad however has not shown any sign of backing down and on Wednesday came in bold support of Rahim Mashaie, saying he was proud of him.

"I like Rahim Mashaie for 1,000 reasons. One of the biggest honours of my life and one of the biggest favours from God to me is knowing Rahim Mashaie," Ahmadinejad said.

"He is like a pure source of water," the president said in an address at a farewell function for the aide after he officially resigned from his position as vice president in charge of tourism to take up his new post.

"One of the reasons to like him is that when you sit with him and talk, there is no distance with him. He is like a transparent mirror. Unfortunately not many people know him," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

 

Contrastingly, in a story printed by state-backed media today, Ahmadinejad's senior political adviser backtracked on comments he made saying Ahmadinejad would definitely not let Mashaie be sacked.

12:30 PM ET -- "Fighting side by side." This site publishes audio of a colorful voicemail apparently left by a woman in Iran. It begins, "I am 66 year old lady, we are group of 3, that have contact with each other and going out for protest together, and we are our own leader! I am the youngest one in this group, the next two are 70 and 73 years old! We are fighting side by side with our young ones!"

12:22 PM ET -- Ayatollah Watch. Tehran Bureau has an update list of the Ayatollahs who have spoken out in favor of the demonstrators.

8:33 AM ET -- No changes to House Foreign Affairs Committee panel. The communications director for Rep. Howard Berman, the Democratic committee chairman, tells me this morning that no new witnesses have been added to the Iran hearing this morning. As discussed yesterday, the panel is tilted towards neoconservatives, a particularly dangerous imbalance given how crucial it is that members of Congress receive good information on Iran.

To make matters worse, I just learned that, before the hearing (actually, as I type), committee member Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is holding an Iran briefing with two former Bush administration uber-hawks Elliot Abrams and John Bolton. Here's the release:

Ros-Lehtinen Schedules Iran Briefing with Abrams, Bolton

Members Only briefing will precede Full Committee hearing on Iran

(WASHINGTON) - U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will host a briefing next Wednesday (July 22) on Iran with former Deputy National Security Advisor, Elliott Abrams, and former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

"The Iranian regime has never broken its stride in its pursuit of nuclear weapons, other unconventional weapons, and missile capabilities. Iran has also never waivered in its support of violent Islamist extremist groups with global reach.

"The regime has demonstrated an unparalleled disdain for the rights and human dignity of the Iranian people.

"Some still want to appease Tehran. But for our security, for the sake of our ally Israel, and in the interest of global peace and stability, we cannot afford to continue with a 'wait and see' approach, looking for the 'magic carrot' that will entice the Iranian regime to reverse course.

"No more delays. No more excuses. Let us take control of the process and stop allowing Iran to manipulate the U.S. and other free nations into silence or submission.

"The U.S. and other responsible nations must immediately cut off Iran's economic lifelines and block Iran's access to the funds, materials, and technology needed to carry out its deadly agenda."

 

7:30 AM ET -- Clinton talks Iran. For U.S. policy planners, the great downside of a weaponized Iran is a regional arms race, and Hillary Clinton's latest remarks suggest that the U.S. is trying to reassure relevant states that they will be protected even if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon.

What do you think?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Iran Wednesday that the United States would extend a "defense umbrella" over its allies in the Persian Gulf if the Islamic Republic obtains a nuclear weapons capability.

Appearing on a Thai TV program, Clinton said the U.S. would also take steps to "upgrade the defense" of America's Gulf allies in such an event, a reference to stepped-up military aid to those countries.

Clinton's reference to a U.S. "defense umbrella" over the Persian Gulf represented a potentially significant evolution in America's global defense posture. Washington already explicitly maintains a "nuclear umbrella" over Asian allies like Japan and South Korea, but seldom, if ever, has any senior U.S. official publicly discussed the concept in relation to the Gulf.

The secretary's remarks also suggested the course the Obama administration might pursue if, as many analysts predict, an unchecked Iran succeeds in obtaining a nuclear weapons capability before President Obama's term expires -- in effect, how the United States might live with a nuclear-armed Iran. Clinton's comments evoked a vision of the U.S. countering such a threat by bolstering regional defenses and reminding Iran of the dangers of mutually assured destruction -- but not by seeking regime change in Iran or by taking military action to destroy the country's nuclear apparatus.

"We want Iran to calculate what I think is a fair assessment that if the United States extends a defense umbrella over the region, if we do even more to support the military capacity of those in the Gulf, it's unlikely that Iran will be any stronger or safer because they won't be able to intimidate and dominate as they apparently believe they can once they have a nuclear weapon," Clinton said.

 

7:20 AM ET -- Khomeini's son leaves Iran. From the NIAC:

The 50 year old grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, Sayed Hassan Khomeini, has reportedly left Iran rather than bow to recent pressure that he attend Ahmadinejad's upcoming inauguration ceremony. Sayed Hassan is a mid-level cleric who is also in charge of the beautiful and vast (5,000 acres) Mausoleum of his grandfather.

Worth reading the full post.

7:05 AM ET -- Activity in Tehran yesterday. I still haven't seen any accounts on whether the efforts to briefly shut down the electrical grid yesterday were successful. If you see any, let me know. (Update: an anecdotal update here, in Farsi.)

Additionally:

Amateur video has emerged of today's jittery encounter between would-be demonstrators and plainclothes Basiji militiamen wielding batons.

The video above could not be confirmed but appears to conform to witness accounts that described club-wielding Basiji militiamen hurrying pedestrians and would-be demonstrators along in Tehran's Seventh of Tir Square.

"Go!" the security forces call out, striking their clubs against metal objects for punctuation. "Don't stop."

The AP has a bit more:

Plainclothes Basiji militiamen hit passers-by with batons on a crowded main Tehran street to ensure they wouldn't gather, according to video from the site posted on line. A young woman in a headscarf can be seen arguing with the Basijis, who shove her.

Regular police forces were out in large numbers in parts of central Tehran, causing large traffic jams, but witnesses around the city speaking to The Associated Press did not report that any protests came together. There was no immediate report of arrests in the day's clampdown.

 

Here's more coverage from CNN:

7:00 AM ET -- L.A. County supervisors vote to divest from Iranian energy sector.

6:52 AM ET -- Ahmadinejad's VP pick: My praise of Israelis was actually criticism. In the tradition of politicians everywhere, he was for Israelis before he was against them.

Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, Iran's newly appointed Vice President, explains his earlier controversial remarks on Israel.

Rahim-Mashaei, whose appointment as the Vice President has brought Mahmoud Ahmadinejad under fire, explained his remarks on Israel in an interview with IRNA released on Tuesday.

In 2008, Rahim-Mashaei's comments on Israel unleashed a torrent of criticism in the country when he said Iran was a "friend of the Israeli people". He later detached himself from his earlier stance, saying that his comments had been misinterpreted.

The controversial figure, who served as the head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization before receiving the elevation, however explained his remarks on Tuesday from a different perspective.

"What I said had nothing to do with the Israeli regime. I did not talk about the usurper Zionist regime. My remarks were about the people of the occupied lands and were in fact a psychological warfare against the Israeli regime," he said.

"What I said was that this regime was in such mess that it no longer enjoyed international support," he added, but insisted that he did not mean that Iran was a friend with Israelis.

He went on to defend his remarks by saying that he had just criticized Israel two days before his controversial remarks.

"I had said just two days before that, in a speech broadcast by the media, that the Zionist regime was a dead one but only no funeral procession had been conducted for it."