News from Iran? Good? Bad? Who knows?

[Valmy]

The problem is that what the people of Iran want is war with Israel and instability in the Middle East.  The West should turn all its support to the Iranian government, and allow them to resolve the matter by any means necessary.

Um...why bother?  The Iranian government wants those things to.

[jimmy olsen]

I'm really surprised that the regime hasn't cracked down hard on this yet. How much longer can they allow protests this big to occur before things start to spiral out of control?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2009/jun/18/iran-unrest

The numbers at today's rally are hard to gauge, but our correspondent Saeed Kamali Dehghan, reckons there could be as many as one million people there.

I just spoke to him on a fairly good phone line from Tehran, and I managed to record most of the conversation in the audio below (it occasionally breaks up).

He said the demonstration is bigger than Monday's rally. Many are wearing black and carrying photos of those who died. Some are carry placards calling for a new election not a recount. The shops on the route are closed in support of the rally, he added.

Saeed pointed out that the rally has taken in place in South Tehran where Ahmadinejad claimed to have had a lot of support.

The Conservative candidate Mohsen Rezaei has asked those who voted for him to send in their national ID numbers, according to a contact in Iran. So far he said to have received 200,000 more numbers than the votes he won in the official results.

[Valmy]

I'm really surprised that the regime hasn't cracked down hard on this yet. How much longer can they allow protests this big to occur before things start to spiral out of control?

Because cracking down at this point would only increase the resistance and probably lead to their collapse.  They are probably trying to wait it out now.

[jimmy olsen]

One of Mousavi's campaign adds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEfk1lDImMI

Translation

1 (Girl in street): Defending civil rights
2 (Boy next to old man): Counterbalancing poverty/deprivation
3 (Boy pushing away donation box): Nationalizing oil income
4 (Man standing on rooftop): Reducing tension in international affairs
5 (Boy sitting next to satellite dishes): Free access to information
6 (Girl sitting besides her mother): Supporting single mothers
7 (Girl with cast): Knock down violence against women
8 (Boy): Education for all
9 (Boy infront of man locking car): Increasing public safety
10 (Girl on rooftop): Ethnic and religious minority rights
11 (Man on rooftop): Supporting NGOs
12 (Girl in front of wall): Public involvement
13 (Boy and girl): We have come for change
14: Change for Iran

[The Brain]

One of Mousavi's campaign adds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEfk1lDImMI

Translation

1 (Girl in street): Defending civil rights
2 (Boy next to old man): Counterbalancing poverty/deprivation
3 (Boy pushing away donation box): Nationalizing oil income
4 (Man standing on rooftop): Reducing tension in international affairs
5 (Boy sitting next to satellite dishes): Free access to information
6 (Girl sitting besides her mother): Supporting single mothers
7 (Girl with cast): Knock down violence against women
8 (Boy): Education for all
9 (Boy infront of man locking car): Increasing public safety
10 (Girl on rooftop): Ethnic and religious minority rights
11 (Man on rooftop): Supporting NGOs
12 (Girl in front of wall): Public involvement
13 (Boy and girl): We have come for change
14: Change for Iran

WHAT ABOUT FUCKING HOPE

[KRonn]

I'm really surprised that the regime hasn't cracked down hard on this yet. How much longer can they allow protests this big to occur before things start to spiral out of control?

I think the major point is that this is all too big for the government hard liners to crack down on. And if they did, it would have adverse effects. The protesters are huge, involving a large cross section of Iranian population. Also, the people aren't out there fighting the govt forces, being violent. The protests are quiet, non-violent, and seem to be getting sympathy from at least some elements of the security forces, police, military.

[Neil]

The problem is that what the people of Iran want is war with Israel and instability in the Middle East.  The West should turn all its support to the Iranian government, and allow them to resolve the matter by any means necessary.

Um...why bother?  The Iranian government wants those things to.

Because the Iranian government is the devil we know, and can be trusted to be more calm than a bunch of violent revolutionaries.

[Faeelin]

Why should the governmetn crack down on the protestors? They aren't threatening the regime's stability, only its credibility.

[alfred russel]

Because the Iranian government is the devil we know, and can be trusted to be more calm than a bunch of violent revolutionaries.

I think the overriding interest relating to Iran is for them not to nuke Tel Aviv--and that means first and foremost not to have Iran acquire nuclear weapons. The current regime doesn't care that they would probably be able to negotiate nearly fully normalized international relations if they just allow weapons inspections (and keep their civilian nuke program, supporting Hamas, and putting gay people to death), but there is a chance another regime could see the light.

[Valmy]

Because the Iranian government is the devil we know, and can be trusted to be more calm than a bunch of violent revolutionaries.

Well certainly if the regime holds power it is no serious disaster but why actually make an effort to support a regime which has been supporting the insurgency in Iraq?  Fuck them.  Every theocracy for itself I say.

[alfred russel]

Derspeiss, slate answered our question regarding why the police uniforms and riot gear are in english. Apparently it is by design, as everyone knows english and it makes it easier for tourists.

Still no explanation for the Ohio State guy.

http://www.slate.com/id/2220307/

[Warspite]

The problem is that what the people of Iran want is war with Israel and instability in the Middle East.  The West should turn all its support to the Iranian government, and allow them to resolve the matter by any means necessary.

Um...why bother?  The Iranian government wants those things to.

Because the Iranian government is the devil we know, and can be trusted to be more calm than a bunch of violent revolutionaries.

There's no American embassy to storm this time. Unless they rush the special interests desk at the Swiss embassy. :O

[Jos Theelen]

I'm really surprised that the regime hasn't cracked down hard on this yet. How much longer can they allow protests this big to occur before things start to spiral out of control?

They need a top, that agrees on that. I think there are 2 sides, still disagreeing about how to handle this.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,631233,00.html

an open letter to Khamenei.
I wonder if he got it and if others in Iran read it.
Pretty damning for the regime

[Neil]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,631233,00.html

an open letter to Khamenei.
I wonder if he got it and if others in Iran read it.
Pretty damning for the regime

Some ex-pat who lost a bunch of his family's fortune during the revolution thinks that the regime is bad?

Well, that is daming indeed!  I am shocked that he would be against the hardline powers in Iran.