Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

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Iran Blocks Foreign Press as Thousands Protest

Government cracks down on communications, arrests reformists

(Newser) - Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are planning more rallies today, despite an appeal for calm by the country's supreme religious leader. Iran has banned international journalists from the protests after Monday's violence at a Mousavi demonstration, where seven people died. But state television, which showed rallies in...

Top Ayatollah Appeals for Calm in Iran

(Newser) - Iran's supreme leader addressed the nation on TV tonight to criticize anti-government protesters and appeal for calm, the Guardian reports. Those stirring up trouble are simply “tension seekers,” said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Rival protests again filled the streets of Tehran, though no more deaths were reported. Khamenei has...

Ahmadinejad Foes Gang Up on Websites

'Hacktivists' overload president's blog, other government outlets

(Newser) - As protests continue on the streets of Tehran, hackers in and outside of Iran are mounting an assault on the establishment's main websites, reports ZDNet. The sites of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several news agencies were crippled yesterday after activists flooded them with traffic. The campaign appears to...

Ayatollah Authority Undercut by Flip-Flop
Ayatollah Authority 
 Undercut by Flip-Flop 
ANALYSIS

Ayatollah Authority Undercut by Flip-Flop

Protests are weakening Khamenei's grip on Iranian regime

(Newser) - The about-face done by Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—first blessing the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Friday's election then opening an inquiry into vote fraud yesterday—was a rare misstep for the shadowy, usually cautious ayatollah, the New York Times reports, and may have done substantial damage to his reputation,...

Ayatollah Orders Ballot Probe
 Ayatollah Orders Ballot Probe 

Ayatollah Orders Ballot Probe

Khamenei accedes to Mousavi's request for vote fraud investigation

(Newser) - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a probe into Iran's allegedly rigged presidential election, reports CNN. The country's supreme leader has already endorsed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's supposed victory as "a divine miracle," but Khamenei today requested that a clerical body investigate Mir Hossein Mousavi's claims of widespread fraud. The ayatollah's...

Mousavi Cancels Tehran Rally, Cops Teargas Students

Iran crackdown hardens as Tehran riots continue

(Newser) - Mir Hossein Mousavi called off a major rally in Tehran today after the supposedly defeated presidential candidate was told that militias with live rounds would be standing guard, reports the BBC. Heated clashes are continuing between the police and Mousavi supporters disputing the declared election results. Security forces reportedly fired...

Reformists May Try to Oust, Kill Ahmadinejad, Khamenei

Election 'coup' will turn bloody: source

(Newser) - The fallout from Friday’s Iranian presidential elections could turn bloody, with attempts to oust or even assassinate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and even the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a well-connected Iranian source tells Steve Clemons of the Washington Note. The election “coup by the right wing” has sparked a civil...

Ayatollah Won't Overturn Ahmadinejad's Victory

(Newser) - This might seal it: Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denied challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi’s request to overturn the results of the presidential election, the Guardian reports. Khamenei, perhaps dashing Mousavi's only chance to upend an outcome the challenger claims was rigged, called Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s win a “...

Iran: Ahmadinejad Wins; Rival Warns of 'Tyranny'

(Newser) - This could be a mess for a while: Iran's official count today gave Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory in the presidential election, but his main challenger rejected the results as a "dangerous charade" and warned of "tyranny," reports the Guardian. The official numbers: Ahmadinejad gets 62.6%...

Ahmadinejad On Ropes as Iran Votes

Massive turnout expected in critical presidential ballot

(Newser) - The polls have opened in Iran's presidential election, and a near-record turnout is expected after an unusually intense campaign that saw nightly rallies and Western-style TV debates. Until just two weeks ago, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seemed a shoo-in for a second term, but the moderate Mir Hossein Mousavi has surged on...

Ex-President Leads Charge Against Ahmadinejad

Rafsanjani behind scenes in Iran election

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s chief adversary in his reelection bid isn’t the candidate he’s trying to beat, it’s the candidate he beat 4 years ago, the New York Times reports. Ex-president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been leading a massive behind-the-scenes effort on behalf of Ahmadinejad’s opponents...

Iran: Obama's 'Sweet' Words Won't Score With Muslims

Supreme leader slams US before Obama speech

(Newser) - President Obama’s speeches may be “beautiful,” but it’s not enough to win over the Muslim world, Iran’s supreme leader said in his own speech today, Reuters reports. “The nations of this part of the world...deeply hate America because during many years they have...

Journo May Seek Ayatollah Pardon

Appeal to top cleric may be Saberi's only chance of freedom

(Newser) - An Iranian-American journalist Iran sentenced to eight years in prison for alleged spying may seek a pardon from the country's supreme leader, CNN reports. Roxana Saberi's case is moving through the appeals process, which could lift—or lengthen—her sentence. Iranian officials stressed that only Ayatollah Khamenie has the power...

Iran's Supreme Leader Slams Obama Overture

Says no 'real change' in US policy

(Newser) - Iran's Supreme Leader dismissed overtures from President Obama today, saying Tehran does not see any change in US policy under its new administration. Responding to Obama's video message reaching out to Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said there will be no change between the two countries unless the American president brings...

US Drafts Letter to Iran to Mend Ties

Development could lead to direct talks between old enemies

(Newser) - Barack Obama is moving his efforts to improve relations with Iran beyond mere speech-making, the Guardian reports. The State Department is drafting a letter to Iranian leaders to assure them the US is not looking to overthrow the curent regime, just change its behavior. The letter—a response to a...

Fatwa Against Rushdie Set Off Self-Censorship
Fatwa Against Rushdie Set Off Self-Censorship
OPINION

Fatwa Against Rushdie Set Off Self-Censorship

Edict brought Muslim culture war to the West: Hitchens

(Newser) - When Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens knew what it meant: "This was not just a warning of what was to come,” he writes in Vanity Fair, “it was the warning.” A global culture war, between Muslim fundamentalists and everyone else, had...

Ayatollah: Iran Will Not Build Nukes

But country won't halt nuclear energy program, either

(Newser) - Iran isn’t interested in nuclear weapons, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proclaimed in a speech today, but will pursue its nuclear energy program despite international pressure. “No wise nation would be interested in making a nuclear weapon today,” said Iran’s supreme leader. “They are against rational thought....

Preconditions or Not, Iran Doesn't Want to Talk to Us

US misunderstanding of split personality hinders any progress

(Newser) - Barack Obama can berate President Bush for refusing to "sit down with" Iran, and John McCain can beat up Obama for proposing to do just that, but the fact is that every administration in the past 30 years has tried talking to Iran—without preconditions—and been rejected. Including...

Election Victory Emboldens Ahmadinejad

Hails sweeping win as observers predict more nuclear tension in Iran

(Newser) - More complete results from Friday's Iranian parliamentary elections show Islamist conservatives who support Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nuclear policy sweeping about 70% of the vote, Bloomberg reports. Pro-democracy candidates, meanwhile, did poorly after clerics blocked many from running. A triumphant Ahmadinejad said the results "stamped a mark of shame and...

Conservatives Lead 'Cooked' Iran Vote

New lawmakers expected to blast prez on economy

(Newser) - Early results in Iran's elections today are no surprise—conservatives will keep power—but they are expected to be more critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Reuters reports. Some are teaming with reformists to fight the president's economic policies, which have let inflation rise to 19%. Reformists also picked up seats...

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