Recent developments in Iran
Directly from the PSID (Political Squirrel Information Desk):
Today Iranian supreme leader – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially endorsed the election’s outcome. In a sermon at Tehran university, he backed Ahmadinejad’s second term as president, brushing away the opposition’s hopes. He issued a “religious ultimatum”, demanding an immediate end to the protests, or else all reformist protesters would be legally charged. His call was one for peace and unity, underlining the need for cohesion and solidarity among Iranian people, despite superficial differences in opinion. According to his speech today, the historic voter turnout of 85 % legitimized the Islamic system, exhibiting Iranians’ trust in the regime. The Islamic rule, he says, would never permit an election fraud, thus the present result is nothing but the pure expression of citizens’ political views. There was an 11 million vote difference between the winner and his main opponent, how could rigging happen? – he added. As for the rallies flooding the streets this past week, Khamenei pointed out they are in vain, as the result will not be shifted for the sake of some unsatisfied voices. Also, political leaders inciting to riots shall shoulder the entire responsibility if blood will be spilled amid extremist manifestations.
Of course, there was also talk of the foreign hostile powers, trying to undermine the legitimacy of Iran’s Islamic establishment and to manipulate the world’s perception of how the voting really went. Khamenei went on by saying that Iran needs no advice from the West over human rights, as it has been itself countinously rising the flag of human rights by supporting opressed communities in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, the US is the worst human rights violator. Which yes, isn’t so far from the truth – I dare say. The speech ended in fervent acclaim of the supreme leader. Thousands massed outside the packed hall and cheered Khamenei, al Jazeera reports – most attending this speech being some of the Ayatollah’s staunchest supporters.
With this “Enough is enough!” message, it’s interesting how things will evolve from now on. Will Moussavi call on his supporters to end their demonstrations ? And will they listen and accept something they now see as unacceptable? It’s not anymore only about a candidate’s win , but more and more seems to be about the core political establishment in Iran. I suspect Khamenei’s stand over the issue will further spark unrest, as people will get more and more frustrated by what they perceive as an unjust, oppressive system. Bearing in mind the latest protests, spirits seem to be so inflamed with discontent and anger that a “shut up and go home” message will only stir emotions.
Shifting focus, what is strange to me is that the current “revolution” is not actually engendering the views of an overwhelming majority, or so it seems. Reporters broadcasting from Iran reveal almost equal accounts of pro-incumbent and conversely pro-opposition supporters. Although reformist demonstrations have been making the headlines these days around, we shoudn’t overlook the huge number of Ahmadinejad backers, who seem satisfied enough with realities in Iran. So outright statements of an Iran willing to overthrow its current governance seems to me a bit far-fetched.
One notable development linking current events in Iran to the online world is Google’s decision to provide free online translation to/from Persian (Farsi). In its yesterday press release, Google stated that” “We feel that launching Persian is particularly important now, given ongoing events in Iran”. This is an extraordinary tool for augmenting the spread of information concerning the situation in Iran, allowing both Iranians and the outside world to understand and communicate more.
Part of Khamenei’s speech:
