Tehran's streets erupt after a key cleric speaks- Rafsanjani's harsh rebuke of Ahmadinejad ...

Los Angeles Times ^ | July 18, 2009 | Borzou Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's harsh rebuke of Ahmadinejad supporters is followed by renewed violence, suggesting the discontent over recent election results is as strong as ever.

Reporting from Tehran and Beirut -- Security forces fired tear gas and plainclothes militiamen armed with batons charged at crowds of protesters gathered near Tehran University after a Friday prayer sermon delivered by the cleric and opposition supporter Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, his first appearance at the nation's weekly keynote sermon since before the election.

Rafsanjani, in a closely watched speech, lashed out at the hard-line camp supporting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, criticized the June 12 election results and promoted several key opposition demands. However, he failed to offer a solution to what has emerged as Iran's worst political crisis in decades.

His inconclusive speech and the Muslim Sabbath clashes between security forces and supporters of opposition figure Mir-Hossein Mousavi that followed suggested the political firestorm unleashed by the marred vote would continue and that the movement it had inspired was as strong as ever.

"We could have taken our best step in the history of the Islamic revolution had the election not faced problems," he told worshipers in and around Tehran University. "We are in doubt today. Today, we are living bitter conditions due to what happened after the announcement of the election result. All of us have suffered. We need unity more than any time else."

Even before Rafsanjani's speech began, security forces were stuffing young men into waiting police vans. Helmeted Basiji militiamen aboard motorcycles began pushing forward.

After the speech, downtown Tehran erupted in violence .....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Alert!

[17th Miss Regt]

Obama: “It is time for the protesters in Iran to settle down and go back their jobs, their families and their daily lives. We have all seen the election results and the people have spoken through the voice of democracy. We deplore the violence that has occurred at the hands of militant protesters and seek to end it as soon as possible. And it is time for the truly legitimate government of Iran to go back to its job of leading the Iranian people and working towards annihilating Israel.”

[hattend]

Security forces fired tear gas and plainclothes militiamen armed with batons charged at crowds of protesters

An airdrop of some cheap pistols to the demostrators might do a demonstration good. Never bring a baton to a gun fight.

[blam]

Rafsanjani knows the jig is up. The Israeli’s are coming.

[Texas Fossil]

Photo by Farhad Rajabali

How Obama Killed the Iran Election Protests

http://the-undercurrent.com/blog/how-obama-killed-the-iran-election-protests/

[abb]

My hear bleeds for these brave, brave freedom fighters. If they just had a few guns...

“O Thou who made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free, —
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raised to them and Thee.”

[G8 Diplomat]

Well Rafsanjani did it—he stirred up another protest. Khamenei must be fuming right now. I like it!

[elpinta]

Couldn’t make the link work, here:
http://the-undercurrent.com/blog/how-obama-killed-the-iran-election-protests/

[Texas Fossil]

Thanks, I tried the link as I composed it, but did not see that the reference page did not display properly.

Sorry.

TF

[Texas Fossil]

The Iranians want none-of-the-above.

This started out as a dispute among Mullah’s, but has taken on larger proportions.

The Iranian people actually want Freedom.

No wonder Obozo is silent.

[califamily4W]

Mousavvi's twitter account -

mousavi1388Free the prisoners, this is no way to treat people هاشمی: کسانی که به این شکل دستگیر شدند باید آزاد شوند، این روش درست نیست #iranElection 28 minutes ago from web

[G8 Diplomat]

You’re right.

This stopped being about Musavi weeks ago. It’s a full-blown revolution now. Iran Azadi! (Free Iran!)

[DGHoodini]

I read a report yesterday, that there have been continuing night time skirmishes/riots, ever since the election coup in cities throughout Iran..that have not stopped.

[DGHoodini]

There are horrifying stories about young women protesters, who after being hauled away, are being raped, sodomized and sexually mutilated by these “Basij” and “Pasdaran”...They are servants of the devil. The Devil Khamenei! And they will suffer exactly what they have done to their own people. There will be no hiding for them. They will face equal punishment!

[PhilDragoo]

Ball bearings under I'm-a-jihad's feet.

De-stabilized.

Why isn't the Strike-Hard repression working.

What we have is a "revolution of rising expectations".

Toothpaste. Tube.

New Moon's a-coming.

[Texas Fossil]

I have a prayer list that I send Twitter prayers to each day. Some in Farsi and some in English. Have not received a Twitter from any in over 12 hours. Hope they are still OK.

I try my best to reduce the exposure for them. I remove the messages from my sent history quickly, and police my “followers” and remove those who appear to be monitoring my activities. Especially those who show few “followers” and lots of “following”.

It is a shame that our Commander-In-Chief sides with the dictator. I guess that should not be surprising, considering how the Kenyan operates.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Speaking of guns...we have a supposed writer regarding ethics on the Business Marketwatch web site who writes this article....:

The cost to bear arms ( Lefties try another angle to take away guns)

[Texas Fossil]

Persecution has a way of unifying a people.

Retribution will come.

Yes the Basij and Pasdaran are evil. So is Khamenei and his son.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See #18...