Don’t forget, wear green today in support of the protesters in Iran
Supporters had been due to turn out en masse in Tehran on Monday afternoon, despite government warnings to stay off the streets.
But this morning, a statement on Mr Mousavi’s campaign website announced that the demonstration had been postponed – although it said Mr Mousavi would go to the site to ensure any supporters who showed up remained calm.
Mr Mousavi’s wife and co-campaigner, Zahra Ranavard, was reported as warning that riot squads would be equipped with live ammunition, raising the prospect of serious bloodshed.
Iran’s Interior Ministry said he Mousavi would be responsible for any consequences if he went ahead with the protest.
The question is, was that really Mousavi, or someone sock-puppeting him on the website? Unfortunately, the anti-Ahmadinejad protests may die out
Without support from the United States and other Western countries, Iranian opposition groups will likely stop demonstrations against the Iranian regime and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s declared victory in Friday’s presidential elections, senior Israeli defense officials said Sunday.
Back to that in a few, from first link
Mr Mousavi’s cancellation of the protest came as sporadic disturbances continued around the Iranian capital, and reports circulated of leaked interior ministry statistics showing him as the clear victor in last Friday’s polls.
The statistics, circulated on Iranian blogs and websites, claimed Mr Mousavi had won 19.1 million votes while Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won only 5.7 million.
The two other candidates, reformist Mehdi Karoubi and hardliner Mohsen Rezai, won 13.4 million and 3.7 million respectively. The authenticity of the leaked figures could not be confirmed.
Real? Fake? Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered an investigation, probably to lower the protest volume without resorting to gunfire in the streets with the world watching, but, don’t expect any real answers.
Very few world leaders have said anything, and from those that have, including Obama, Biden, and Hilary Clinton, the responses have been rather tepid and cautious. Had to cross out Obama’s name, since he has yet to make a statement. Maybe he should spend less time being a television star, and more time being The President.
More: Sky News is reporting that tens of thousands are in the streets. Photo up at Twitterpics (h/t Dr. Melissa Clouthier’s Twitter feed)
BBC is reporting same.
Iran has even shut down traffic camera Internet feeds in Tehran.
In other news, cBS runs a reprinted piece from the New Republic “Meet Iran’s George Bush,” which is about Ahmadenijad. Gateway Pundit has the details.
Excitable Andy compares Ahmadinejad to Karl Rove. RS McCain is also covering.
Michelle Malkin contrasts the rioting by thugs after the Lakers win to the protests in Iran.
And more:
Some 700 Iranians gathered at the representative office of the United Nations here on Monday in an attempt to submit a memorandum to protest the political developments in Iran.
The Iranians, mostly students, reportedly began to gather at the Wisma UN in the afternoon and refused to disperse after repeated requests, even after police shot the warning tear gas.
Malaysian police started shooting the tear gas into the crowd, which shouted Iranian slogans and sang songs.
The Iranians dispersed under heavy police tear gas later and a massive traffic jam was seen in the area, local media said.
Teach are you rooting for the liberal or the conservative in Iran’s election ?
Neither is liberal or conservative, not as we think of them, nor even Classic Conservative. Both are rather Authoritarian. Mousavi is supposedly a bit more “moderate” then Ahmadinejad, but, not much. I am rooting for the people of Iran to throw off the yokes of an Islamic dictatorship, and be free to live their lives.