Latest news, photos and videos from Iran

More than a month after the Iranian elections led to widespread demonstrations and subsequent violent suppression following allegations that the results declaring Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner of a second presidential term rigged, news, photos and videos of violence and unrest are still being widely circulated.

The Iranian regime should be afraid

Three weeks after Iran's presidential election, it is becoming clear that the Islamic republic is going through a metamorphosis.

Although Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was pronounced the winner of the election by a landslide, very few people believe this result. Cities across Iran, especially Teheran, were the scenes of massive street demonstrations unheard of in the Middle East for the past 30 years.

Through these organized, creative, and peaceful demonstrations, Iranians demanded an independent investigation into the allegation of vote-rigging.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (7)

Ahmadinejad's empire of beggars

Fraud... that is what is now realized by most observers, both within and outside of Iran, as being the cause of the outcome of the Islamic Republic's 10th presidential elections, held on the 22nd of Khordad, 1388 A.P. (June 12, 2009). Yet one must be astute about such things and understand that vote rigging is not merely a process to obtain or retain political power, but is usually buttressed by powerful hidden forces that guide the actions of those engaging in such activities.

So we must now ask, who was the real winner of this election? Was it the Islamic Republic system as a whole? Was it a certain faction within the contours of the power struggle that is now open for all to see amongst Iran's elite? Was it only the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that walked away the true victor....or, was it the brilliant maneuvering of one Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the Islamic Republic's convoluted labyrinth that ensured he remain at the seat of government?

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (13)

A new chapter in Iran's history

June 12th 2009 will go down as a turning point in the history of Iranians' awakening.

The race for the presidential election officially started three weeks ago. The reform movement had long been pronounced dead, following the inability of the former President Khatami to deliver on promises he had made. The reformists voters were expected to sit home.

The reformists could have easily been disqualified. They were allowed to stand, however, so that the presidential election would have a pretense of competition; so that the regime could claim legitimacy by luring people into participating. Ahmadinejad was expected to win.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (11)