PLEASE SEE AND REC EARLIER DIARY ANNOUNCING THIS MEETING: "EMERGENCY MEETING" Top Group Can Unseat Khamenei
Thanks!
According to Iran Expert Reza Aslan on CNN, Ayatollah Rafsanjani has called an emergency meeting of the Assembly of Experts, a deliberative body of 86 top Iranian Islamic scholars, charged with electing the Supreme Leader of Iran and supervising his activities.
Of note, they are also the ONLY people in Iran with the authority to remove current Supreme Leader Khamenei.
From Nico Pitney's live updates about Iran on Huffington Post, quoting Iran Expert Aslan:
"There are very interesting things that are taking place right now. Some of my sources in Iran have told me that Ayatollah Rafsanjani, who is the head of the Assembly of Experts -- the eighty-six member clerical body that decides who will be the next Supreme Leader, and is, by the way, the only group that is empowered to remove the Supreme Leader from power -- that they have issued an emergency meeting in Qom.
Now, Anderson, I have to tell you, there's only one reason for the Assembly of Experts to meet at this point, and that is to actually talk about what to do about Khamenei. So, this is what I'm saying, is that we're talking about the very legitimacy, the very foundation of the Islamic Republic is up in the air right now. It's hard to say what this is going to go."
KNOW HOPE!
I'm so proud of the Iranian youth and all other Iranians who are standing up for themselves and I hope that the crisis will be settled with as little violence and bloodshed as possible.
They deserve the bright future that they are clearly willing to fight for. A true inspiration.
Call me Polly-Anna but if this "revolution" is successful and Moussavi emerges the victor, I think we would have also witnessed the birth of a new Progressive --- Moussavi!
Although from all accounts, he was not that far from Ahmadinejad on policy, I have a strange and optimistic feeling that this experience will have changed him. Opening his eyes to the true essence of democracy and government BY THE PEOPLE! Hey, I did say Polly-Anna!
UPDATE:
Has something changed?
The report above states that some soldiers are now protecting pro-Moussavi protesters from violent pro-Ahmadinejad plainclothes paramilitary. What a difference a day makes!