Continued and Live Blog Here
Note: We are simply watching the best Farsi websites. Payman has been reading them for years, so he knows the good ones. I should note that one of those sources did call Mousavi's arrest long before anyone else and it has been since confirmed. Will report that landscape in the am.
Update V: I've lost my translator (Payman) for the night. He promised a birthday dinner to a Bosnian friend. We'll be back at it very early tomorrow. People are finding 'other' ways to get the news out, so we hope to have more news by morning.
Update IV:
Link: A committee of respected Ayatollahs (the spiritual fighters) have requested that the election be invalidated for the purpose of restoring the people’s trust in the Islamic Republic. "We request the people to stay calm and not to provoke the government agents."
UpdateIII:
Link Telephone communication between Tehran and the rest of Iran has been completely disconnected. This corresponds with the beginnings of the arrests of the opposition. It is suspected that this is being orchestrated by Mojtaba Khamenei son of The Supreme Leader, Ali.
It's true. We are unable to telephone people in Tehran we spoke to an hour ago. No error just silence.
Update II: Pyknet: Mousavi has been place under house arrest. He was arrested on his way to Khamenei's house. All communication has been shut off. Khamenei has issued a statement claiming that HE that he is leading this coup to SAVE the Islamic Government (Nezam)
Update I: Sianat az ara (Protectors of Votes) Iran' Election Commission, have called the result fraud and are calling for new election.
They pointed to the suspension of text messaging Thursday night and the disruption of phone service for the campaigns and others, and ballot shortages.
Sianat az ara is a group of election monitors chosen by the four candidates. Ahmadinejad campaign is rejecting the claim of fraud and dismissed the committee as pro-Mousavi.
It is almost 9:30pm in Iran. In the north (rich part) of Tehran, the curfew is being ignored.
Photos here. Mo' pix here.
peiknet.com is reporting;
Translation -
Rafsanjani has resigned all duties in protest to Supreme Leader Khamenei's endorsement of Ahmadinejad as winner of yesterday's election.
This article from Forbes on Thursday provides recent background on Rafsanjani's case.
Rafsanjani, known in many circles as the Godfather, responded in kind with an open letter to the supreme leader demanding punishment for the aggression. That was perhaps the fuel on the fire for the streets. The anti-Ahmadinejad protesters felt more secure and confident after the division among the ruling elite became public and the streets went wild with human chains and slogans demanding Ahmadinejad's resignation.
****** First Diary ffom this morning *****
Just uploaded to YoutTube, this video shows Iranian police and Revolutionary Guards (Bassiji) CLEARLY running away from the protesters.
From a video from a popular independent Iranian website Peykieran.com
Cliff here reporting for famous (around here :)) Iranian exile and writer Payman here in Salt Lake City.
Update Note: Payman Jahanbin is the gentleman doing the heavy lifting here. Let me take this opportunity to let you know that he will be publishing a super funny non-fiction book about his life teaching in Salt Lake City, Utah and the politics of Iran. Its called Camel Jockey Go Home. I hope you 'll go there and read a few chapters as we post them.
The title of the video is "Demonstrators Election Announcement."
The guy in the white shirt in the center of the frame at 7 seconds in is 'plain clothes guard.'
We will continue to post video from 'the inside' as they come up.
American news outlets such as NBC are reporting that the police are keeping things under control, but we are hearing and seeing otherwise.
Iranians expect Khamenei will begin rounding up the more visible activist but also current public officials who did not support Ahmadinejad.
