Expert: Iran's supreme leader could oust Ahmadinejad

There is a similarity between the current events in Iran and the Night of the Long Knives of June and July of 1934 in Germany. Where Hitler jump started a series of events which was essentially a coup, swept up the oposition and rival groups and politicians by utilizing the Brownshirt militia.

By challenging the leadership and Islamic Republic Gaurds Corps role in recent events by the "others" in Iran it seems like a defining moment for the country and which way it goes will be determind soon.

Just another day of dealing with the nutcases who run Iran. You know, the ones Obama was so anxious to talk to. Now that the true totaliatarian nature of their government is obvious to all, I wonder if Obama still wants to talk to them...

THE WORLD NEEDS TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON IRAN TO OUST THIS PRESIDENT AND DELIVER THE POST TO THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE. THAT WAT IRAN COULD GET BACK INTO THE WORLD GAME AND QUIT BEING ISOLATED.

Kudos for the citizens of Iran. Guess we've known all along that their leadership does not represent them.

My cheerleading is not for Iran itself (still a dangerous adversary), but for any people which will not tolerate corrupted government and rigged elections.

My personal view, the supreme leader will oust the president of Iran for a couple of reasons: the president is called shorty behind his back; he needs a sheet to blow his nose; and the worst reason is HE TALKS TOO MUCH.

I am an Iranian-American and I agree with Sadjapour 100%. I believe there will be a division amount the Guard and the Basiege if the protests continue. Iran will become a true republic soon.

If Ayatollah Khamenei, who rapidly endorsed Ahmadinejad's victory and asked the country to unite behind him then turns and calls for his ouster, he will do irreparable damage to himself as well.

Immediately after the election, Ahmadinejad went to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where he was well received. This implies that he is, in all likelihood, going to remain President. He would not have gone without the blessing of Khamenei.

This analysis, by an Iranian no less, omits essential points, such as the struggle between Khamenei and Hashemi Rafsanjani, the historical animosity between Rafsanjani and Moussavi, and the post-election meeting between Khamenei and Moussavi in which the former acted in a much more subtle and confident manner than Sadjadpour indicates. There’s also the implicit assumption that Ahmadinejad did not receive the votes of a majority of Iranians, which is doubtful.

A most impoverished commentary from this "expert," and one which will merely cement American readers in their jaundiced view of what is transpiring in Iran. Then again, maybe it was intended to do that.

"If Ayatollah Khamenei, who rapidly endorsed Ahmadinejad’s victory and asked the country to unite behind him then turns and calls for his ouster, he will do irreparable damage to himself as well."

This is exactly right. I've been listening to BBC coverage of the events in Iran. Something they keep hitting on is that, if the supposedly infallible Supreme Leader turns his back on Ahmadinejad, it indicates that prior to that the Supreme Leader was wrong. It takes away his infallibility. The Supreme Leader becomes no longer Supreme, and it undermines their whole theocractic structure. I think you may see, out of all this, a government without a Supreme Leader, but still with the Guardian Council, and with a much stronger President. The Guardian Council is indeed basically a puppet for the Supreme Leader, but it is also the only body that can remove the Supreme Leader. If he has compromised himself, they may do just that, because for them it'd be better to keep their jobs and not have a Supreme Leader, then to have a massive popular revolution that sweeps away all the theocratic elements in the government.

Leave Iran alone. If the Democrats had behaved in the manner that the losers in the election are showing now, after the american 2000 elections, what would the world have done? Nothing. period.
This is the visible minority backed by american news.
I noticed that the western media did not cover the story of Ukrainian workers protesting and driving away the US navy in the Black Sea port.
Such biases can only bring money to the media for selling what people want to hear in the west.
Iran is a sovereign nation and will deal with its problems when they arise. This is no problem. It was a democratic election and the US and its media slaves are always condemning any nation that does not lick up to them after a democratic election. Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Palestine, Syria, Russia etc are among the several. When will the well-fed and well-paid start to earn their money honestly.
The US and allies invade countries to bring in democracy. Well democracy is well and at work in Iran. No excuse to go in and conquer!
Iran is a world power and will continue to grow in health and stature. When GB was going to war in Iraq, 1000 times the number of people of the world protested. It was a war of lies. What did America do then? What did you do then?
Have a good day in your 5 star hotel!

It is a little concerning that we quote "experts" who claim to know what the population of Iran is thinking when there is no possible way they could know it. There is no reliable polling and these experts are only able to reliably contact dissident groups. It is similar to the WMD in Iraq where we relied on outsiders looking in and dissident groups who were absolutely certain that Iraq had a massive WMD program. Reality, we know that there is a massive demonstration going on but the question is whether there would have been a similar demonstration if the rival party had won.

Todd "You know, the ones Obama was so anxious to talk to. Now that the true totaliatarian nature of their government is obvious to all, I wonder if Obama still wants to talk to them…"

you fail to realize Obama's position. It isnt about the leadership of Iran, its about ALL of Iran. As we can see, their people don't exactly support this tyranny...

Yes, talking to your enemies shows that you support THOSE within that nation that seek democracy, freedom and safety and peace.

We arent appealing to Ahmedinajad or Khameni...we are trying to appeal to the people!

Wake up Todd...the Cowboy Charade didn't work.

Khamenei's biggest mistake was to confirm an election that was obviously rigged (badly). If he is smart he will probably dump Ahmadinejad ASAP, before more damage is done to his own rule. Wouldn't surprise me at all if Ahmadinejad ends up mysteriously dead within the month, as he probably won't want to take the fall alone.

Karim Sadjadpou is reporting speculation not fact about the so called injustice in the Iran election. Nobody has shown a factual account of voter fraud.
Right now Karim Sadjadpou is not an authority on the actual circumstances of the election vote count. In all the anger arising from the citizens of Iran this is the only fact that needs to be addressed openly.

Neither one of the candidates is really going to be a friend of the west. The current leader only has more negative air time so the Western media is reporting it according to its dislikes and not to the facts. .

What about the Iranian military? They are yung like the protesters. Isn't it significant that there has been no mention of using the military to quell riots?

Todd,
Have you thought that it may well have been Obama's words the drop that filled the cup for the iranian reformists to take the streets as they have? Do you remember anything like this taking place while the iranian reformist were being held hostage by W's stupid cowboy like stance towards Teheran?
I thought so. Now go and wait for another 8 years until you can even THINK of having a conservative elected as potus

Why would we want Mousavi to lead the Iranians? It would seem some people havent read their history books. The man was in charge in Iran when it started it's secrete nuclear program. He was also an avid and early support of the Lebanese Hizb'Allah movement.

He was known as being a religious radical his first time around. What we are seeing here is the secular elite minority of the country being VERY unhappy about loosing to the poorer more religious majority of the country.

That is how democracy works. Mousavi has already stated before the elections he wont stop work on the nuclear program he started, so why would we have ANY interest in seeing a minority government set up for a man who supports Hizb'Allah, started the Iranian's nuclear program and says he wont stop it?

Havent we learned to stop push minorities to rule in Iran? The only way this man, an ethnic minority Azeri can lead Iran, is through more dictatorship and more violence. That is the only way a person who doesnt have the majority of the support of Iranians can rule.

The problem with letting people start to think for themselves is that once you let the genie out of the bottle you can not put it back in. I do wished the Irainian people harm. However, there comes a time when a Government fails to support the will of its people, then that Government needs to fall. I whole heartly support the Iranian people in their endeavors to change their society.

@Todd: The President is prepared to talk to any nation to move forward, what's lost by talking? The stupidity and ignorance of the previous government's foreign policies are going to take years to repair. America is not loved, or even feared, in most countries – its hated. That needs to change. Of course, we can stay in the past and be ignorant, as it seems you prefer. Oh, and its President or Mr Obama to the likes of you.

Obama's messages to the Iranian people were clear ...especially in his Cairo speech which was covered thruout the Islamic world. In it, he said, among other things, that whatever differences peoples may have now ..(such as with Israel), the Holocaust happened. It is a FACT and that those who deny it are essentially ignorant/and or crazy. He also talked of r eaching out and having a relationship based on mutual respect with Muslim countries. Obama's message and the hope he inspires clearly had an impact. The Iranian young people, and the educated people of Tehran and other urban areas in particular, want to get rid of their toxic President and start a new relationship with the world...particularly with America. Thanks to Obama, they know they can have that new relationship and I hope they will succeed in their "Yes we can ":campaign.

Its Basij, not Basiege. And its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, not Iranian. A little fact-checking here CNN?

And Sadjadpour is absolutely right that the IRGC and Basij are not a monolithic entity that blindly supports Ahmadi-Nejad. Like all institutions in the Islamic Republic, selected senior officers may be loyal to the leadership, but the vetting does not go so far down that there is complete loyalty at all levels.

did America forget that George Bush was not elected but stole the election and that at least Iran had an election when was the last time suadi arabia or Egypt have an election. The world just doesn't want to deal with the truth

Dictator pretending to have a democracy.
This country is a stain on the global community.
We wasted our time and money in Iraq.

Too bad the Iraqis didn't do this years ago when Hussein was in power. A revolution starts from within. The people of Iran are speaking up because they want to be free.

This is the same type of totalitarian regime that the US went into Iraq to uproot. This is also the same Iranian regime that people criticized Bush for picking a fight with.

Ali, talking to does not mean agreeing with. If you cannot talk, the only option you have is war. And if you can talk, at the very least you have options. Also, Obama has directly addressed the Iranian people, to spite the leadership. So you really have no argument.

The demonstrations have been so huge in Tehran, Iran they filled a major boulevard shoulder to shoulder for a distance of FIVE miles. There is no way the 35 million votes could have been counted in two hours...they count their paper ballots by hand!!!! And apparently 14 million votes are unaccounted for...hmm, wonder where the Iranians votes went.

While Ali analogized this situation to the Night of the Long Knives in Germany in 1934, I wonder if it may not be closer to 1917 Russia when the Bolsheviks were able to unthrone the czar because his troops simply decided to put down their guns rather than shoot their fellow Russians. what a great thing to see – that democracy emerges from the will of the people rather than from bombing a country via "Shock and Awe". However, it is after the overthrow that things always become dicey because there is a vacuum of power. It turned out badly in both 1934 Germany and 1917 Russia when the vacuum was filled by totalitairan regimes who ultimately were anti democratic until each fell – one peacefully the other by surrender in a world war.

To: Todd June 17th, 2009 11:11 am ET

I hate the arguement that because a country is run by a bunch of nut-jobs that you don't have to deal with them. Pretending they don't exist doesn't negate the fact that they are in charge of a country. It just ticks them off even more.... Talking to them is the only way to find neutral ground.

K i dont know why you are using experts and sounding like an awesome news company. this is actually all common knowledge. Im from Canada and everybody knew about that without your "expert" providing his already known facts. I guess because we are ignorant then you and actually care about countries outside our borders.

The US should not give 2 cents for the issues facing iran and their internal strife. We do not use their oil. They will never be our friend. If they buuild nuclear capability, Israel will bomb them. I say we let them stew in their own juices and their 35% unemployment and we start taking care of problems we face here at home. I have the same view of Afghanistan and Iraq – pull the troops and come home. It is time for the Mid east to clean up their own messes. Let Saudia Arabia – and the other rich oil states get their hands dirty for a change and help sort out the mess in Irag and Afghanstan

The current Iranian regime was honorably elected and should stand
firm against the opposition. I personally hope Ahmadinejad arrests
these radicals and try them for treason.

"Just another day of dealing with the nutcases who run Iran. You know, the ones Obama was so anxious to talk to. " They're sort of like the nutcases who were running the U.S. up until January 20 this year. What would you have us do Todd, bomb them?

Shah Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is just another dictator. Ahmaninejad is just a puppet. If Ahmaninejad continues in the office of president, the West should refuse to deal with him and call for direct contact with the Shah. Identifying Ali Khamenei as the Shah is the best way to assure his demise.

It is obvious.Change is on the horizon in Iran.The people will prevail.People will die.Indeed,the cost of freedom.A puric victory indeed.

I am sure after the atrocities of Florida voting the rest of the world thought the same of the US when George W. gained office a second time, it had to be rigged! We continue to pay for that idiots mess, attacked by terrorists, two wars and he spent way more than Obama will ever spend. People think he saves us for terror; he let them in the front door and kept reading a book to kids while we were under attack. LOSER! So yeah think of what WE looked like to other countries. On the other hand Iran is truly a mess but careful when you cast stones.

With respect, Ali is incorrect with his comparison to the Night of Long Knives in Nazi Germany. That event was not a coup by Hitler but rather an internal purge of elements of the Nazi Party that Hitler felt had outlived their usefulness and become a threat to his power. The Sturmabteilung (aka SA/Brownshirts/Stormtroopers) were a working class paramilitary force that Hitler had used to great effect prior to his election in 1933, but their brutish nature had become a political liability once he was actually in control. The Night of the Long Knives was a purge of party leaders who were a potential threat to Hitler, such as SA Commander Ernst Rohm. The purge was carried out by the much smaller and elite Schutzstaffel (SS), which absorbed much of the SA organization once it's leadership was decapitated.

In many ways the Basij is similar in purpose to the SA.

who cares? nothing changes in that country ; they still have the Ayatollahs who rule with inpunity.That's not going to change Khamenei
is the true power, the mastermind of this wholse election.Give me a break; no matter what happens to Ahmadinejad the country is still
screwed.Lost cause!

You underestimate the Iranian leadership by just calling them nutcases. These are very cold calculating people, the best thing we can do now is watch and wait. Keep in mind that the "open dialog" that the Obama Administration is stressing has nothing to do with the current leadership, it's a way to communicate to the more moderate people within Iran that the time has come and we'll stand with you.

Hooray for the Iranian youth! I do wish for their well-being and success. Hopefully this will not be another Tianamen Square. These people need and deserve a viable govenment, not just some wild nutcases running around on the loose.

Unthrone? Is that a word?

Iran's clerical leaders have been under control of everything up to the present time.The new kind of iranian citizens have realized that this religious system only takes to confusion , abuses, corruption and loss of freedom.Therefore this time the iranian system of government will have to change his ways or be condemned to disappear all together.Power will return to the good people of Iran.

My heat aches for the people of Iran, and people everywhere that just want what we Americans want... Freedom...to worship, work, get an education and raise our families. Children are taught to lie, and hatred is also, sometimes taught in the home...... "Cultures" are different, but the people, whatever the race, nationality or faith, want the same things.....

It is precisely due to Obama's civil, respectful and reasonable approach to Iran that reconciliatory forces in Iran now feel they can dissent without getting accused of being traitors and agents of the Americans. 8 years of Bush belicose speech did nothing but strengthen the hardliners. I give Obama's phenonemon a lot of credit for what's happening in Iran right now. For republicans and republican- leaning commentators I say: you had your chance to lead, and you failed us. Please don't pretend you know anything now.

I know it is a hard thing for them to do but the people should not bow to police, they should keep up the demostrations. If necessary they should start taking up arms themselves and fight back. They do not need to be pushed down by dictators it they are saying they are a democracy, then the people should demand it to stay a democracy.

Ahamdi nejad and Khamenei have done a coup d'etat against Iranian people. Khamenei has been the supreme leader of Iran from 1989. He has the absolute power in Iran by the constituition. There is a council in constitution which should observe supreme leader legitimacy, however, that council is not effective since its members are mostly under Khamenei's influence. What Ahamdi nejad and Khamenei did in our election was not a simple fraud. Khamenei has apparently has said that "Ahamdi nejad defeat is my defeat and I will not let your green revolution succeed". Then the interior ministry who is in charge of holding election has engineered the data and have published fake results. Who can believe they have read 40 million ballots in 3 hours? More importantly there are many statistical proofs that the numbers they have published are NOT REAL. There is completely linear correlation between candidates share of ballots. and the linear correlation is more that 0.95 which is far from a normal distribution of people. There are 70 area in which the number of ballots are %140 of eligible voters. These are only part of statistical proofs. There have been many legal issues which have been violated before, during and after the election so that the government as well Khamenei can claim Ahamdi nejad is the elected candidate. We free people of Iran announce that MOUSAVI is our president and urge all countries to NOT recognize Supreme leader's choice as the president. It will definitely be a shame for any country to recognize Ahamdi nejad since MOUSAVI's supporters will eventually win this dirty game and remember every individual and government action during their efforts to gain freedom. Lets just give a hint to every body: Russia is one of the most unpopular countries in Iran because historically it has always betrayed us. Interestingly they are a good friend to Ahamdi nejad and Khamenei. Just to let you guys know more Putin was the only western president who went before Khamenei.

If only the people in the US had the same courage to go to the streets when the Bush stole the elections in 2000!!

VN

I hope that the Iranian people are able to revoke this fraudulent election and move their country towards greater freedom and plurality. The Mullahs stole the original Iranian revolution thirty years ago. It's time that the Iranian people took their country back. The world would welcome them....

Any pragmatist should realize that ideological differences do not preclude countries building mutually beneficial relationships. The U.S. has healthy economic ties with China, Vietnam and Russia, countries with whom we differ on political issues. Unfortunately, it is not so with other countries, such as Cuba, Syria, Venezuela and Iran. While the U.S. is as much to blame as Castro, Assad, Chavez and Ahmadinejad for that state of affairs, Ahmadinejad's intrangigence on many issues, not the least of which is threats to "wipe Israel off the map" makes any sort of reapproachment impossible. This is truly a loss since the Persian culture is rich and has much to offer if we are willing to live with the political differences. Moussavi offers that possibility, and for that reason, Ahmadinejad must go.

Todd,
Don't be naive...Obama knew all along who he'd be dealing with in Iran. He just recognizes that the way the US has been dealing with Iran has NOT be working...it is time to try something else.

Please America, resist the temptation to stick your nose in there.

If Iranians want a revolution, they'll have a revolution.

If we take sides, it will give tremendous power to the side we go against.

Please, lets not give Hamedinutjob the opportunity to scream "America is trying to overthrow our government like it did in the 70s".

For once lets keep our big mouth shut.

All the king's horses,
And all the king's men
Cannot deny the fact that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the election fair and square.

Once again we are meddling. This is so September 11, 1973. The people spoke. And we did not like the outcome. Pity.

So when Bush was president, and he said Iran was Axis of Evil, all the liberals yelled at him for not being kind to this poor innocent nation and cheered when Obama wanted "to talk" like adults.

Well its pretty obvious who was right from the beginning. HINT: it wasnt the liberals.

I am thinking that Gordon who posted on June 17th should pack his bags (if he hasn't already) and move to Iran to see how it really is in that country. I only hope that the Iranian people can come to grips with what is going on, expect more, want more and get more so they can live a prosperous life free of persecution or of being shot for disagreeing with the current system that they have. My heart goes out to anyone, not just the Iranians, but to anyone that lives under brutal circumstances. I understand that in that oil rich country, over 30% of the people are unemployed.

As a Non-Iranian Shi'a Muslim, I must add that Ayatullah Khamenei is not just the Supreme Leader of the Iranians but of ALL Shias in the world. Knowing this will of course complicate all of the commentaries given thus far of ousting him simply based on what's happening in Iran today.

Wow... Todd... You just don't get it. It's precisely Obama's message of being willing to talk and open to relationships with any nation that doesn't oppress its people that is fueling this type of resistance. It's very diffcult for the old hard-line Iranian dictators to successfully wave a Death to America flag when young people see an American President they can relate to and envy. His approach is helping to drive true change in a country that has traditionally been an enemy to the U.S.

Good for the citizens of Iran! It worked in the US when we threw out the Bush/Cheney regime and it can work for them too.

I think this is inspired by President Obama reaching out to Iran and the people are receptive to it. These people are well educated and are a very kind and compassionate people. Tehran is a beautiful, modern city with a great deal of western influence. Hopefully this will lead to the freedom of the Iranian people.

To Jessica & Todd: You found a way to blame the Iran debacle on President Obama? I'll ask you to consider the state of affairs left behind by your right-wing nuts and find something good about that period of leadership. What good came from the "Axis 0f Evil" comments? President Obama is trying to promote dialogue rather than war. What a novel concept...

What's the big deal the percentage difference is the same as McCain-Obama numbers. The Bush-Gore was 50-50 with Bush edging Gore out under questionable voting fraud in Florida.

We did not have a revolution and our government is still as scewed up as ever

I am a bit bothered by what I see today mainly because all the incidents look very much like what it took place during the revolution in 1970's. I lived through those years and I can not believe how similar everything seems alike. The only difference are the names and the fact that both opposition parties come from the same regime.
I am absolutely against Ahmadi Nejad but at the same time it feels very strange to me that all the movements, tones and feelings toward this government sounds very much like feelings toward Shah during those days.
Soon people found out that they have been used.
Again despite my hatred toward this government, I have a very bad feeling that someone is taking advantage of the people in order to buy some more time for the regime by giving it a new face.
Shah tried to do this by changing the government and electing Bakhtiar as the prime minister but people did not accept that and only demanded a change of regime.
I assume people in charge of this regime have learned their lesson from that and doing a great job to bring a new face with the full approval of people just to buy more time.
I hope this is not true but it is just a thought that kind of bothers me.

It's amazing what "words" can do to move a people – and not one drop of U.S. blood shed – as opposed to Iraq.

"Todd June 17th, 2009 11:11 am ET

Just another day of dealing with the nutcases who run Iran. You know, the ones Obama was so anxious to talk to. Now that the true totaliatarian nature of their government is obvious to all, I wonder if Obama still wants to talk to them…"

Of course, that is the point. You need to talk to people you disagree with. You need to try to come to some sort of understanding. We just got done with 8 years of a President who didnt talk to anyone he didnt like, and that got us a savaged economy, 2 wars, and a devastated reputation in the world commmunity. Not talking to people doesnt help anything; case closed.

I hope the old pres is out.

Khamenei is in trouble. Someone said that if demands the president be removed after quickly endorsing the 62+% victory, he will be seen as self-supporting and not for the country of Iran as a whole.

I disagree with Sadjadpour in that it is a possibility of Khamenei to oust the president to save his own skin. He may very well do this, but he will not be the Supreme Leader for very much longer if he does. I truly believe that we are on the verge of a new Iran. I believe that there is a chance for a more stable transition for Iran than there has been for Iraq and Afghanistan. Violence begets violence, and there has been no outside interference with this election. The people of Iran are doing the work here. Congratulations.

Well its good to see that the people over there are tired of being stepped on by their own gov. I think they did rig the election cause its the whole country thats against that election. If obama goes over there to talk peace its just a waste of time and effort cause it will be happening again and again. I see that they are, or probably will use the force of violence against the people over there protesting anyway. I say just let them be and turn the other cheek as if nothing was goin on over there.

Why doesn't BO do what his most similar predessessor, i.e. JEC, did with the Shah? Talk the nut jobs into reqlinquishing power to the people.

The fact that Iran has a Supreme leader says it all. It doesn't matter who the president is he would have to be approved by the Supreme leader anyway. Enough of this, the good people of Iran are oppressed by their government and should be free. I truly hope the people of Iran take their country back from these nutcases.

Just another day of dealing with the nutcases who run Iran. You know, the ones Obama was so anxious to talk to. Now that the true totaliatarian nature of their government is obvious to all, I wonder if Obama still wants to talk to them…
----------------–
Todd,
PRESIDENT Obama is anxious for keeping the peace and mending relations after 8 years of failed foreign policies. In the end, he will speak with whomever becomes the new leader. Obama is trying to mend relations with that nation as a whole but he has to start with their president.

Murad Nayal, THANK YOU very much for posting that. That was enlightening. I hope your message is taken to heart by all the Americans who read it. We want dialogue, we want international camaraderie. We are all human beings after all. Thank you.

This was not an election – it was selection. Some say Ah-mad-i-nijad is a shrewd man – I think he is a moron and the people who support or vote for him are bigger morons. A man who denies facts from history (he believes the holocaust never happened) or says that there are no gays in Iran cannot be an intelligent man! Listening to him is painful – he cannot even answer the simplest of questions. A 3rd grader is more articulate and logical than this man. Iran and its people deserve better.

Its not about Obama Todd. GET OVER IT! still thinking like a caveman i see. Why would he/we not want to talk to them. Regardless of what you think dialog is much better than the cold shoulder we have been giving to those we do not agree with. Its time to get over ourselves as Americans and understand that dialog is the answer when disagreements arise. You send your children to fight another war because you think bullying is still a viable tactic. Who's the crackpot, war monger. let me guess you probably consider yourself a true American Christian. I wonder if you and your partner have a disagreement do you ignore them or do you try to work things out. its really no different. There is a true revolution going on in Iran the people want freedom and to further isolate and bash only plays to the hardliners. Think people, THINK! and get over the fact that Obama is president. Imagine if Mccain was president we would be in 2 more wars, Korea and Iran.

ram-
Try to keep your comments on topic. This story is about Iran. We're not interested in the USA–we're interested in Iran.

-
the US and its media slaves are always condemning any nation that does not lick up to them after a democratic election. Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Palestine, Syria, Russia etc are among the several. When will the well-fed and well-paid start to earn their money honestly.
The US and allies invade countries to bring in democracy.

Proved beyond any doubt this concept about Vilayat e Fiqhi, a supreme leader answerable only to ALLAH. For the sake of NOT to make Iran appear more of a laughing stock (thanks to Ahmedcrazynejad) the people now cannot take it anymore. Ayatollah Montazeri too has now come out openly in favour of the people of Iran.
Enver Khorasanee

Good for the people in Iran. And to Todd who uses this as a reason to jab at Obama, let's step back and take a look at the last few month's events – 1. The war in Iraq is coming to an end next year, and our military focus is moving to Afghanistan – where is belongs. 2. You have townspeople in Pakistan rising up against the taliban and fighting them on their own! 3. You have Iranian citizens rising up against their government and demanding the prevailance of democracy, and the election of a new president (who is pro-western relations and wants to improve dialogue with the U.S.) 4. You have Netanyahu endorse a Palestinian state for the first time ever (with obvious dis-armorment of Palestinian forces and protection for Israel included) 5. And you have a U.S. president who is actually reaching out to the Islamic world and explaining that the U.S. is not against them but that we want to live peacefully with them and improve relations for a better world.

President Obama has taken huge strides and put his own head on the chopping block by trying to open dialogue with the middle East. His actions and his words have been well received by Muslims world wide, and look at the resposne that we are now seeing. If anyone says that he is doing a bad job, or that he is making America 'less safe' ..or even worse that they think that Pres. Bush would be better than Obama... then those people are simply ignorant to the big picture. I'm happy to see everything that is happening in the middle east and I hope that these people continue to fight for their rights.

Todd says
Just another day of dealing with the nutcases who run Iran. You know, the ones Obama was so anxious to talk to. Now that the true totaliatarian nature of their government is obvious to all, I wonder if Obama still wants to talk to them…
If we decide not to talk to countries totalitarian governments, we will probably be not talking to 80% of the countries. Yes, that includes our 'allies' like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Georgia. etc. Even Reagan with all his rhetorics kept talking to the 'evil empire' which was crumbling..

ram...could not have said it better...congratulations!

It is a known fact of history that a governed people can only be oppressed for so long. The Iranian people are starting to realize that they have been lied to, by the government, for many years. The internet generation cannot be duped like previous generations and now the Theocracy of Iran is paying the price for it's exploitation. Bravo to the Iranian people. Don't give in to your lying leaders. Oust them and form a government of change as we did with George W. Bush and his lying cronies.

Avi

The Iranian people protesting the corrupt election results are the true hero's of their country, what courage these people have. If I were Iranian I would be so proud. The Iranian regime not allowing journalist to report whats going on in the streets speaks volumes. The people of Iran deserve better.

I'm still not sure I understand what the "progressive" Iranians – those protesting the election – really want. We seem to be projecting a lot of our own ideas about democracy onto them. Is it realistic to assume they want to overthrow the mullahs and institute a western-style democracy, though perhaps with many Sharia principles written into the constitution? Or are they happy with their current arrangement and merely trying to change some hard-line policies? While the current events in Iran are certainly important, I'm not sure they mean the same things to Iranians as they do to us in the States.

If the Iranian goverment did not stop this on the first day you only can be sure that deep change is coming....this is great for the US and the world. Its not If...its now.

Rudi Sokobe

Once again we see the path to change is dialogue. Just like in the case of the former Soviet Union the way to empower change is to make it clear that the extremists within the society cannot use America as a scapegoat. Moderate our rhetoric and they can no longer use us as a bogey man to enforce order.

Then and only then can the reforming elements in the Society enact change when the message is clear: We wish the people of Iran no ill and welcome their efforts to ensure a just outcome of their elections so that they may truly join the World of Civilized Nations that share a respect for the dignity of a Vote.

The problem is, you cannot overturn an election based on protests.

There is no determination that Mousavi, in fact, won.

It reminds me of the elections in Russia. For all they crying in the west, Medvedev clearly won the election.

This opposition candidate, declared himself the winner, because thats what they always do in some countries, both candidates declare themselves the winner. And the losing candidates people flood into the streets with a sense of outrage.

But in fact, only one person did, in fact win, and at this point its doubtful Mousavi really won.

This is all smoke and mirrors, folks. Ahmadinejad is going nowhere. And the Supreme Leader is under no serious threat – and if you believe otherwise, there is someone with real estate to sell you in California and Arizona. Please, do you guys really believe what Mr. Sadjadpour is saying? I don’t. There is no real democracy in Iran. If a new election is held in that country, then maybe there is a glimmer of hope that the incumbent will be ousted, but if that does not happen, Ahmadinejad will continue to rule as president and will persist on his path to nuclear proliferation. It is up to President Obama to quell this attempt with true substantive action.

I think Obama's willingness to talk to Iran was essential to the people of Iran fighting for change. It showed that the U.S. was willing to work towards progress if the Iranian government was as well. These protests are a testament to how much the people of Iran are open to the kind of progress Obama was offering to Iran.

Hey people do you not remember when Ahmadinejad said that democracy was a failure? There was no intention for a reformist to win in a democratic election in Iran where only the supreme leader can appoint the person to be president. No this election was just a show to the world that Iran cares for the rights of the people but now it is known that the religious fanatics really do not care for the people! They only care for their power and control over the people!

All you "pull everyone out of all wars" morons need to learn about real life and get off your hippy bandwagons. This has nothing to do with anything else except the people in Iran. I am 90% sure CNN and every other news agency is blowing this completely out of proportion (like they did/do with Irag and Afghanistan). You are maybe getting 10% of the what is really going on because our crappy "news" systems spins it for ratings and the almighty $$. Example, the stupid "swine flu" that only infected 300k or so people . . . how is that supposed to be scary, the regular flu infects that many people in a major city, and tens of millions around the world . . . way out of proportion on a slow news week! I know this about the middle east becaue I am posting this from IRAQ and I see the truth of what is going on. I do agree we need to keep our dirty grubby little american fingers out of this issue (if you recal, we put Saddam in power) and let it sort itself out.

As you can see what we've been told about the Iranian politics isn't the reality on the ground. These people love their kids and want a better life and future. In many ways they're not what Bush portrayed them to be. They're leaders may be nuts, but the average guy wants better. Give credit to Obama for his speech in Egypt, it likely helped convince the youth of Iran, America is not the sound bites of the Bush era. By reaching out to Iran Obama has more leverage than if he created a rift between us. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer" allows you to control situations and have a hand in future diplomacy.

There was already a strong movement toward democracy and freedom in IRAN in the early 2000's which was brutally suppressed despite the existence of a "reformist" president. As a result of the U.S. efforts in freeing both of Iran's next door neighbors (Iraq and Afghanistan) from the grip of tyranny, Iranians are thirsting more than ever for a taste of freedom and acceptance by the community of civilized nations. Those who suggest that the current uprising is a result of Obama's speech in Cairo are clearly deluding themselves.

June 17th, 2009 11:32 am ET

"Leave Iran alone. If the Democrats had behaved in the manner that the losers in the election are showing now, after the american 2000 elections, what would the world have done? Nothing. period.
This is the visible minority backed by american news.
I noticed that the western media did not cover the story of Ukrainian workers protesting and driving away the US navy in the Black Sea port.
Such biases can only bring money to the media for selling what people want to hear in the west.
Iran is a sovereign nation and will deal with its problems when they arise. This is no problem. It was a democratic election and the US and its media slaves are always condemning any nation that does not lick up to them after a democratic election. Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Palestine, Syria, Russia etc are among the several. When will the well-fed and well-paid start to earn their money honestly.
The US and allies invade countries to bring in democracy. Well democracy is well and at work in Iran. No excuse to go in and conquer!
Iran is a world power and will continue to grow in health and stature. When GB was going to war in Iraq, 1000 times the number of people of the world protested. It was a war of lies. What did America do then? What did you do then?
Have a good day in your 5 star hotel!"

Are you on Ah-mad-i-nijad's payroll? You really think we live in a 5 star hotel? Get a clue.

Does it really matter who leads countries like these? You meet the new boss – same as the old boss!

re: ram does it sound like this guy works for the iranian government or is he really this stupid?

Is this the same supreme leader who declared Ahmadinejad's victory a "divine miracle"?

Why do they even have elections over there? It looks like the supreme council runs things anyway.

Obama's willingness to talk to Iran is in part responsible for the reactions of the young people and the reformers. they want dialog and openness with America and the rest of the world, but never thought it was possible. Obama coming out and saying that he was willing to talk, put all the problems in Iran directly on the shoulders of the leadership who is unwilling to cooperate with America and the world.

America reaching out could very well be the downfall of the current regime by a majority of the population seeing an opportunity for a better life if only their government was willing to reach back.

This shows just how predictably poor the gov't of Iran is run. We all knew this was going to happen.

Reminds me when British sailors were detained by Iran a few years back. The Iranian Navy clamed a violation of territorial waters when the GPS location Iran provided was actually a mile in Iraqi waters.

Perhaps this is partially a result of Obama's speech to muslims. It was well timed – just before the elections – and Iranian people may be getting tired enough of the oppression that they are willing to risk more. Wih the new perspective of a hopeful US president, instead of a purely insulting one, folks are willing to stand up for what they want. In the short term it's a bit scary, but in the long run I'm hopeful that the citizens of Iran will demand more of their leaders.

in reponse to Ram.. WHOA BOY, HEEL! What are you talking about war in Iran? the USA going to invade Iran? ARE YOU INSANE? we are already worried about N.K., and finising up Iraq and really just beginning to get some things taken care of in Afghanistan, now you think we're thirsting for a fight in Iran? yeah, Democracy is at work, but I think you should have stepped off your soap box after that thought, instead of preaching American foreign policy back in 2000. Things have changed buddy

It's apparent that the situation in Iran at this time is one of dissatisfaction and turmoil. If there is one thing that can be gathered from the past few days is that the Iranian people have something that for a long time we have been spoon fed to blieve could not exist... THE WILL to embrace a democrtatic state that cherishs the standards of human rights. It is unconcievable to believe for a second that these elections were not rigged as some of have stated. Whether you like the Western Media or not, the facts are there. 60% of the population is under 27.. most of the them support Mossavi.. for better or worse he was their choice. I think in regards to Foreign Policy towards the U.S.. or in regards to Israel we probably won't see a drastic difference. But the current President has been unable to better the economic crisis present in Iran.. a country so instable that the price of milk changes more than 5 times a day. The U.S and U.N sanctions due to his governments nuclear enrichment programs have only worsened the stability of the nation. THE People have so courageously spoken out... They are the voice of the world... the voice of reason... these hundreds of thousands of people... should be honored, and celebrated. When the elections turned out to look like a scam with BUSH... we did nothing.. instead we relected him later.. maybe we felt the first 4 years weren't bad enough.. BUT THESE ppl.. they kno.. they feel it.. and they voted...god bless them

Le'ts hope for the sake of peace, that Iran throws over the President. They have done it before, they can do it again. That little beady eyed dictator should be tried and imprisoned if found guity. The problem is people are afraid of him. Little twerp that he is.

Very good Steve Simmons...."prosperous life free of persecution or
of being shot"....what planet are you on you idiot. You do have a point
however, why go anywhere other than the U.S. for persecution or getting shot when it can be done quite successfully right here and
frequently without retribution. Put your head on your shoulders you
retard.

Some one said something about rigged elections, BrianG, Sugar Land, TX...be careful wat you say, your President Bush' election was very much rigged...how can a man that has failed in everything he has done in his life make president? Well, saying that....what RAM said is very much true in many ways...he remembers the 2000 US elections, but still the world would be alot safer with the maniac that is in Iran out of there. He is antagonistic, I dont care how much you dislike someone...my gosh man you are a president, you dont talk openly about how a nation is going to be wiped from the face of the earth! To refer to a nation as a dog, oh wow I can see why the uproar to get this ASS out of there before he starts another war, like North Korea. I dont wish to talk bad of Russia, I just with they would get with the rest of the world finally and quit doing the exact opposit, hey the cold war is over. Are many fans of the US? No, but still the finally did pick a President that seems decent.....but in this one I do side with the US, and the rest of the world, the Iran election was tampered with, lets do the decent thing and get him out...but I doubt that is going to happen, it could prove even more damaging to the government systen.

When will people wake up and see the truth – religion is a sham! If Allah was truly omnipotent and mindful of his so-called faithful, they wouldn't need to rig elections and attempt to block free speech. Iran's so-called theocracy is nothing but an oligarchy by a deluded few. I hope the young people their recognize the truth and throw off the yoke of these old men who want to use them to perpetuate the myth of their religion.

I certainly hope the people's will in Iran is recognized. Only then will Islam stop being the maligned was of life that it is.

It is also quite hypocritical of the current administration to say anything about the Iranian elections considering that our current glorious leader bought the presidency lock, stock and barrel. Perhaps we wil see this type of reaction in the US during the 2012 election.

Khamenei's way out is to find a scapegoat. In order to be deflected, the popular anger also needs to be directed.

What's needed instead is an individual who can be pinned with the "fraud" blame – and who then can be the lightening rod for the protests.

The first attempt at this was to blame the foreigners – the media, the United States, Europe and/or Israel. What's clear is that the Iranian public isn't buying it – they know that the problem is an internal one, not an external one.

The next step is to present an internal head to the crowd. Painting Ahmadinejad in this light would be difficult, but not impossible (and it would invite unrest from the conservatives). So instead expect a senior election official to be found "guilty" of manipulating the results, although probably "not enough to change the outcome".

Given that it was the Interior Ministry that announced the too-quick and too-lopsided-to-be-believed numbers, I would think Sadegh Mahsouli to be on the short list of scapegoat candidates.

Todd, you know the movie Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker, Which role is the USA to take in the world, the Darth Vader role did not work over the last 8 years. give me Luke Skywalker.

Iranians are not very bright. They should not be arguing over whether the pot or the kettle wins the election. They need to burn down the stove that holds the pot and kettle and get a new stove,pot, and kettle. And no it should not be a religiously indoctrinated militant stove.

In my opinion, if this keeps up in Iran, the regime is going to fall like a house of cards.

Todd, seems that the kind, fun loving, always considerate left doesn't like you. Well, I like you, as a matter of fact; I am taking your side in this. Obama was very quick to put down Israel, but has nothing bad to say about Iran. Why not? Because he is hoping by doing exactly what he (Obama) is doing to our country, that he can turn us into a totalitarian state. Obama is becoming friends with all of the South American Dictators. Smiling with them, telling jokes, sending representation to their inaugurations. Not to mention bowing down to the Middle East Kings. He loves that way of life. He has spent his whole career working to this point. Starting with his job with Acorn, forcing banks to give subprime and high risk loans (yes, he was involved), and going out into the community and getting the low income areas fed up with "those rich people" (which he is one of). Centralizing banks, taking over private industry, stomping all over the constitution… I guess I could go on all day, but you Obama clones wouldn't listen anyway. Let me quote Obama's response to this "Well, that's just not true” and you will say "Yeah, he said it isn't true"....suckers....

It is not clear that Ahmad. would have lost to Mousavvi. The telephone polls indicate that Ahmad. had a 2 to 1 advantage over Mousavvi, and that Ahmad carried the suburbs.

It almost seems as if the opposition protestors in Iran are trying to stage a coup. why NOT just count the votes in the disputed areas. Ahmad was going to win anyway, the issue was whether there would need to be a run-off election.

As Todd stated earlier in this post. Blame Obama. Why in fact I think we should adopt the Bush/Cheney approach and kick their door in. Lets invade. Why stop there? Why, I am pissed off with my neighbor and should stop talking to him. In fact I should hire my own private army and kick his door in. Also, since the Democrats and Republicans cant seem to get along, maybe each group should hire some private armies and they should invade each others offices. We should in fact hire more people like Todd to run our country. In fact we should have marriage, financial, drug, and school counselors all with Todds philosophy of lets not talk to each other and see much more we can screw things up.

As for Who cares about Iran, WE DO USE IRANIAN OIL. Iran has the second most oil reserves behind Russia. They sale their oil on the global market where we buy our oil. We also receive a majority of our oil from our insane friend Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Maybe whoever wrote that post should go back to school.

Now, I am neither a Republican or Democrat but a Rebulocrat. Sorry, I think both parties are insane and are turning this great country into a third world country. Both parties have promised that when they fart their gas will smell like roses, well I am still waiting, because the whiff I am catching still smells like S–T. Both of these parties need to sit down and talk and not play football. Politics is not a game, people die because these punks dont wanna talk. These politicians would rather see who wins this round and dont care for the ramifications. As for Todd, Dont blame Obama. Hes been in office for what four months. Thats like blaming Bush for 9/11. Blame Congress for not doing the things they were supposed to do.

Geez, can't you Republicans stop knee-jerk blaming Obama for every single negative world event for one single moment?

I didn't enjoy my lunch today, it was undercooked, is that Obama's fault too?

Obama is smart. What right does the US have to interfere in another country's election. Iran is not a baby. It sort of reminds me of all those Iraqi and Afghanistan dissidents asking for the US to help solve their problems, when the US invasions have been utter failures and solve not much. Sure Saddam is gone but at what price to innocent life? And for what since Saddam was willing to leave anyway!

If only America can learn to take care of themselves and stop thinking they have this monopoly right to police every other nation of the world.
The P of America has enough on his plate already, let Iran sort themselves out, the POTUS is capable of talking to whoever that is at the helm. Doing anything will be seen as interference. I wonder what Pres. Obama has to do with all these.

Todd:
You idiiot! It is Obama's willingness to talk that has set off this demonstration. This is how democracy is spread – not by invading a soverign nation like Iraq based on lies. Are you really so blind as to not see this?
Support our President and our government.
Jim

It seems to me that the situation can develop along two different scenarios. One is the scenario that unfolded in Tiananmen Square with the slaughter of the protestors bringing back a semblance of stability. The other is that which unfolded in Moscow in August 1991 when the protestors protesting the attempted coup brought down the Soviet government and ultimately the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The situation, as I read it now, has more similarities to the Moscow situation if one takes into account that the Beijing protests lacked a leader to act as a focal point for the protests. Moscow, however, had a Yeltsin to seize the moment, which he did. One should watch to see if Moussavi can exploit an analogous situation.

The people of Iran (99.9% of them) are ordinary people and want freedom and to have their voice heard as the law allows. Iran is the simple case of good people with a terrible government that runs the country into the ground. It looks like they have had enough.....Ayatollah Khamenei had to know what Ahmadinejad was doing or is Khamenei so out of touch with his country that he had no idea what was going on? End result....one of them looses their power....it will be interesting to see which one (Ahmadinejad or Khamenei) retains their power. If Khamenei is as strong as everyone says, Amadinejad is on borrowed time. If there was fraud, by this point Khamenei definitly knows about it so what will he do..........What country will Amadinejad run to and claim political asylum.....maybe Russia?

I really think Sadjadpour has no clue on what goes on in Iran. Stop the BS and read between the lines. There is no way that Khamenei will over turn the result for one simple reason: Moussavi is considered as a pro-west leader and that is a huge huge problem for the revloution. Therefore, he will go and Ahmadi & Khamenei will remain and don't be surprised if Moussavi goes to jail because he is rioting his supporters against the regime.

There's a lot of comments from people with American sounding names that sound amazingly in-line with the ruling government of Iran... Like 'Mike in NYC' saying:

"There’s also the implicit assumption that Ahmadinejad did not receive the votes of a majority of Iranians, which is doubtful."

I'd bet a paycheck all of them were really in Iran working for Khamenei and Ahmadinejad getting paid to make it sound like they actually have people in the world on their side.

Iran has been a pot that has been ready to boil over for years. Ahmenjiad STOLE THE ELECTION . there has been dissatisfaction with the ayatollahas for years and now it's coming home to roost. i have heard Iranians who live here in the US say on talk shows that this has been simmering for some time.So i hope it continues and that the reformers can get into power. Bringing in iran to the real world makes the world a safer place.

The only smart statement I have heard Obama say is let the Iranians settle it. If we get mixed up in it we will be obligated to make Iran another welfare friend. We have made too many friends now all over the world. We Americans have enough trouble now without sticking our noses in other people's business and we have enough might to make it mighty costly if someone attacks. It is a hell of a lot easier to fight a nuclear armed country than it is to fight a prolonged ground war if you fight it like those bastards would and not worry about collateral damage. Remember the anointed one campaigned on the Iraq war and said we would be out in 90 days if he was elected. We are still there.His thinking is to talk them to death. Aint working in the good Democrat approved war in Afghanistan either. Remember they kicked the Ruskies ass out of there and they are not paying war debt now as we are.

We should all support he people of Iran for having the courage to stand up to a modern day Hitler and religious totalitarians. If only people in the US had the same motivation to rebel against Bush's sham "election" the first time, we would not be in the mess we are in today. But considering Iran's precarious state we should completely crush them economically right now and help the people topple these terrorist supporters. If we blockade them by air and sea they will not last long at all. If these oil pirates fall so will Hezbollah and other Iran proxies. This is a better alternative to Israel torching this country right before they achieve nuclear rocket launch capability....

The Iranian people are getting smarter and we are getting dumber. I base that on 72 years of observation and not from Liberal written news.

Why every country is only focusing on Iran when everyone is facing problems.It is ridiculous.Wheather one is moderator or another is a dictator,some how they or the country will move on.Just forget about Iran and start focusing on the devolopment of there own country.First of all Iran is not a threat to any country.

Marc, even if the protesters are a minority, we should support them. Any time a SECULAR group wants to take control from religious fundamentalists, I am all for it.

What's the big deal about an election in Iran? Didn't the US Supreme Court steal an election for Bush? And yet it's so quick to criticize other nations as corrupt. Hypocrisy.

This election confrontation is basically who should have more say in the direction of Iran, the metrourban (more techno savy, highly educated citizen) or the rural, small town (keep things as they are, leave me alone, don't tax me citizen). Moussavi has the support of 60% of Tehran and at least 50% in the other large cities, even Ahmadinejad achknowledges that. But Ahmadinejad has the support of 75% or more in the rural areas and towns. Since the rural areas and towns still make up roughly two-thirds of Iran's population, this has lead to the age old democratic election war of rural vs. urban population and the different values and ideology between the two. We have had that oursleves throughout our history. The problem here is the international media who are urbanites and the western pro-zionist nations are fueling the fire and the ego of Moussavi and his supporters, hoping for a sort of peaceful coup de tat. Hoping that if it happens the new regime will be more submissive to International will.
(Did you notice that Moussavi's facial appearance suggests a strong Jewish ethnic background).
By the way I support Israel as a state, I just think they and the Palestinians should come to terms and become one big happy family, (they are all cousins anyway). I think if they all would joined back to one nation with maybe 4 territories (Israel, Palestine, Gaza and a new Jewish one lets call it Judah, the hardliners can settle there) the population would be 50/50 give or take. Imagine how powerful that nation would be. That is of course why many nations in the region do not want the Israelis and Palestinians to ever get together, as it would create a economic/financial juggernaut that would control the middle east.

I wonder if Obama is at all bothered that he wanted so badly to talk to these guys?.. It is a democracy ya know..

Once again folks.. remember.. 20cents of every dollar you put in your gas tank goes to fund Al Quada and buy one more Katusha for Hammas..

Le'ts see.. Iraq we thought was gonna build a bomb.. so we went to war.. Iran we KNOW is building a bomb.. so.. we do nothing.. and North Korea is weaponizing Plutonium.. again.. we do.. nothing.. Did I miss something here?

One thing about the Iranian election it did not take two years to count the votes.We should have computers that fast.. The only hanging chads that might be will be voters who voted againest their present ruler.

KirksNoseHair: The rumor is Obama has ordered Zicam into the nation's water supply, our national sense of smell and taste is in jeopardy!!

KUDOS to the people or IRAN......The world supports you and you should have your voice heard! Don't give up on what you believe in CHANGE is apon all of you for the better.

Its time to shed the 'old thought process' and bring leaders in who are aware and understand relevant topics that are in this world today.

Actually, this whole situation reminds me of Romania in 1989 under Nicolai Chaucescu (forgive my spelling, please). If these protests continue, then at some point Khameni is going to have to order his military to crack down, just like Chaucescu did. And just as was the case in Romania, substantial segments of the security forces may refuse to turn their guns on the people and instead turn them on Khameni and Ahmedinijad. At that point, you may well have an open civil war in Iran between the majority who wants change and a violent minority who has a vested interest in the status quo.

What I'm hoping may happen is that someone like Rafsanjani may make a move against Khameni and then call for a new election that will truly be on the up & up.

Narrow-minded ideologues like Todd miss the point... Jessica gets it...

Some simply want to blame Obama for every ill he inherited. I believe we need look no further than Iran to see that the hope experienced by many of us (including some of us Republicans) when Obama was elected has spread beyond our borders.

It seems to me the same ideologues who call themselves "right" and "patriotic" are all hoping the opposition to Khameini and Ahmadinejad fizzles out... so they can somehow blame that on Obama as well.

Just to qualify, I don't agree with Todd. However, what I find most telling is that those of you that are most vocal about talking things out before resorting to "bashing" and passionate about personal freedom and liberty are also quite adamant about bashing ideas and quelling the freedom to express opinions. The central purpose of dialog is to share differing views. Seems hypocritical to promote civilized talk with a nation that has for decades expressed distain for Americans when you can't even respect the opinions your own countrymen. "GET OVER IT!" is just the soft form of "SHUT UP!". Progress will only come when both sides of this argument get over themselves. Open dialog can only happen with open minds.

There should be a day that everyone in the world wears green as show of solidarity.

To Mr. or Mrs. "who cares about Iran". Of course we use their oil. We have been using it for years. and of course any change in their actual government will effect us and the rest of the world, and of course we can have better political relations with Iran or any other country that is fighting for freedom and for democracy. And also you should realize, if you are a little informed about the politics, a big part of the mess in the Mid east is the West ( particularly the US) responsibility, since we want to have some control in the region for our own energy issues.

I thought this was a very interesting comment coming from an Iranian writing his lengthy comment on this post: "...Lets just give a hint to every body: Russia is one of the most unpopular countries in Iran because historically it has always betrayed us. Interestingly they are a good friend to Ahamdi nejad and Khamenei. Just to let you guys know more Putin was the only western president who went before Khamenei..." Explains the significance of Ahamdinejad going to Russia at this time.. and.. yeah.. well the dislike/anger of the Iranian people

In 1979 the revolution was hijacked by the ayyatollahs, now is the chance to reclaim the revolution. Supreme Leader (Rahbare Enqelab) is just another word for Shah...

I have to believe that the younger people have a chance to make history. It is their turn to be heard and I praise them for speaking up. In their minds are am sure they are thinking of the next generation in Iran, their children, and they wish to create a society of opportunity and openness they can one day hand over. Regardless of race, color, creed of religious beliefs they are simply asking for basic rights of our human race ... I pray from them.

Todd, the reason the Iranian regime is in this situation is because Obama want's to "talk to them". The propaganda machine will no longer be able to use the "Great Satin" to quell the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people. Think of Cuba. We've had 60 years of stalemate and divisions and the Cuban people have suffered. I argue the best way to change the regime in Cuba (and Iran) is to fully expose these populations to American goods, services, and ideas. This influence in their society would bring down those regimes in months as the people realize they should not feel threatened by us. All the best.

I glad to see the people of Iran united for to take back their country. We American need to learn from them and take back ours.

Stupid americans. Yes we support Democracy in Iran, as long as it serves our purposes. Yes we care about the people of Iran let's enslave them so we can enrich ourselves from their oil resources.
Let's see there must be some other things we can do to "help" Iran.

I find it ironic that the Iranians appear ready to shed the chains of tyranny at the same time that the United States is rushing headlong in the direction of tyranny, all in the name of "change".

I hear last night on CNN that Rafsanjani is in Qum and they may get rid of the Leader ( Khamenehi). I can not want to see that happening.

Also there was a rally in Isfahan which you can see the pics at :
http://www.twitpic.com/7mh7x

I may be just another uninformed American, but as far as I can tell, the events going on in Iran have little or nothing to do with America. It is an Iranian internal matter, and will be decided by the Iranians, and I'm quite pleased to see President Obama staying out of it. Not every political development that occurs in the world revolves around the USA.

Unless the situation turns to widespread violence and killings, the international community should allow the Iranian people to resolve this matter.

In 2000 Bush stole the election in the US, and we let the Supreme Court give it to him.

in 2004 Bush stole the election again and we took it sitting down, and let him.

it took till 2009 after we experienced the horrors of 2 Bush/Chaney regimes for us to regain democracy in America

in 2005 Ahmadinejad stole the election in Iran
in 2009 he and his allies are trying to do it again.

Let us support the Iranian people in their struggle to have all their voices heard, and have a fair election.

It's hard to believe people like Todd exist. He doesn't GET IT, and he never will. He's still regurgitating the nonsense of the Republican presidential campaign from last year. I'm going to make this REALLY simple for you Todd, so that you might understand. Think of your workplace as a microcosm for the world; there is probably someone there that you don't like and doesn't like you. But you can't punch them in the face. You Can't kill them. You can't spit on them and badmouth them...NO, you have to TOLERATE this person, because they have a RIGHT to exist and have their own opinions as much as you do. So GROW up and get a CLUE as to what it means to be a decent human being and stop thinking the world revolves around you.

I believe the current situation in Iran is much more similar to the events leading to the ouster of the Shah in 1979 than anything that happened in Germany in the 1930s. The Shah got tossed out because the people would not tolerate his presence any longer and the army and security forces refused to turn on the people. Once the Shah lost the backing of the military, he was through. I believe Mr. Sadjapour is correct – there could well be a fracture in the unity of the security forces. Once that happens, the people of Iran could well get the leadership that they deserve.

I don't know what people get so worked up about. The right wingers will find a way to get Obama in this article. The leftist/centerish will want to see a revolution that will bring about democracy. The fact of the matter is that the young people in Iran want a healthy economy so that they can progress, get married, own a home, etc. If they get that, it doesn't matter who gives it to them, the clerics will remain and the people of Iran, young or old, will not object.

Oil is the real underlying issue here. The sooner somebody in the world develops reliable renewable energy, the sooner all these middle eastern countries and Chavez won't matter anyway. They won't have any money for nuclear proliferation nor any money to fund terrorism. We'll see how long all these mullahs and ayatollahs last then.

Totally agree with Mr. Sadjadpour. He has been very clear thinking in ananlyzing the situation in Iran. He also bases his analysis on facts and personal experience with the regime. Unlike that so-called analyst , Reza Aslan, who said on the day of the election that we shouldn't assume that the voting was stolen and the next day, said that it was "stolen". Reza Aslan has been, through out the years, advocating for the religious regime in Iran and calling it a democratic process and only now changes his tune when the winds blow the other way and the people expose the dictatorship. Reza Aslan said today, that the situation in Iran reminds him of the 1979 when he was in Iran, leaving out the fact that he was 7 years old back then!

I am still partly undecided as to the actual vote, but given the following data points:
- Mousavi announces based on poll workers call in that it appears he definately won the election
- Then Ahmadinejad's croney's say Ahmadeninejad officially won, followed by announcements by Supreme Leader faster then handwritten votes could resonably be expected to come in.
- Many votes appear to have not been counted.
- returns do not match a lot of internal polling done by opposition candidates.
- and then viscous crack down following election protests, instead of peaceful demonstration of proof Ahmadinejad actually won.

I have to go with the election was probably fraudulantly stolen and thus the opposition is justified in their protests.

Now how it all works out, not my call – just the Iranian's as it should be.

Being an Iranian-American, I applaud the courage of my fellow Iranian citizens. Enough is enough is enough. In reality, Iran is stuck with the totalitarian regime fnot matter who takes over the power. It would be naive to assume things will change dranstically and go back to the "good old days." That will never happen in our life time. However, the true messsage that the Iranians are sending is a whole lot more powerful than their choice of candidate. They are expressing their outrage and hatred of the current regime and this is a chance for them to express that. This effort alone requires the support of the outside world if we see increased signs of violance and bloodshed. We all know that if Ahmadinejad ends up surviving this, it will be revenge time for him and he will spare no one. God help all of us if that happens.

Here is one hypothetical but plausible scenario by which the theological regime in Iran can bring the whole episode to an amicable conclusion.:
The Guardian Council will take a few days to come up with a report that indicates there has been widespread fraud in the election process and the Supreme leader will angrily blame the administration of cheating the nation and orders the ousting of the "elected president". which is constitutionally within the realm of his authority, and delegate the presidency to the challenger, Mr. Mousavi.
In this case the opposition will be silenced and he would save both face and authority. Just a thought!

To "who cares about Iran"
Are you human???? didn't think so! Who do you think put them in this mess? The American and the british. The whole middleeast crisis is because that's the way West want it to be. it's business, and its called politics and Politic is dirty.

This whole mess started about 5 years ago when Ahmadenejad was elected as President. Rafsanjani ran and lost the election which was rigged back then. When Ahmadenejad went on Iranian TV about two weeks ago in a televised debate between him amd Mosuavie, he let loose on Rafsanjani and his entire fmaily accusing him of corruption and so on and so forth. Rafsanjani has thrown all his power and money behin Mosuavie and it was shock to him and most Iranians to find themselevs stock with Ahmadenejad for another four years.

I am trying to say is that this is "war" is between Khaminie and Rafsanjani which started more than 5 years ago before Ahmadenajd was elected. This war is now on full display for the whole world to see and it will be interesting to see which faction within the clerical regim will prevail.

It's great to see the Iranian people challenging their government. Obviously these protests wont result in a massive shift toward western-style democracy. After the protests, I ran will still be a dictatorship. But these rallies show us that Iran's upcoming generation is one of peace and reason, contrary to what we have been led to believe in recent years. Maybe 15 or 20 years from now, when these college students are the ones in power, Iran will be a real democracy.

Amazing......watching the will of the people rise....it's inspiring.

It is very interesting how the internet has helped the protesters in Iran this week. It shows how social networking has changed our world by making it smaller. It gives everyone a voice of their own, making thousands of everyday people frontline reporters, magnifying the messege.

State of Tennessee. Why don't you secede then?

If the opposition is so concerned about fraud, instead of calling for new elections wouldn't it make sense for them to call for a run-off. The protestors are behaving as if Mousavvi won the election and is destined to be Iran's next president. I'm sure there was vote-rigging in some place (not like it doesn't ahppen in the US), but Ahmad was clearly the favorite overall.

So, Karim Sadjadpour calls himself an expert on Iran. Sounds more like a politician. It's totally ridiculous to think the supreme leader, who solidly
backs the incombant president would ever throw him under the bus.
Weakness and giving into mob rule is not in the cards here. What I expect
is him to unleash his fanatical thugs to gun down women and children
if demonstrations get out of hand. All the so called geniuses and know it
alls haven't figured out the basics. This is a fanatical, religiously run Islamic regime with one thing in mind – controlling the Middle East. And just like the Japanese in WW11, there's only one way to stop them. It's not through the guise of a democratic { ha, ha, ha ] election Mr. expert.

All current leaders of Iran need to be outsted. This will probably come to be naturally within the next 10 years anyway. The people of Iran are intelligent and well aware that they live in poverty while western countries thrive. They want the same way of life the western cultures have.

Assuming (1) that, as claimed, the election was rigged, and (2) that there is basically no enormous difference in the outlook of Moussavi and Ahmadinejad tho the former seems somewhat less belligerent about things, it would not seem strange if the Supreme Leader, after a quiet talk withthe latter, were to order a full, as distinct from limited, inquiry and discover, to his and the Guardian Council's great surprise, that there had been sufficiently large, but innocent, mistakes made in the original count to warrant declaring Mousavi the winner without a further election. Result: Faces are saved; no need for more contention about another election, no further demonstrations, and some, but not too many changes are made at the margins in the future. But if there is truly a large significant difference between the contenders, then more trouble ahead in Iran.

So now we see how Obama works. Instead of sending troops, he plants the seeds of hope in the minds of the people of our enemies...and THEY fix things themselves. I'm impressed. We should have tried this before!

to todd rules: It is the members of the right wing republican party like you that have all but destroyed this country. Your holier than thou attitude, not to mention your my way or no way policies, have reeked havoc on our society and government. You, Cheney, Limbaugh and the rest like you, need to be deported back to nazi germany.
avi

I have been just as outraged by the election results for the past 3 U.S. presidential elections, but since Americans are so apathetic and the government is so much like a police state, there is no outrage enough to make people take to the streets. Americans lack "balls"

alekinnyc- you are right that the US was involved in Iran's Revolution of 1973 but WE were responsible for ousting the Shah and bringing in Ayatollah Khomeini.Thank-you USA. The State Dept. of our fair land NEVER seems to know what it is doing. Secondly- how can you insist the election was fair and square? Wasn't monitoring it forbidden? Plus a host of discrepancies. But if you meant that Ahmahdinejad COULD have won the election, I think that would be fair to say. Maybe we all need to wait and get all the facts.

@Todd.....is that you Lou Dobbs?

Todd, don't you think that Obama's speech in Egypt earlier this month, and his policy of using dialogue instead of rattling sabers for diplomacy has something to do with the protest by the opposition going on in Iran currently? Obama is inspiring change around the world. This never would have happened if president Cheyney was threatening to invade Iran every other week.

People need to remember that a statement in a speech by Frederick Douglass when he said "power concedes nothing without a struggle, it never did and never will".
In order for the Iranians to control their destiny they need to recognize that there struggle will be long and hard. They need to understand that external support will be slow and deliberate but it will come. At the end of the day they will reap the rewards not us or anyone else outside Iran.

Has anyone else noticed...? The North Koreans, provide a worldwide "smokescreen" with beligerant comments, nuclear weapon testing, and long range missle testing while a civil rebellion starts in Iran. Just a coincidence, I'm sure.

A real irony here is that Khamenehi is leader of all Shia in the world, not just Iran.....and we uprooted the Sunni's in Iraq(Hussein) and replaced them with the majority Shia, who are subservient to Khamenehi...............in other words we spent about a trillion to align Iraq with Iran's current leadership, when they were previously secular and more logically aligned with Sunni countries such as our "friends" in Saudi Arabia.......so just what was the long term political gain that we were so anxious to achieve in Iraq at a substantial cost? i.e. 1 billion $,s, 4000 US dead, 35,000 severely injured, 100,000 Iraqi's killed,,,,,,,,anyone still think that it was worth it??

everyone knows the only meddler in the region is israel. an Ahmadinejad victory is what israel wants and is what israel gets. israel cannot survive without an enemy and Ahmadinejad coninues this basterdized version of doing everything for "israel's security." don't believe me, go to the israeli papers of The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz. the cabinet ministers of israel publically announce how happy they are with an Ahmadinejad victory.

One of the things I have not seen much reporting on is whether in fact there is evidence of fraud in the election. I have yet to see any definitive proof from any source that the election was fraudulent. I read a very good article on another site which reached the conclusion that as of yet there is no definitive evidence. What happens if it turns out the election wasnt fraudulent or have some people already reached that conclusion. Some pollsters say the results of the election are in line with polling.

Obama DID speak to Ahmadinejad when he spoke to the Muslum world in Cairo. He said (indirectly) The people should decide if they want to remain under Ahmadinejad's totalitarian rule or try a better (more humane) way.

Quote:
"I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles -
principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings. I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust,
nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth." That is what I will try to do – to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart."

People of Iran have suffered a great deal ever since the Islamic Republic took over. Khomeini, Khamenai, Ahmadinejad or Mossavi they all are representing an Islamic government which has proven to be unjust, unfair and dictator. I am deeply saddened to witness all these blood being shed over another leader which is tie into Islamic government. It puzzles me that these brave people are not demanding the Islamic government to leave Iran once and for all.

I sat to all of you on any side of any argument being "discussed" here. The beat goes on.
And on and on and on.
get a life people, and worry about it. Not everyone elses. And heres another news flash for you no one really cares at all what your opinion is and and your opinoion is really just the same as your anus.....it dosent change anything and the rest of us wish that you would keep it to yourself.

Based on what we hear in the press, even if the government changes it will have very little effect on Iran's foreign policy. This is more of a change internally related to individual freedom, women's rights, etc., and not to how Iran will handle its relations with the US, Europe, and Israel.

The people of Iran want change, the right to choose, no more of this "Death to America", etc., etc.,

And what does the Texan propose Obama do. It is not America's role to tell Iran how to run its affairs. I'm sure there was some fraud, but no one believes that Mousavi beat Ahmad, it's just a question of run-offs and margins.....so why not have the run-off if evidence emerges of vote rigging. That seems like a fair compromise.

I love the protest signs written in English: "Where is my vote?" I hope the language and the message rattle the Ayatollah's cage.

I don't know what tomorrow, or next week, or next month will bring. I admire the Iranian young people for their courage. The Revolutionary Guard has all the guns. On the other hand, the Shah had all the guns in 1979, and the Shah is now on the ash heap of history. My hopes and prayers are with the young people of Iran The USA should not meddle. We did during the Eisenhower years and installed the Shah. That may have been a short-term solution, but was a long-term disaster as well as being morally wrong.

Let's send our rock star over to Iran to smile and wave (about all he can do.) Maybe he can charm the people into going home. Ya got a nut case in Iran and a rock star who thinks he can make a difference. Sad. BJNJ

I think what we see in Iran is not just about candidates and I must add musavi who is now appears to being introduce as symbol of freedom or justice is not having such brilliant background, it was at his time that most young anti regime people where executed and imprisoned and people know it, Its just partly the choice between bad and worst but mostly this who thing is an excuse to demonstrate the peoples hatred of the regime in general. With in this frame people are hoping to challenge the authority of the regime and get the situation to the point where United Nations peacekeeping forces will be sent to Iran with support of international community to overthrow the regime and make a fundamental change.
That’s exactly why they hope for president Obama to support them or guide them.
This might be the last chance for Iranians at least for a long time.

Mullah screwed up by offereing free elections. Irregardless of the outcome of the protests the opposing forces had a tast of free elections and will NEVER FORGET. Mullahs, you done fuggede up.
Freedom if only for a moment lasts forever. Long live the revolt!!

To "Neoperson"

If you really think that GW's Axis of Evil comments have led to this unrest in Iran – you have got to be kidding! President Obama's ability to discuss through diplomacy rather than intimidate has planted the seeds of hope in the minds of the Iranian people.

I say kudos to the people of Iran, and kudos to President Obama.
This is how a smart leader leads. President Obama gave the Iranian people hope when he delivered his speech, and they are no longer afraid. This man is soooooooooooooo BRILLIANT.
Good for them.
Dawn.

Glad the president stood up for democracy and denounced the "extent of the fraud" and the "shocking" and "brutal" response of the Iranian regime.

"These elections are an atrocity," he said. "If [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad had made such progress since the last elections, if he won two-thirds of the vote, why such violence?".

Unfortunately this was Sarkozy while Obama expressed "concern".

I hope the hand-writing is on the wall and Pres. Obama sees it and speaks up in support of the brave, suppressed, Iranian people. They need our support, not utterings of permitting the Iranian people to make their own decisions, which is fine but I recall when the Kurds revolted against Sadam Hussein, they got a big zippo for Bush I. I hope Obama does not take that tack and play it safe. But, safe from what? Dealing with a big-mouthed, blow-hard, who surely won't back down on his nuclear development toward weaponry, nor his threat to destroy Israel. Obama can't have it both ways, there is no hedging of one's bets when it comes down to support an attempt to democratize a country which is a leader in terrorist activities, particularly in the middle east.

This is a response to Al Haidar, a non-Iranian Shiite. Khamenii, your so-called leader of all the Shiites, should be prosecuted for ordering to kill Iranians, in 1999 and now and in all the 20 years he has been the un-elected leader, imposing himself to the Iranian people by force.
Iranian people at the precious cost of the lives of their youths want him, and the whole islamic Republic out of Iran.

If you like him, you can have him. We don't want him.

The Guardian Council is not like our Supreme Court. It’s not an objective entity. It’s essentially under the hegemony of Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader. And I think Khamenei deferred to the Guardian Council simply as a tactical move to buy time. But Khamenei may be faced with a dilemma and it may be one day soon, whether to sacrifice President Ahmadinejad or sacrifice himself. Because it’s really gotten to the point where people are calling for the head of Khamenei. And this is unprecedented in the last 20 years.

UNBELIEVABLE. The Supreme Court is a VERY POLITICAL organization, objectivity hardly comes to mind. I mean the parallels here with the 2000 U.S. election are gut wrenching. The only INCREDIBLE DIFFERENCE is that these ARROGANT well-to-do techno-dancing hip-wagging Andy Dick types yapping about a revolution and their upper middle-class can't go without my texting and twittering, because I'm so chique elitists are a SIGNIFICANT MINORITY in Iran who are trying to HI-JACK both this election and democracy from the majority.

Why in the hell would Ahmadinejad or the Ayatollah Khamenei feel inclined to sacrifice themselves to betray a majority of Iranians?

What kind of Iranian expert is this jackass?

These people don't want a fair election, they want their votes to count triple of the blue collar working class Iranian vote. Either that or it's null and void, forget any re-counts or investigations of voter fraud unless it leads to the minority hijacking the election.

Who in their right mind believes that the Iranian people are protesting the election so valiantly that they are doing so because they are inspired by Barack Obama? please... gimme a break.

@Todd,

Of course he will still want to speak to the leadership of Iran regardless of who it is! Your argument and thought process completely misses the point. It's as if you're channeling the logic of Bush & Co.

You can't make war against a government. You make war against a nation of people. The people of Iran are proving themselves to be open to the West (inviting it in, really), open to dialogue, and ready to punt the ruling religious right wing element (like we just did in America), and progressively minded.

If we had followed McCain's call to "Bomb, bomb, bomb. Bomb, bomb Iran" we would have repeated the horrific mistakes of the past and alienated a large group of potential allies in the Middle East by killing a large number of civilians (as usual).

Your kind of thought process is damaging to America and to our future just as racism and intolerance is. By opening channels of dialogue with Iran's leadership, we demonstrated an openness and tolerance of cultural differences which shows that America is what it says is it. Obama didn't say he was anxious to cave into Iran's demands and be politically man handled by them. All he said was that he wanted to talk. What harm comes in that? None. What good could come from it? Endless.

I think our President nailed it when he said we aren't going to stick our noses in there; that's the Iranians business.

nuf ced

Avi Ben Shaul, you poor hopeless fool.

the start of a New World Order

I had a dubious pleasure to live in communist Poland and I find some striking similarities between former communist regime in my country and the islamic rule in Iran today. To those who think that police and army will be firmly behind the regime imagine the following scenario: let's assume that some kids whose parents are high ranking officers in the Army or police got injured or killed in the demonstrations. What might the officers do? In such a volatile situation it takes one commander switching the sides and the others are likely to follow. This is why there has not been crackdown so far. I still believe that the regime tactics are to wait out the unrest and once people get tired begin arrests on a massive scale. Obviously, the risks involved are huge, because things may get out of hand in the process. Cracks may appear in the government apparatus before population get tired. Regime hardliners may come up with some provocations that will lead to widespread violence at any moment. This in turn will justify the crackdownd with all risks involved. In "normal" times, the Iranian regime has all means to control the population with the use of ideology, censorship, populistic slogans, covert threats and sparring arrests. These are not "normal" times though and the regime has no expertise in dealing with it. The probability of a fatal blunder is high. Whatever happens, the events that are taking place right now mark a turning point in Iranian history. Sooner or later, they will lead to the regime downfall.

Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader both must be ousted!
Give a new birth to the Iranian people.

I hope that Ahmadinejad & the entire ruling elite in Iran are kicked to the curb by the people. But I also hoped the Magic would beat the Lakers..

This never would have happened with Bush Jr in the White House. His threats and bumbling policies required Iran and others to elect/maintain hard line leaders to protect themselves against perceived US aggression. With Bush and Cheney gone, the Iranian people realize they don't need a brutal regime any longer.

So Im working out in my local Gym...I have a choice between ESPN or CNN in watching events unfold in IRAN. I chose the latter, after all what Iran is expereincing is to a degree what the US faced in 2000. All be it not so bloody, but still controversial.

I applaud the Iranian people who are willing to stand up for their rights to be heard. It's about time that IRAN become less a member of the "Axis of Evil" and more a citizen of the world. Good luck and welcome to the 21st century!

Its interesting to read the comments.

First, IMHO I think that the article is spot on. At least as an opinion piece the opinion expressed seems to be based on facts.

Second, I wonder how much spin control the Iranian government is doing? Some of the posters with 'Western' names seem to be pro government and a bit in denial about the uprising going on in Iran.

Third, I think that some of the Persian posters who have ties to Iran have provided some very important insight. Clearly we can see evidence of the rioting and we know the reasoning behind the riots. So I think its safe to assume that if there is enough evidence for people to take to the streets for 4 days now, then the allegations of the election being fixed holds some merit.

Iran is currently a theocracy. If the riots continue and the current government is overthrown it would appear that Iran would move closer to a democracy. I think that the majority of the world would welcome that news. One would also hope that they realize that they can become a regional super power without nuclear weapons and that if they can use their influence over the Hezbollah then they can further strengthen their position as a regional power by bringing peace to the Palestinian/Isreal conflict.

There are serious implications if the rioting continues and the theocracy is threatened. Please understand that if the theocracy is replaced, Khomeni ?sp? would still be the spiritual leader of the Shia, and would still have a lot of influence over the government.

Some people are commenting on "totaliatarian nature of their government ". Do the same people remember thousands of pewople protested in USA and UK and all over Europe about the Iraq invasion and the false WMD story. Did our 'totalitarion government " listen? Don't these people have double standards? Iran is an independent soverign nation. Leave them alone and let them sort out their own issues. Did anyone interfere in our affairs even though hundreds of thousand of people protested against the Iraq war? I don't think so!
Let the Iranians deal with their problems themselves. Enough intereference by the West in the Middle East as it already is.

worried about demonstrators.. wish that no more bloodshed..

I'm an Iranian-American and I can tell you how glad i am that Obama is in place. He is making all the right moves. The current government in Iran is looking for any excuse to somehow connect this grassroot protest to some kind of CIA operation like the one in the 1950's that ended up with a coup against a democratically-elected government and replaced by the dictator, shaw. The best thing we can do is not do a lot of talking on tv that makes us feel good but ends up with a disasterous outcome for the protesters. The best way to support them is by making sure the gateway of information stays open so that their voices are heard throughout the world. For the first time in 30 years the world is hearing the true voice the Persians and what they stand for. Until now we've heard from the religious, uneducated minorities of Iran. I've never been so proud of my Persian heritage than I am this week and owe that to all the brave souls in the streets of Iran for their courage and heroism. Thank you all.

People need to stand up now. This is the time?

Oh, so NOW the Iranian people want our help? What kind of position does that put us in? When we took a hard line with them they got all nationalist and rallied behind Ahmadinejihad. Now that we're taking a softer stance the Iranians are holding up signs in English and begging for us to help.

So clearly, showing that we intended to deal with them on a level playing field got at least the people of Iran to look to us for help. However, it's just this kind of fickle attitude that shows me, at least, that they would be nothing but a fair-weather ally until they were in a position to screw us.

We should absolutely give them our help. In the form of bombs, tanks and occupation. Iran cannot govern itself. They are a backward people who capitulated to wacky cultists and shamed our nation in 1979. We should absolutely take this opportunity to finally finish the job.

Remember the 52 for 444 in '79!!

I am not sure where President Carter is hiding now. He himself as the messenger of Human Rights.... how he downgraded the Shah and magnified his Savak, how come he is quite now? Was it Human Rights that you were protesting about, Mr. Carter or was it the all about "Oil?"

Has he seen the images of the savageries on the streets of Iran? Just go on YouTube, create an account (viewer discretion is advised), so you can see the barbaric way the young men and women are killed on the streets by the Basij, the Arab militia they have imported and the plain clothes revolutionary guards. Absolutely unbelievable....

Gee, the part about posting certain things on websites resulting in legal action reminds me of OUR government scrutinizing those who sported Ron Paul bumper stickers and labeling them terror threats!
Not much difference anymore between the US and Iran. Osama-Bama won't stick his nose in because he has NO business trying to tell Iran how to run a fair election since he and his friends in the Liberal media managed to pull off the biggest SCANDAL in election history right here in the good old USA!
I hope the good people of Iran get hold of Ahmadenijhad and tear him limb from limb! That would surely send a message of hope to those of us here at home who are tired of our own government's oppression!!!! Take the hint Obama!

I think its very brave of the Iranian people to stand up in unity in this way. It shows that this movement toward opening new possibilities has begun to spread. We should give the young people a chance to make their countries and the world a better place.
THe only major question is what will happen under Moussavi. Moussavi has always taken a very strong anti-American position in the past and is rooted in the Revolution. Will he continue Irans isolation from the West? I think this is what the young people around the world are afriad of. That Moussavis regime will not accept the idea of the "New Beginning" alot of us young Americans want so much.

As the people in Iran ask "Where is my vote?, we Iranian Ameican ask "Wehre is President Obama?". Does he want to side with Iranian people or negotiate with illegimate Iranian regime?

The U.S. should not interfere in Iranian politics. Allow Israel to drop the bomb on Tehran and let American companies come in and rebuild. Coming soon to a theatre near you: WWIII.

So what makes us think we know whats best for another country?
Did we give moral or actual support to the student uprising in China?
How is Iraq working out for us? Or Afghanistan?
America needs to come to the realization we are not the world`s policeman, nor do we know what is best for other nations.
We should worry about ourselves for a change, economy in tatters, broken government, failed 2 party system....
Yes it is so clear we have a moral leg to stand on to preach to other nations as to how they should govern themselves.
How did we do in Florida in 2000?
Seriously?

The women there are hot. They are hording the goods. Let those fine ladies out of there! We don't need no stinkin' veils.

This is a reply to RAM:

Historically speaking, Persia/Iran has been at best only as bad as the United States in meddling with other nations and cultures and in truth has been much much worse. It's interesting how cultures and peoples can become so righteous when they either do not have the power or desire power over others. The time has come for the World to stop pointing fingers at the United States for all their problems and start standing up for their own shortfalls and their own injustices. The time of pointing fingers and blaming others has passed. The peoples of nations whose governments have suppressed, prosecuted and punished them for decades need to become aware of who they are and whom they wish to be. Stop pointing a finger at the United States and blaming it for EVERYTHING wrong with one's own nation and people. This includes Iranians in and out of Iran. If you want your nation to be something other than it is then DO SOMETHING about it ! The time of pointing fingers and crying about it has past. The time to create, to emerge, to stand up, to breath free air and envision freedom of thought and will in your own nation is yours to choose, but stop for all time blaming the United States for every damn problem in the World.

It's amazing how the blind GOP bloggers here do not see Obama's influence in these events. His message to the Iranian people resonated. There is no reason to hate America. That's the bottom line.

If the terrorist, the likes of Ahmadinejad have no reason to fight, there will be no hatred therefore no cause for their existence. No one would join their cause.
It's a simple plan of diplomacy that is obviously working. Even Pat Buchanan recognize this brilliant and simple policy that Obama has taken to the world.

Please take the blinders off. People hate bullies. That's the perception America had for many years that is why there are people who want this country obliterated. Now they have no reason to do so.
Get it, it's really that simple.

Actually Ali, you got it wrong and in fact the opposite happened. The Nazi SA (the brownshirts) were becoming too violent and Ernst Rohm wanted more control so Hitler ordered the S.S. to eliminate the S.A. which included the assassination of Ernst Rohm, the head of the S.A. This is the real story of the Night of the Long Knives.

Todd and Todd Rules,

Hmmmm... now boys (or girls) you do seem to be out numbered in the current debate. Your suggested responses to Iran seem to be closely aligned to the Revolutionary guard and the Basij. Brute force always wins? is that what you are advoacting? I cannot help but think that you both need to explore your inner insecurities (and demons) – and to be fair to you both I do not think I should explore such issues as bed wetting, homophobia, and parental (maternal?) relationships on this post.

However I would suggest you explore options within your healthcare plan that assist with anger management and/or psychological counseling. Good luck – we are all here for you!

Finally remember YES YOU CAN.

There are many very good comments on this article. However, can someone please clearify how the so-called 'Western media' is actually interfering? Since when is reporting a news story from anywhere 'interferring'? Are their Western reporters in Iran organizing some sort of overthrow of the government? When did you hear American citizens crying to the world to stop interfering in US business when the world has reported on news from the US? As far as I can tell those protesting in Iran are IRANIANS. Is this incorrect?

thanks all

This looks like the end of a regime. Khamenei and Ahmadinejad cannot count on the loyalty of the military for much longer ... they have family getting their butts kicked while peacefully protesting.

I imagine a coup will result in the near future ... Ahmadinejad and his followers will probably be executed. The result? ... an Iran that is a true democracy with its people having honest elections and freedoms.

All this bantering and arguing back and forth only creates damaging propaganda and jaded, uninformed points of view that don't do anybody d@mn bit of good. Obama did his job by giving the Iranian people hope for a better future. Its up to the Iranian people to realize this dream, not the ideolistic view of every backwater American intellectual. Although Obama stated that we should all work together to create a peaceful middle east and American relationship attempting to get involved in this confrontation between the Iranian goverment and its people will only create a media storm of biased views and propaganda. Even though this has already begun we will not be held accountable for any actions. Sure, argue amongst yourselves. In the end it is meaningless garble and will be forgotten.

Thank God we have Obama as President now. If McCain and his "buddy" Palin were elected, we would be invading and bombing Iran by now and thousands of Americans would be dieing in the streets of Iran.

Of course we would also be hearing from Cheney, Hannity, Rush, O'Reilly, Coulter and friends from the extreme right that our soldiers would be handed flowers as they entered Iran.

The Repubs just don't get it. You cannot force our form of Democracy down the throats of others. And, you cannot force your values down the throats of Americans. Unfortunately, we found in the past 8 years that the Repubs values included blantant lying, arrogance, hypocrisy, and other goose stepping nonsense.

When I was in school I dated an Iranian for about a year.
He and his friends were all going to KU to become engineers.

That was the best time of MY LIFE.

They were ALL the nicest people.
Loved their families, friends & believed in RESPECT.

We never spoke of the politics of his country, but I did overhear fear of the Shah.

If you are out there Shadi, I still think of you!

To: Todd Rules is a Fool

Not to get off topic....but....

I would have expected such a response from the left. No content with no meaning. Change only you can believe in. Remember that when you have to go through 3 levels of govenrment to get an MRI (and if they have money in the budget for it).

P.S. I didn't vote for Bush either time, I am against war as a first answer, and a patriot that served his country proudly.

- Small government!! – Fair Tax!! – Constitution First!!

Overthrow their government? What is wrong with you people? We don't have nearly the resources or public support for something so drastic. Why don't we focus on fixing our own country first.

Maybe if more people had taken to the streets in America, we wouldn't have had to suffer through Bush these last 8 years as a result of our own stolen election. Those brave Iranians out there risking their lives in protest make us look like a nation of cowards.

Any Iranians or Iranian Americans asking for our help needs to remember the embarrassment their joke of a country gave us in 1979. You want our help? Overthrow your government and renounce Islam altogether.

The only reason that psycho cult has even spread at all the last few decades is because your country gave the poor and uneducated masses in the Middle East the false hope that an entire GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM could be built around a superstitious myth.

Remember the 52 for 444 in 1979! Say what you're thinking, O Western Civilization: there's nothing to fear anymore! This is the beginning of the end of Muslim oppression!

America is winning !
You have your great leaders now we have ours. Divide and conquer is the American way.
For example North Korea – South Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Pakistan and many more examples to long to list !
Our Leaders have bamboozled our public and effectively censored our media (like with yours).
They have one message for you and one for us. We are proud of our President (The New world Leader), he is a very effective and crafty speaker.
As a Christian people we know that all races are sacred and that we should mind our own business, but many of our leaders have no real lasting commitment. Each word that is spoken is carefully planned to manipulate a certain audience.
If anyone thinks USA doesn’t have a hand in this -seriously reconsider-. He will force compromise on the “peace process”, and leave the Mid-East in turmoil as long as it serves our purposes.
The American war protesters are now silenced entirely and human rights have been forgotten, for that we are sorry. We are however proud of our Presidents and doubt you will break from their spell.
In America we say “yes we can” and abroad “we are doing it”.

My response to "Fallacy of Appeal to Pity: Iran Protests!" – it is better to receive reprimand from your brother than a kiss from the enemy. It would seem that your enemy's want to break your power which was unity. Change is just a clever word, a hypnotic suggestion. (now we see the power of one little word and look at how the world is changing-not-good). Isreal-America-Obama keeping his word, (IRAN falls)

Iranians are mystics/romantics/poets/engineers/learned; They are not butchers of their own people. That task has been left up to the Basij who Arab fundamentalist and terrorist from Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and other extremist countries who are on the payroll of the biggest fake Iranians: the clerics that run the government. Reports are coming out now that the Basij who are raping the people of Iran don't even speak Farsi but Arabic. An Iranian could not shoot a women, pummel a child, or shoot a person in the back.We are watching a very sneaky type of genocide where Iran and its true people are being exterminated and the world is being deceived that it is the Iranians that are doing it to themselves. On the contrary these people who are ruining Iran and destroying its culture are anything but Persian. They are the scum from the surroundings who want to take the jewel of the Middle East. UN, the West, where are you? What little modernization and freedom you see in Iran is because of the Persians, the originators of Human Rights. Why isn't the world reporting this angle?