From The BBC
John Simpson, BBC News Foreign Affairs editor, Tehran: Difficult moment for Iran – and world
The aftermath of the election has shown one important difference from the past: it is harder than ever for the authorities in a relatively sophisticated country like Iran to clamp down on dissent.
Reports here say that the bureau of the respected Al-Arabiya 24-hour news station has been closed.
Action has been taken against other foreign journalists. BBC Online has been blocked from time to time, and so have mobile phone services.
Yet people right across the country have been kept fully informed of what is going on – there are so many ways people can get the news nowadays.
Realising this, even Iran’s own state broadcaster (IRIB) has been showing pictures of the worst of Saturday’s rioting in Tehran, a decision that may well have been taken at a very high level.
The Islamic republic has reached a difficult moment in its history.
Everything now depends on whether Mr Ahmadinejad can quieten things down without creating more anger on the streets.
If the people in Washington know enough to keep their mouths shut over this situation, the Iranians may be able to work this out. One thing is for sure – if the US government gets involved in any way, Ahmadinejad wins.
2 comments
Agreed Bryan, an intervention by Obama would be a disastrous at this stage.
.-= ´s last blog ..Iranian government fires on protestors =-.
So far it looks like the realists are in charge and there are only expressions of concern about the violence with nothing that indicates anyone taking sides.
I expect statements from Congressional Republicans will soon be heard, and they will be uniformly anti-Ahmadinejad, even though they know nothing about Mousavi. In general the calls will be to bomb Iran, the only solution Republicans have for anything – the death penalty.