Iranian paper says reformists are “dangerous” as pressure mounts on Mousavi

August 16th, 2009 Iran tries more activists in post-election turmoilTEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Sunday put on trial 25 more activists and opposition supporters, including a Jewish teenager, for their alleged involvement in the turmoil following the recent presidential election. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has attempted to paint those who took to the streets after the June election to protest his disputed victory as agents of foreign enemies seeking to topple the country's Islamic system.

August 3rd, 2009 LONDON - Denouncing the "show trial" of protestors arrested after the disputed presidential election, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has accused the Ahmadinejad Government of "extracting false confessions" from protest leaders. Ten people appeared in court on Sunday after 100 detainees, including Khatami's former deputy, were accused of inciting riots and links to "counter-revolutionary" groups during a televised trial on Saturday.

July 30th, 2009 Iranian police bar Mousavi from graveside memorialTEHRAN, Iran — Iranian police blocked opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi from attending a graveside memorial for victims of post-election unrest after he defied a government ban on the gathering. Mousavi, surrounded by hundreds of supporters, was trying to reach the graveside of Neda Agha Soltan, a young woman whose shooting death at an anti-government rally on June 20 was caught on video that became one of the iconic images of the upheaval.

July 5th, 2009 Reformists resist Iranian government pressureTEHRAN, Iran — The son of an Iranian revolutionary icon called on parliament to dismiss President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from his post, as the country's conservative political establishment upped pressure Sunday on the reformists. Ali Reza Beheshti, 47, a close Mousavi ally and son of one of the main leaders of the 1979 Islamic revolution, also urged the parliament to reverse the election results, saying that "people expect their representatives to represent them and not to defend authorities by any means." "I wish the lawmakers would respect the demands of the majority of their constituents" and submit a bill disqualifying the president, Beheshti was quoted as saying on the pro-Mousavi Web site, Norooznews.

July 4th, 2009 Iranian hardliner calls opposition leader US agentTEHRAN, Iran — A top aide to Iran's all-powerful leader has accused the country's main opposition leader of being an American agent who should be tried for treason, increasing the pressure on reformists disputing the outcome of last month's presidential election. There was no immediate reaction from Mir Hossein Mousavi to the accusation in an editorial Saturday in the conservative daily newspaper Khayan.

July 2nd, 2009 Iran's reformists call Islamic regime illegitimateEDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

June 26th, 2009 Obama doesn't take apology demand seriouslyWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he doesn't take seriously the demand from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for an apology. The Iranian leader made that demand while accusing Obama of meddling in Iranian affairs by speaking in support of the demonstrators challenging the results of Iran's election.

June 26th, 2009 Opposition leader's aide banned from leaving IranEDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

June 17th, 2009 TEHRAN - As Iran continues to experience violent protests against the alleged "rigged poll" result in the recent presidential election, young Iranian voters are observing the country's political situation very closely. "My fellow (Iranian) classmates in Turkey were crying when they found out the news.

June 13th, 2009 LONDON - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has taken an "unassailable lead" in the presidential election, according to official figures. As the official results show 52-year-old Ahmadinejad would be back for a second term, his supporters began pouring on to the streets of the capital city Tehran.

June 13th, 2009 Iran opposition candidate condemns election fraudTEHRAN, Iran — The main Iranian opposition candidate has issued a strong condemnation of what he describes as "violations" in the Iranian presidential election. Mir Hossein Mousavi said on his Web site Saturday that he won't "surrender to this manipulation" and warned that certain officials' conduct in the election is "shaking the pillars" of the country's political system.

June 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Iranians thronged the Iran Cultural House here Friday to vote in their presidential elections, which are being seen as a tough contest between incumbent conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and moderate candidate Mirhossein Mousavi. The library of the cultural house was turned into a makeshift polling booth for expatriates to exercise their franchise.

May 28th, 2009 TEHRAN - The Iranian parliament is abuzz with activity as the Islamic nation prepares for the presidential polls June 12, in a vote that pits incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against two moderate challengers. In a statement Wednesday, 211 lawmakers announced their unanimous support for Ahmadinejad in the presidential race.

May 8th, 2009 Conservative rival raps Iran president on economyTEHRAN, Iran — A conservative challenger to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Friday to "save" Iran's economy if elected, accusing the hard-line leader of pushing the country "on the edge of a precipice." Mohsen Rezaei, a former head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, is not seen as a leading challenger to the president in the June 12 election, but reformists hope Rezaei will weaken Ahmadinejad by taking votes from within the incumbent's own conservative camp. Reformists, who seek an easing of social and political restrictions at home and better ties with the West, see a strong opportunity to unseat Ahmadinejad, who has become increasingly unpopular because of Iran's economic woes.

April 22nd, 2009 Ex-Iranian Guards chief to run for presidentTEHRAN, Iran — A moderate conservative who led Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday that he will become the latest challenger to incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the Iranian presidency in June. Mohsen Rezaei is not seen as a leading challenger but reformists who see a strong opportunity to unseat Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election hope Rezaei may be able to take votes away from the incumbent.