Ahmadinejad On Ropes as Iran Votes

Battle for Iran moves from the streets to corridors of power

(NEWSER) - Two weeks after Iran's allegedly rigged presidential election, the regime's clampdown has hardened and left opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with few avenues for protest. The New York Times reports that shouts of "God is great" and "Death to the dictator" continue to echo at night in Tehran, but open defiance in the streets has waned. Many analysts now think Mir Hossein Mousavi will have to turn to the establishment, rather than the streets, to win power. More»

Pro-regime papers may be laying ground for new crackdown

(NEWSER) - Several Iranian newspapers sympathetic to the regime have published articles blaming Mir Hossein Mousavi for recent violence, reports the Telegraph. The papers demand that the opposition leader be arrested for treason, a strategy that may be part of an effort to strengthen the position of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Meanwhile, the Iranian intelligence services accused "a presidential candidate" of "a plot against national security" and alleged he had ties to foreign governments. More»

(NEWSER) - An eerie silence descended on Tehran early today as Iranian officials admitted to discrepancies in the controversial presidential election, but still declared it legal. More votes were cast in 50 cities than the number of registered voters, officials concluded. But authorities said the discrepancy, which affects some 3 million votes, was a "normal occurrence," and unlikely to have changed the outcome of the race, reports the New York Times. More»

Protests are weakening Khamenei's grip on Iranian regime

(NEWSER) - The about-face done by Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—first blessing the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Friday's election then opening an inquiry into vote fraud yesterday—was a rare misstep for the shadowy, usually cautious ayatollah, the New York Times reports, and may have done substantial damage to his reputation, as well as incited protesters. "Now the myth that there is a leader up there whose power is unquestionable is broken," one Iranian author tells the Times. More»

(NEWSER) - This could be a mess for a while: Iran's official count today gave Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory in the presidential election, but his main challenger rejected the results as a "dangerous charade" and warned of "tyranny," reports the Guardian. The official numbers: Ahmadinejad gets 62.6% and Mir Hossein Mousavi 33.4% after a staggering turnout of 84%. The challenger appealed to the nation's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to intervene, and the AP notes that his supporters have clashed with police in Tehran. More»