Reformist Withdraws From Iran Election

It was a pretext used to create a Jewish state, he says

(NEWSER) - Iran's president repeated his assertion that the Holocaust is a myth today, calling it a "pretext" used to create Israel, the New York Times reports. "It is a lie based on an unprovable and mythical claim," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told attendees at an anti-Israel rally in Tehran. "Confronting the Zionist regime is a national and religious duty" for Iranians, he said. "This regime will not last long. Do not tie your fate to it." More»

Khatami accuses government of murdering protesters

(AP) - The reformist former president of Iran blasted the country's extraordinary mass trial of activists and protesters as a sham that would undermine the country's ruling regime, reports the AP. Mohammad Khatami, president from 1997 to 2005, said he hoped the "show trial" would not "lead to ignorance of the real crimes" carried out by authorities following the June 12 vote, including alleged abuse and murder of detainees. More»

Witness describe chaos at a protest near Tehran mosque

(AP) - Riot police clashed with up to 3,000 protesters near a mosque in north Tehran today, using tear gas and truncheons to break up Iran's first post-election demonstration in 5 days. Witnesses told the AP that some protesters fought back, chanting: "Where is my vote?" They said others described scenes of brutality—including the alleged police beating of an elderly woman—in the clashes around the Ghoba Mosque. More»

(NEWSER) - A violent and chaotic day in Iran left dozens of protesters injured, with reports ranging from 13 to 19 deaths, reports the New York Times. The government's feared militia, the Basij, cracked down with water cannons, electric rounds, and live bullets against thousands of protesters in Tehran. The developments came on a day when challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi declared he is "ready for martyrdom" and President Obama criticized the government action as "unjust and violent" and warned that the "whole world is watching." More»

(NEWSER) - Iran's supreme leader has ordered presidential challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi to stand by his side at morning prayers tomorrow in a show of national unity, the Times of London reports. It's not clear if Mousavi will do so, or what consequences he'll face if he defies Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's demand. Mousavi may have more clout to work with, however, after yet another massive gathering in Tehran. More»