Iran Bomber Kills 26, 5 Elite Guards

Iranian president suggested more freedom would end riots

(NEWSER) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, not necessarily known as a big softy, took a surprisingly sympathetic stance toward the protesters then filling the streets to protest his election—and got slapped across the face for his trouble. Ahmadinejad, in a meeting with the Supreme National Security Council, said the people felt "suffocated" and suggested that relaxing limits on personal liberty and the press would help calm tensions. A Revolutionary Guard honcho slapped him one for his trouble, according to the February 11 cable released by WikiLeaks. More»

White House shifting strategy, but activists aren't thrilled

(NEWSER) - With President Obama's attempts to negotiate with Tehran going nowhere, the White House is looking to a new approach to pressuring Iran on nuclear weapons: backing the Iranian opposition movement. The US administration is now convinced the Iranian opposition is here to stay, and hopes to boost it while further destabilizing the regime with sanctions targeting the Revolutionary Guard. But the Iranian opposition says the last thing it needs is love from Washington. More»

Turns its focus to Revolutionary Guard

(NEWSER) - The US appears to be coming around to the notion that Iran's protesters pose a genuine threat to the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and are looking for new ways to support the opposition. This latest round of unrest in particular has Obama officials reaching out to Iran scholars to gauge the chances of a coup and writing economic sanctions that go after the sprawling business interests of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, reports the Wall Street Journal . More»

Defense pick wanted in '94 blast at Jewish center in Argentina

(NEWSER) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s pick for Iran’s defense minister is wanted in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina, the Guardian reports. Eight-five were killed and 150 injured in the attack, the worst on a Jewish target outside Israel since World War II; Ahmad Vahidi was at that time head of the branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that carries out operations abroad. More»

(NEWSER) - Iranian police beat demonstrators gathered in a Tehran cemetery to mourn victims of post-election violence, including Neda Agha-Soltan—the 26-year-old whose killing was witnessed by hundreds of thousands on YouTube. A witness told Reuters that some mourners were arrested. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi defied threats from the Revolutionary Guards and tried to attend the ceremony, but he was forced back into his car minutes after arriving. More»