Mohammad Khatami

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Iranian Forces Clash With Protesters

More rallies are expected tomorrow during mourning ritual

(Newser) - Iranian security forces beat protesters in central Tehran today while hardline activists disrupted a speech by the country's moderate former president, said reformist websites. Several injuries were reported in the unrest, which came a day before the Shiite Muslim mourning ceremony of Ashoura. Opposition activists have held a series of...

Holocaust a Lie, Pretext to Create Israel: Ahmadinejad

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. "...

Former Iranian Prez Lashes 'Show Trial'

Khatami accuses government of murdering protesters

(Newser) - 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...

Iran Opposition Calls for Release of Protesters

(Newser) - Iranian opposition candidates issued a statement today demanding an end to the “savage, shocking attacks” against protesters, and calling for the release of innocent people arrested in the government’s post-election crackdown, the New York Times reports. “The useless wave of arrests must end immediately,” read the...

Iran Hardliner Calls Mousavi a US Puppet, Demands Trial

(Newser) - Mir Hossein Mousavi should stand trial for his “terrible crimes,” a hardline newspaper editor wrote today. The editor, who Reuters reports has close ties to Ayatollah Khamenei, accused the opposition candidate of fostering post-election dissent at America’s behest. “An open court, in front of the people's...

Reformist Withdraws From Iran Election

Ex-president aims to unite reform vote behind political ally

(Newser) - Iran’s reformist ex-president will drop out of June’s presidential election to make more room for a fellow reformist, the New York Times reports. Mohammad Khatami "does not want to compete with Mir-Hossein Mousavi,” a political analyst said. Mousavi, a former PM, joined the race last week....

Ex-Iranian President Khatami Will Challenge Ahmadinejad

In previous terms, advocated change, international communication

(Newser) - Former president Mohammad Khatami will challenge his successor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Iran’s upcoming elections, the Washington Post reports. The bid would set up “a full-fledged confrontation between totalitarians and reformists,” says a former Khatami official. Khatami, who served from 1997-2005, tried and failed to expand personal freedom...

Iran's Former Prez Mulls Run Against Ahmadinejad

Moderate Khatami, battered by conservatives, still has large following

(Newser) - Mohammad Khatami is considering a run to reclaim the Iranian presidency, the Economist reports. Frustrated with successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s financial mismanagement and controversial rhetoric, moderate Iranians have swamped Khatami with entreaties to run. Although Khatami ultimately failed to deliver reform, his 1997-2005 tenure is remembered fondly for relaxed restrictions...

Iran's Power Structure Baffles
Iran's Power Structure Baffles
Dec 31, 2007 1:25 PM CST

Iran's Power Structure Baffles

Clergy, bureaucrats, assorted elites wrestle for control

(Newser) - Since Iran’s autocratic shah fell in 1979, the question “Who runs Iran?” has stumped Western analysts. “Who doesn’t?” may be easier to grasp, reports the Los Angeles Times. Iran’s government has morphed into a free-for-all that includes the Shiite Muslim clergy, an entrenched bureaucracy, and...

Iranian Shakes Woman's Hand, Drops Prez Bid

Youtube video shows reformist leader with uncovered females

(Newser) - Iran's opposition leader has dropped out of the race to unseat Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president after the circulation of a Youtube video that appears to show him shaking hands with a woman, says the Guardian. The video and several photographs of Mohammad Khatami also show the reform-minded former Iranian president...

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