The Staggers: Iran

Press TV, the Iranian state-funded news channel, is to be taken off the air in Britain after Ofcom ruled that it was breaching broadcasting rules.

The channel has responded with outrage, calling the decision "scandalous" and a "clear example of censorship". Its chief executive, Mohammad Sarafraz, said that it was "an act of aggression by the British monarchy" which "will prevent the British from learning the truth". (NB. Iranian TV has ... read more

In the latest development in the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, Iranian state television has broadcast confessions by the woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, as well as her son, lawyer, and two foreign journalists.

The programme attempted to cast Mina Ahadi, an activist for the German-based International Committee Against Stoning as the villain of the piece, for her ... read more

In my column in the Sunday Mirror today -- as well as a little bit of politics, as Ben Elton used to say -- I write about the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. She is the unfortunate woman who has been convicted of adultery and condemned to death by stoning by the Iranian state.

She has already received 99 lashes of ... read more

The international community's boycott of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the New York nuclear non-proliferation conference this week was a cynical gesture that belied the rationality of what he said.

Here is the Iranian president's analysis of the causes of the NPT's problems (such a review being, after all, the purpose of the conference):

A point worth noting from the Lib Dem manifesto is that they're the only one of the three main parties to explicitly oppose military action against Iran.

The manifesto says: "[W]e oppose military action against Iran and believe those calling for such action undermine the growing reform movement in Iran."

By contrast, the other two parties leave all options on the table.

The ... read more

From Paris to Bangalore, demonstrators turned out to show their solidarity with the Green Movement protesters inside Iran.

Here are a few photos from the day's events:

Demonstrators chanting slogans stage a mock execution in front of the Iranian embassy in Berlin. Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images.

Berlin demonstrators brandish photographs allegedly showing dissenting youths facing trial in Iran. Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images.

A statue of Neda Agha Soltan, shot dead during protests against her ... read more

The Islamic Republic's 31st anniversary was unlikely to pass without incident. However, reformist and opposition figures have been left disappointed with their achievements.

Mass celebrations at Azadi Square, in central Tehran, were greeted by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The president appeared to make good his promise to deliver a "telling blow" to the west: he declared that Iran was now a nuclear state, with the capacity to enrich uranium to 20 ... read more

The anniversary of the Islamic Revolution is usually greeted with mass celebrations by Iranians. However, this year's activities are set to be marred by demonstrations for increased accountability and representation. Given the turmoil surrounding the coverage of the disputed elections in June 2009, we have identified a number of good sources to monitor today's events.

Live coverage

Look for al-Jazeera, the BBC and the Guardian to begin live blogs ... read more

The United States is ramping up its military presence in the Gulf with the reported sale of Patriot missile systems to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, together with the deployment of two warships capable of shooting down missiles directed at the littoral states in the Gulf.

This can be interpreted in two ways. First, Barack Obama is signalling US capability and intent to an Israeli regime that ... read more

Here's a thought experiment: pick a random Middle Eastern country led by an unpopular autocrat whose legitimacy is being challenged by a growing wave of public dissent. Add in widespread allegations of electoral fraud, and increasingly violent confrontations on the street between protesters and security services -- clashes that have left many civilians dead. Now imagine this politically volatile state is a major player in the area, and that change ... read more

An Iranian opposition supporter covers his face with a bloodstained hand during clashes with security forces in Tehran on 27 December 2009. Photograph: Getty Images

The wave of arrests that erupted in Iran yesterday marks the latest move by a government determined to silence growing opposition despite the spiralling political crisis in which it finds itself.

However, it seems that the arrests, along with the killing on Sunday of eight ... read more

One of the most important points to be made about the late Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri is that the cleric was not a dissident voice from outside Iran's religious establishment. He was the man once designated as Ayatollah Khomeini's successor, and his credentials as one of the key architects of the Islamic republic were precisely why his opposition carried such weight. His criticism also underlined questions about the degree ... read more