1 Jan 10 - All students at the Mashad School of architecture had to present their student ID to enter the school.
Thirty-three students were considered suspicious and arrested. This lead to a protest of about 500 students in front of the self service (food dispensers?) against the detention of 33 students. The Special Security forces then arrested 20 students.
2 Jan 10 - Mullah Raeesi, the first deputy of Judiciary appointed by Khamenei, claimed that those who fight the government such and the People’s Mujahadeen of Iran are counted as fighting against God and their punishment is execution. Mullah Eje-ee, the General Prosecutor of Iran announced that three Ashura protesters will be executed. They have been labeled Mohareb (one who fights against God).
Pasdar (Revolutionary Guard) Moshen Rezaee the former head of the RGC and the Secretary of the Expediency Council has called the regime’s status “unpleasant and critical”.
Mullah Janati, Secretary of the Guidance Council, admitted that the principal of Supreme Leadership was the target of the revolution and not the election of Ahmadinejad. He warned the nation’s judiciary that it must intensify its suppressive measures.
31 Dec. 09 - in Isfehan the people demonstrated in Ahmadabad Square, Hossein Abad and Imam Hossein area chanting “Death to Khamenei”. The RGC is now guarding Farahabad Base in Isfehan to prevent soldiers from joining the protests.
2 Jan. 10 - The people of Tehran continue the nightly chants of “Allah O Akbar”, “this is the month of blood and Yazid (meaning Khamenei) is overthrown”.
Analysis. The revolution isn’t over by a long shot. As I have said before, almost everything in the Middle East must be filtered through the lens of Islam.
If you fail to do this you will misunderstand the entire region. Look at the slogans of the revolutionaries (They have long since gone beyond mere protesters.).
They are all based in Shiite religious history and doctrine. The Ashura celebration is all about the murder of Hossein and his companions by Yazid, the Umyyad governor of Damascus who was supposedly inferior to Hossein as the leader of Islam. Allah O Akbar - God is Greatest - the pretty much universal Islamic chant.
Right now the Government of Iran is being run by the Yadzi faction - those who wish to expedite the return of the Hidden Imam.
The recent counter proposal to the 5+1 proposal to take 1350 tons of 5% enriched Iranian uranium out of the country and return it in about two years as reactor fuel rods of either an even trade or the sale of the reactor fuel is telling. The Iranians will not let that enriched uranium out of the country. That is their feed stock for further enrichment. Nor do they trust the West.
As long as the Yazdi faction is running Iran there will be nothing but chaos.
It is in our best interests to put as much external pressure on the regime as possible. We must also support the Iranian people in their revolution against the mullahs. To do less is to invite continued trouble in the region.