EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international
news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in
their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in
Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Saturday to make the U.S. regret its
criticism of Iran's postelection crackdown and said the "mask has been removed"
from the Obama administration's efforts to improve relations.
Ahmadinejad—with his internal opponents virtually silenced—all but dared Obama
to keep calling for an end to repression of demonstrators who claim the
hardline leader stole re-election through massive fraud.
"You should know that if you continue the response of the Iranian nation will
be strong," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to members of Iran's judiciary, which
is directly controlled by the ruling clerics. "The response of the Iranian
nation will be crushing. The response will cause remorse."
Ahmadinejad has no authority to direct major policy decisions on his own—a
power that rests with the non-elected theocracy. But his comments often reflect
the thinking of the ruling establishment.
The cleric-led regime now appears to have quashed a protest movement that
brought hundreds of thousands to the streets of Tehran and other cities in the
greatest challenge to its authority in 30 years. There have been no significant
demonstrations in days, and the most significant signs of dissent are the cries
of "God is great!" echoing from the rooftops, a technique dating to the days of
protest against the U.S.-backed shah before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Days of relatively restrained talk from both Washington and Tehran appear to be
returning to a familiar pattern of condemnation and recrimination despite
Obama's stated desire to move away from mutual hostility. Iran and the U.S.
still appear interested in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, but the
rising rhetorical temperature can be expected to slow progress toward a deal,
experts said.
"The political feasibility of pursuing it, and the likelihood of success has
changed," said Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council.
"I have a hard time seeing any real engagement taking place for at least four
to six months."
Obama acknowledged Friday that Iran's violent suppression of unrest would
hinder progress, saying "There is no doubt that any direct dialogue or
diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several
weeks."
Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward Iran after taking office, sending a
video greeting for Persian New Year that used the government's formal name—the
Islamic Republic of Iran—in a signal that the goal of regime change had been
set aside. He even avoided strong language as Iran began suppressing street
protests, saying he wanted to avoid becoming a foil for Iranian hard-liners who
blame the United States and other Western powers for instigating internal
dissent.
But Obama decried Iran's crackdown more vigorously as amateur videos of beating
and shootings began flooding the Internet. He said Friday in his strongest
condemnation yet that violence perpetrated against protesters was "outrageous,"
and dismissed a demand from Ahmadinejad to repent for earlier criticism.
"I would suggest that Mr. Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he
owes to his own people," Obama added.
Iran also had been stopping short of its normally harsh language about the
U.S., mostly blaming Britain and even France and Germany as Mousavi's
supporters demanded a new election. Ahmadinejad had made relatively few
appearances in an apparent attempt to avoid inflaming the situation.
The protests dwindled to scattered clashes as riot police and Basij militiamen
put down the unrest using batons, tear gas, water cannons and, in at least 17
cases, live ammunition. Mousavi said Friday that he would seek official
permission for any future rallies, effectively ending his role in street
protests.
Ahmadinejad appeared self-assured and even invigorated Saturday in the face of
the previous day's personal challenge from Obama.
"We are surprised at Mr. Obama," Ahmadinejad said. "Didn't he say that he was
after change?
"They keep saying that they want to hold talks with Iran. All right, we have
expressed our readiness as well. But is this the correct way?" Ahmadinejad told
judiciary officials. "They showed their hand to the people of Iran, before all
people of the world. Their mask has been removed."
He still appeared to leave some opening for dialogue, saying Iranians officials
"have expressed our readiness" and still want the U.S. to "join the righteous
servants of humanity as well."
Experts said, however, that it was not yet certain that Ahmadinejad and his
most powerful backer, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would emerge from
the unrest as strong as before. Many speculated that the fight between
hard-liners and reformists had moved behind the scenes and would add more
uncertainty to U.S. dealings with the already opaque regime.
Authorities briefly arrested relatives of Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani in a
move seen as a warning to the powerful former president not to work against
Ahmadinejad and Khamenei. Other prominent conservatives such as Tehran's mayor
and the parliament speaker have criticized the government in recent days in
another indication of possible internal divisions.
"This will complicate the decision-making process inside Iran," said Bahman
Baktiari, an expert on Iranian factional politics and director of the Middle
East Center at the University of Utah. "I think we will see paralysis in the
Islamic Republic when it comes to making important decisions."
A 30-year-old resident of the central city of Isfahan told The Associated Press
on Saturday that people continue to shout "God is Great!" and other anti-regime
slogans from their roofs at night in Tehran and Isfahan.
"People are angry and afraid," he said on condition of anonymity for fear of
government reprisal. "They are afraid of the future and angry because they
failed to achieve change with their ballots."
Members of the Basij militia have been raiding homes and beating residents in
an attempt to stop the chanting, Human Rights Watch said, accusing authorities
of seizing satellite dishes to prevent citizens from seeing news broadcast from
overseas. Iranian officials have blamed the British Broadcasting Corp., Voice
of America and other news channels for fomenting unrest on behalf of Western
governments.
"While most of the world's attention is focused on the beatings in the streets
of Iran during the day, the Basijis are carrying out brutal raids on people's
apartments during the night," said Sarah Leah Whitson, the rights group's
Middle East director.
Italy has granted visas to Iranians seeking to flee the violence and wants the
European Union to adopt a common policy on how to assist them, the Italian
foreign minister said.
Italy and other members of the Group of Eight industrialized nations called
Friday for an end to the violence in Iran and urged the authorities to find a
peaceful solution.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi was quoted by the official
news agency IRNA as accusing the G-8 of "interventionist and hasty remarks."
In Sweden, Foreign Ministry spokesman Andre Mkandawire said the Swedish
ambassador was summoned by Iran's foreign ministry Friday after clashes between
demonstrators and Iranian Embassy officials outside Stockholm.
Demonstrators broke into the embassy, climbing through shattered windows and
injuring one embassy worker, police said.
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Associated Press writers Shaya Tayefe Mohajer in Cairo and Barbara Surk in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
