Violence and anger escalate as thousands resume protests against Iranian election
Ali Akbar Dareini & Nasser Karimi, AP, June 20, 2009.
Khameinei vs. Rafsanjani…
Jeff Weintraub, June 19, 2009.
Khamenei’s Speech: Learning from the Shah?
Meir Javedanfar, Huffington Post, June 19, 2009.
Rafsanjani is *not* going to be the next Supreme Leader. He is too old, and widely perceived as too corrupt, for the rest of the ayatollahs to vote him in. But you can bet that he already has a puppet of his own lined up for the job…
You may be right, Badtux, but I think Rafsanjani will be a brief interim Supreme Leader, just long enough to get Mousavi in and purge the Khamenei/Ahmadinejad hardliners.
So far, Khamenei has made every mistake of the tinhorn, tin-eared tyrant — the latest being the cancellation of public funeral ceremonies for Neda, who has become an icon of the protestors. Next I expect him to arrest Mousavi, making him a martyr for the cause, which will bring about a nationwide strike and hasten Khamenei’s downfall.