We reprint this article by Brian Murphy – showing how Khamenei is refusing to budge and threatening more violence.
Iran’s supreme leader sought Friday to end the deepening crisis over disputed elections with one decisive speech declaring the vote will almost certainly stand and sternly warning opposition leaders to end street protests or be held responsible for any “bloodshed and chaos” to come. But a first sign of possible resistance came shortly after nightfall in Tehran. Cries of “Death to the dictator!” and “Allahu akbar” (“God is great”) rang from rooftops in what’s become a nightly ritual of opposition unity. The sharp line drawn by Iran’s most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a gambit that pushes Iran’s opposition to a pivotal moment: either back down or risk a crushing response from police and the forces at Khamenei’s disposal: the powerful Revolutionary Guard and their volunteer citizen militia, the Basiji.