After the crackdown in Iran

NY Times:

A day after police and militia forces used guns, truncheons, tear gas and water cannons to beat back thousands of demonstrators, a tense quiet set over this city Sunday as the standoff between the government and thousands of protestors hardened into a test of wills that has spilled blood and claimed lives.

It was unclear how the confrontation would play out now that the government has abandoned its restraint and large numbers of protestors have demonstrated their willingness to risk injury and even death as they continue to dispute the results of Iran’s presidential election nine days ago.

There was uncertainty as well about how many deaths resulted from Saturday’s violence. Iranian state television reported 13 deaths, while state radio said 19.

There was no sign on the streets early Sunday of the heavy security forces from the night before, but there were reports that protestors planned to demonstrate again later in the day, beginning at about 5 p.m., giving both sides time to regroup, or reconsider.

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CNN reports some cracks in the government's solidarity.

The public rift among Iranian leaders widened Sunday when the country's foreign minister disputed allegations of ballot irregularities even as the parliamentary speaker implied that the election authority had sided with one candidate.

"Although the Guardian Council is made up of religious individuals, I wish certain members would not side with a certain presidential candidate," Iran's influential parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, told the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting without naming whom he meant.

The comments were reported Sunday on government-funded Press TV and on another news Web site, Khabaronline.

Followers of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi have alleged that the council, which approves all candidates running for office and verifies election results, declared hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner of the elections despite indications of ballot fraud.

"A majority of people are of an opinion separate" from that of a minority, Larijani said.

Larijani's statement was in direct contrast to that of Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who said he considers the possibility of ballot irregularities in the presidential election as almost nonexistent.

"The possibility of organized and comprehensive disruption and irregularities in this election is almost close to zero given the composition of the people who are holding the election," Mottaki said.

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And surprise, surprise, Ahmadinejad says the US and UK will not be in his circle of friendship. Considering he calls the US "The Great Satan" and the UK "Evil" it would be surprising if they thought they were in his circle of friends. He apparently would like people to stop criticism of the regimes tyrannical repression of those seeking redress of grievances.