Region | Iran
Iran election debate over, now new tensions arise
The door to the political battle over Iran's presidential elections outcome has closed. But tensions with many western countries are rising and the need to ease the unexpressed popular anger remains.
- By Jumana Al Tamimi, Associate Editor
- Published: 22:52 July 1, 2009
Dubai: The door to the political battle over Iran's presidential elections outcome has closed.
But tensions with many western countries are rising and the need to ease the unexpressed popular anger remains.
"It looks like that things are totally finished," Tehran-based analyst Mohammad Sedeqian said.
"No. That is over," Iranian-American analyst Alireza Nader replied about possible chances of reaching a compromise over the election results after the Guardian Council confirmed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory.
The Council on Monday endorsed Ahmadinejad's victory and dismissed complaints about irregularities submitted by other reformist candidates, Mir Hussain Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi.
Both had asked to consider the vote annulled and rejected the Council's decision.
"There are indications that the political system in Iran, either the left or right or the reformists, is trying to reach some sort of a compromise. It is not clear if they will be able to reach this," Washington-based Nader told Gulf News.
Inside Iran, analysts say there are efforts to convince other candidates in the elections and their supporters to accept "reality on the ground."
One possible option to end the political tension is seen by offering the reformist camp a greater voice in the government's decision making process, including a number of ministerial positions, Sedeqian noted.
"There are ongoing efforts among politicians and religious scholars in Qom to achieve a national reconciliation," he said.
The size of popular protests has eased in the past few days, after 20 people were killed and more than 1,000 were arrested, according to official estimates.
Many of the arrested were released, and "those still detained have been referred to public and revolutionary courts," Esmail Ahmadi Moqadam, Iran's police chief, said without specifying their number.
The demonstrations sparked by announcing Ahmadinejad's victory in the elections were intensified by public dissatisfaction about the status of the economy and freedom in the country.
Therefore, it is vital to calm down the situation through reaching a compromise with the angry population, analysts noted.
"I think the protests are disappearing to a certain extent, but you still have a massive opposition movement and it is necessarily very well organised, but the protests have shown that a very significant segment of the Iranian population is against the political status quo," Nader said.
Meanwhile, heated statements between Iranian and western prominent figures yesterday reflected rising tensions between the two sides after Tehran accused the West, mainly Britain, of interfering in Iran's international affairs.
"Many western statements [during demonstrations over election's results] have upset Iran," Sedeqian said.
Iran's chief of staff was quoted as saying yesterday the European Union was not qualified to hold talks over the country's disputed nuclear programme after its members interfered in the state's internal matters.
"Because of the interference of this group in the post-election riots... they have lost their qualification to hold nuclear talks with Iran," Hassan Firouzabadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.
"Before apologising for their huge mistake... they [the EU] have no right to talk about nuclear negotiations," he added.
In response, Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country took over the EU presidency on Wednesday, expressed hope that Iran's leaders "will make the right choice" in avoiding confrontation with the international community.
Your comments
I personally feel that western powers are causing trouble in Iran to intensify their cluthes on the nuclear issue, and cause instabilities. EU is coming up with protests over the death of an innocent women during post election protests while they ignore the 1000's they killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and still continues. It seems the west has the right to send their army to any part of the world which looks uncomfortable to them.
Pratheesh Earnest
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 02, 2009, 14:51
Words are important in IRAN issue, Obama's cairo speech made clear in devising a new approach to Iran
Sarwar Rasool
Lahore,Pakistan
Posted: July 02, 2009, 12:32
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