IRPO ELECTION SPOT REPORT JULY 1

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 068539

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SUBJECT: IRPO ELECTION SPOT REPORT JULY 1


1. (U). In an effort to improve dissemination, following is
the unedited Post election spot report prepared by the Iran
Regional Presence Office in Dubai (IRPO). These reports
comprise input from all Iran Watchers as well as press
reports. Note carefully that much of this information may be
unconfirmed. Feedback on these reports is welcome; please
send to NEA-Iran-DC-DL@state.gov.

July 1 -- 4:30 PM in Iran:

(U) Ahmadinejad Cancels Trip to AU Summit (U) According to
Fars News, a spokesman from Ahmadinejad,s office announced
this morning that Ahmadinejad,s trip to the African Union
summit in Libya July 1 -3 has been cancelled. The spokesman
provided no explanation for why the trip was called off.

(U) Etemad-e Melli Prevented from Printing Newspaper after
Karrubi Refuses to Recognize Ahmadinejad,s Win -- Last
night, after Karrubi's statement was released,
representatives of the Tehran Prosecutor and the Culture
Ministry prevented the publication of Etemad-e Melli
newspaper,8 Etemad-e Melli said on its website. Karrubi,s
statement last night, which symbolically began with a phrase
from the Qur,an that is used to announce someone,s death,
denounced Ahmadinejad,s victory as illegitimate and
engineered and condemned the violent crackdown on protesters.
Karrubi said that he would not be attending Ahmadinejad,s
swearing-in ceremony. He ridiculed the idea that he and
Mousavi, two leading figures of the Islamic Republic, could
lead a &velvet revolution.8 Karrubi asked his supporters
not to lose their &political spirit8 and encouraged them to
strengthen NGO,s and join political parties, because Iran,s
republicanism, Islamism, and nationalism are all at stake.

(U) Mousavi,s Chief of Staff Calls Guardian Council Verdict
&Illegal -- According to Radio Farda and Tabnak, last
night, Ali Akbar Mohtashami Pour, Mousavi,s Chief of Staff,
denounced the Guardian Council,s confirmation of
Ahmadinejad,s victory and suggested a number of solutions to
further evaluate the election results, including comparing
the vote counts recorded by the candidates, representatives
at each polling location.

(U) Guardian Council Says 75% Fewer Poll Complaints Compared
to 2008 Majles Election -- According to Fars News, Guardian
Council Spokesman Kadkhodaei announced in a press conference
yesterday that the June 12 presidential election had 75%
fewer polling complaints than the 2008 8th Majles election.
Kadkhodaei went on to describe the Guardian Council,s
verdict as a confirmation of the Islamic Republic,s system.

(U) Reformist Parties Condemn Guardian Council Confirmation
of Election Results -- According to Radio Farda, Rouhanioun
Mobrez denounced the verdict as &unfair,8 while Jebehey
Mosharekat and Sazman Mojahedin Enghelab Eslami called
Ahmadinejad,s government &illegal.8

(U) Prominent Cleric Denounces Guardian Council Investigation
-- BBC Persian reports that Ayatollah Taheri Esfehani issued
a message yesterday calling Ahmadinejad,s government an
&illegal usurper.8

(U) Press TV Anchors Resigns over &Bias -- Presenter Nick
Ferrari has quit his show on Press TV due to the station,s
political bias. &I imagine they,ve been told what to do,
and I can,t reconcile that with working there,8 Ferrari
told the London Times.

(U) Continued Dispute over Tehran University Attacks --
Tabnak reports that the head of the Majles committee tasked
with investigating the Tehran University dormitory attacks
said that Farhad Rahbar, the president of the university,
gave the police and Basijis permission to enter the
dormitories. Rahbar denies allowing them entry. At least
seven students were killed in the attack, while an unknown
number of students were detained.

(U) Numerous Reformers Reportedly Ready to Confess --
According to media reports, a number of leading Reformers who
are being detained have confessed under torture. Javan News
reports that Mohammad Ali Abtahi, an advisor to Karrubi, has
been held in detention for at least 10 days and is ready to
confess. Fars News reports that Mostafa Tajzadeh has already
confessed to crimes. When Fars asked Tajzadeh,s wife for a
comment after his confession, she said &maybe he was under
torture by mercenaries like you.

(U) Ahmadinejad Advisor Says Obama Changed his Tune due to
Zionist Pressure -- In an interview with Press TV last night,

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Mojtaba Samareh-Hashemi, an advisor to Ahmadinejad, said
President Obama,s recent remarks show that he is under
pressure from the Zionists. Hashemi urged Obama to
reconsider his stance on Iran in order to pave the way for
positive interactions between the two countries.

(U) Fars News Provides More Information on UK Embassy Staff
-- Fars News reported today that two of the British Embassy
staff recently detained had played a &remarkable role8 in
recent unrest and were &main elements8 behind the protests.
The report identified the staff members by their initials
and claimed that one previously worked for Press TV. EU
member states have threatened to recall their ambassadors for
seven days this weekend if the embassy staff is not released.
CLINTON