"Nobody wants to die."

Scattered images and video appeared on the Web on Saturday as what appeared to be a police crackdown took effect. There were reports of killings, tear gas and an apparent, though unconfirmed, bombing. (Image: BBC Persian video)

Huffington Post blogger Nico Pitney says he got an e-mail from someone in Sweden who says the Iranians around him are "desperate" in the wake of Khamenei's speech.

My girlfriends' parents in Tehran say they think people will give up. Nobody wants to die, with families still remembering the 1979 revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. But it all depends also on Moussavi-Kathami-Karroubi-Rafsanjani and what they will say. Are they ready to wage war to the country?

The great fear now is that Iran could be headed for another Tiananmen Square. Khamenei's words seemed to give sanction to violence against anyone who keeps protesting - will the opposition simply give up?

Here's Gregg's report from earlier today:

Ayatollah Khamenei's Friday prayer speech hit the pro-regime trifecta. He demanded an end to the protests; he reaffirmed his support for Ahmadinejad; and he tried to blame the protests on Western interference.

He also issued a not-so-veiled threat to the protesters:

"Rioting after the election is not a good way. It questions the election. If they continue [the consequences] will be their responsibility."

"If they continue they will be receiving other consequences, behind the scenes. I'm asking my friends and brothers to follow the laws. Let God give us blessing to follow those ways."

The Guardian has a rough transcript of the speech. I can't find any concessions to the protesters -- any recognition that they have legitimate grievances. He took a very hard line.

The speculation in the last couple of days has been that Khamenei's speech would be a harbinger of whichever new direction events in Iran would take. If he expressed ambivalence, then he might be willing to play ball with Mousavi. If he condemnded the protesters, then things would look very bleak - and that's what he did.

There are hard-liners in charge of the judiciary and intelligence apparatus, not to mention Ahmadinejad and his allies in the Revolutionary Guards and baseej. They'll be the ones on the front line of any crackdown, and they won't have much sympathy for the protesters.

What could keep the movement alive now? It's hard to say. Mousavi's spokesman has said, according to Twitterers, that Mousavi is 20 percent free and 80 percent under arrest, meaning, I'm guessing, that his movements are largely restrained by police. Should he, Rafsanjani, Khatami and others take to the streets with their supporters in direct affront to Khamenei? Part of me feels that may be the only way to sustain the opposition, if Khamenei's words do indeed indicate that patience in the regime has run out.

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