Chants on the rooftops, police on the streets

Witnesses in Tehran report loud chants of allahu akbar from the rooftops tonight, while down below, on the streets, the regime has deployed hundreds of police officers to prevent possible protests.

The regime was trying to preempt what it anticipated would become another day of street protests in the capital. We haven't heard any reports of demonstrations; whether that's because the show of force was effective, or simply because there were no rallies planned, I'm not sure.

High-ranking Iranian officials also continue to issue threats towards opposition leaders. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said today that protesters are "flagrant examples of the corrupt on Earth," and called for their execution, according to the New York Times. (Jannati, in previous months, has called for the regime to arrest demonstrators.)

Other conservative figures have made similar statements in recent days. Iran's intelligence ministry issued a statement yesterday that said it would no longer tolerate "anti-regime moves"; it called recent protests part of a Western-backed "velvet revolution." And the regime announced plans to try seven people (فارسی) arrested during the Ashura protests last weekend; three of them could reportedly face the death penalty.

The regime is also trying to deny that a vehicle driven by security forces ran over protesters during the Ashura protests. This video, which was posted online a few days ago (and was e-mailed to us by several Iranian sources, who claim it is authentic), shows a pickup truck driving over demonstrators.

News reports, and the people who e-mailed us this video, say the truck was driven by Iranian security forces. The regime issued a statement today calling the truck a "privately-owned patrol vehicle," and not an official vehicle.

Mousavi responds

Mousavi responded to the recent threats in a statement posted on his Web site, Kaleme (as I write this, the site is not loading). The Guardian reports that the statement -- Mousavi's first in a month -- declares his willingness to die for the opposition movement.

"I explicitly and clearly state that an order to execute, murder and imprison Mousavi or Karroubi won't calm the situation," Mousavi said. "I'm not afraid to be one of the martyrs people have offered in the struggle for their just demands."

He said Iran faced a "serious crisis" and warned that killing more protesters would merely strengthen the opposition. The government has acknowledged that at least eight died in clashes during last Sunday's Ashura ceremony, including Mousavi's nephew, Ali Mousavi Khamane. An internal memo from the state news agency, Irna, has put the death toll at 37.

At the same time, Mousavi's statement spoke of "resolving the problems and issues" that are fueling Iran's "serious crisis." He's floating the possibility of resolving the conflict, in other words, if the regime is willing to make concessions (which it certainly does not seem inclined to do).

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