frandroid | Rafsanjani speaks!

richardhetu, La Presse's indefatigable blogger, posted about Rafsanjani's Friday Prayers sermon at Tehran University. He linked to the New York Times' reportage, The Guardian's analysis and Tehran Bureau's updates of the situation on the ground, outside the prayer hall.

Largest protest held in weeks. Rafsanjani recognizing the legitimacy of the "crisis" and trying to position himself as neutral broker, reminder people that both the "islamic" and "republican" parts of the country are indispensable. Protesters were warning Rafsanjani not to betray them before speech; came away satisfied (13 out of 20, according to one protester). All call and response chants, the usual "Death to America", "Death to Israel", etc. were responded by the crowd with "Death to Russia"! Apparently, the nightly chants were louder tonight than they had been in a while. State TV exceptionally did not broadcast the prayers and sermon live, but there was brief coverage of the protest, a first since the crisis started.

There is still hope.