Inquiry and Analysis No. 524 | Special Dispatch No. 2400 | June 12, 2009 Iran Reminder: MEMRI has been awarded a generous dollar-for-dollar matching grant *Inquiry and Analysis No. 524 Elections in Iran – Part III: Tensions Peak in Final Days of Campaigns By: A. Savyon and Y. Mansharof * On the eve of Iran's June 12, 2009 presidential election, the conflict between the camp of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the rival camp, led by Rafsanjani and candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, has escalated – to the point where Rafsanjani has called on the public to take to the streets and demonstrate against Ahmadinejad's accusations and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has threatened to intervene if Mousavi and his supporters try to stage a "velvet revolution" in Iran. In a June 3, 2009 televised debate with his rival candidates, Ahmadinejad accused Mousavi and Karroubi of corruption and of getting rich on public funds and the nation's resources, and also accused Rafsanjani of plotting against him with the Saudi king.(1) Rafsanjani demanded an opportunity to respond to these accusations immediately, but his demand was rejected by the Iranian broadcasting authority, whose directors are Ahmadinejad appointees. To view the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA52409. In TV Debate, Iranian Presidential Candidate Mehdi Karroubi Challenges President Ahmadinejad over Iran's Foreign Relations Following are excerpts from a debate by candidates in the Iranian presidential race, between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former Majlis speaker Mehdi Karroubi. The debate aired on Iranian Channel 3 on June 6, 2009. Karroubi: "Our Relations With The Entire World Have Been Damaged... Then We Are Told That the Sanctions Have No Effect [On Us] Whatsoever" Mehdi Karroubi: "Some time ago, Ahmadinejad went to Iraq, and then he said that the Americans had tried to kidnap him, but that he had managed to return [to Iran]. It is true that America is malicious and arrogant, but there is accountability in the world. The U.S. would not kidnap someone just like that. They take their national interests into consideration." [...] To view the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD240009. Endnote: 
Iran Elections – Two Reports
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*Special Dispatch No. 2400
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2141.htm.
(1) See MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 522, "Elections in Iran – Part II," June 9, 2009,http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=countries&Area=iran&ID=IA52209.
Friday 12 June 2009
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