Iran Mobilizes to Stifle Opposition Protests - WSJ.com: Via Wall Street Journal / WSJ.com .

BEIRUT—Iranian authorities deployed in force across Tehran Wednesday to conduct last-minute security sweeps and warn residents to refrain from joining antigovernment protests planned for Thursday.

The government typically orchestrates large, carnival-like rallies and demonstrations to mark the anniversary of the Islamic Republic. For this year's events on Feb. 11, the day marking the culmination of the annual celebrations, opposition leaders have called for protesters to demonstrate against the regime. That has set the stage for clashes between authorities and demonstrators, who have taken to the streets repeatedly to protest the outcome of presidential elections in June.

Government officials, meanwhile, ratcheted up threats against any protests Thursday, vowing to confront demonstrators on the streets and calling for government supporters to turn out in large numbers. Iranian officials have branded protesters as agents of foreign powers.

The Iranian judiciary has handed down a number of harsh sentences against protesters arrested in previous demonstrations, including at least 10 pending death sentences.
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Obama, Gadhafi , Ahmadinejad Address UN General Assembly: Via Voice of America.

World leaders addressing the U.N. General Assembly underscored issues of domestic and international concern as the annual debate got underway Wednesday in New York.

President Barack Obama laid out his vision for U.S. foreign policy in a wide-ranging address.

He called for a "new era of engagement" among nations, saying the United States cannot solve the world's problems alone and urged other nations to share in the responsibility.

"But make no mistake. This cannot be solely America's endeavor. Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone. We have sought in word and deed a new era of engagement with the world. And now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges," he said.
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VOA News - Iran's Ahmadinejad Promotes Holocaust Denial on Eve of UN Visit: Via Voice of America.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is again highlighting his denial of the Holocaust, saying the anger his comments provoke is a source of pride.

Mr. Ahmadinejad's comments Monday come shortly before he heads to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Last week, he said the Holocaust is a lie created by Western nations to justify the creation of Israel.
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Iranian Prosecutors Seek to Shut 2 Reform Parties: Via NYTimes.com .

Iran’s prosecutors moved Tuesday to shut down the nation’s two largest reform parties during a mass trial of former officials, journalists and academics all arrested and charged with conspiring to orchestrate a so-called velvet revolution in Iran.

In the nationally televised hearing, the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sought to repudiate not only individuals charged with crimes but also the entire record of the reform movement. Prosecutors called on the judge to ban the two reform parties, the Islamic Iran Participation Front and the Islamic Revolution Mujahedeen Organization.

The accusations portrayed senior members of the reform movement, as well as journalists and academics, as counterrevolutionary secularists who were leading astray “young people who were experiencing politics for the first time,” according to Iranian news services.
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Iran Puts More Protesters on Trial: Via Voice of America.

Iranian media say Iran has started its fourth mass trial for detainees with charges related to the unrest that followed the June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The reports do not say how many protesters are on trial Tuesday in a Tehran revolutionary court. Several leading reformists are among the defendants, including Iran's former Deputy Interior Minister Mostafa Tajzadeh, former Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Aminzadeh and a former government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh.

Iran put 28 more detainees on trial earlier this month. Iran has used mass trials to prosecute more than 130 people since the election. Those on trial include high-ranking politicians, a French teacher, and Iranian staff of the British and French embassies.
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