Analysis: Rafsanjani holds the cards, but close to vest

Iran stands at a crossroads between the opposition movement and the Islamic regime, which has cracked down on protesters who dispute the election results that gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second term. Some analysts say that Iran’s former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani could play a key role in resolving the political crisis.

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Murray: ‘I’m ready to win Wimbledon’

World number three and Britain’s great tennis hope, Andy Murray, has told CNN he is ready to win Wimbledon at this year’s tournament. The 22-year-old kicks off his bid to become the first home-grown player to win the men’s title at the All England Club for 73 years, when he takes on America’s Robby Kendrick today. Kendrick, the world 76, has lost all three of his previous meetings with Murray, boosting the Scot’s hopes he can match Fred Perry’s feat of lifting the title back in 1936.

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Guardian Council rules out nullifying election

Iran’s Guardian Council has ruled out the possibility of nullifying the results of the country’s disputed presidential election, saying irregularities were reported before the balloting — not during or after. The announcement, reported by Iran’s government-funded Press TV on Tuesday, was another in a series of inconsistent stances by the council on how to handle the unrest stemming from the disputed June 12 race. “If a major breach occurs in an election, the Guardian Council may annul the votes that come out of a particular affected ballot box, polling station, district or city, like how it was done in the parliamentary elections,” council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei was quoted as saying late Monday

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Pete Hoekstra: Internet Meme

Pity Pete Hoekstra. His only crime was to make the oh-so-obvious comparison between oppressed Iranians and the GOP. “Iranian twitter activity similar to what we did in House last year when Republicans were shut down in the House,” the Michigan Congressman, who is running for governor, tweeted June 17

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Rwandan guilty of genocide jailed for 30 years

A former Rwandan official was sentenced to 30 years in jail for his role in the death of "thousands of Tutsi refugees" in country’s 1994 genocide, a court announced Monday. Iran’s influential parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, submitted the request Monday to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission which called on the Foreign Ministry to review the relationship, the report said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran favors the expansion of relations with all countries, but will never accept interference of other states in its internal affairs,” commission spokesman Kazem Jalali said, according to Press TV

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Iran’s parliament speaker criticizes election authority

Iran’s influential parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani implied Saturday that the election authority sided with a certain candidate as thousands of defiant anti-government protesters once again swept into the streets of the capital. A stream of videos posted on social networking Web sites depicted tense scenes and chaos — sounds of gunshots, images of helicopters whirring overhead and wounded men and women being carried away. The extent of deaths or injuries remained unclear.

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On Scene: Among the Protesters in Tehran

Iran is preparing for a potentially violent confrontation between the government and supporters of Mir-Hossein Mousavi on Saturday. While messages on Twitter and other social networking sites indicate much concern about safety, many opposed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insist they will attend the rally called by Mousavi. Several drew inspiration from a protest march on Thursday, an account of which TIME received on Friday morning.

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Moussavi calls for day of mourning in Tehran’s streets

Supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi planned to turn Tehran into a sea of black Thursday when thousands of them march, dressed in dark clothes, to mourn comrades killed or wounded while calling for a new presidential election. Demonstrators expected to start their rallies from mosques across the Iranian capital, converging in a city square Thursday afternoon, for what is expected to be one of the largest protests since last Friday’s disputed election

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Iran bans foreign journalists from covering rallies

Iran’s government Tuesday banned foreign media from covering rallies in Tehran being held in the wake of last week’s disputed presidential election. The decision comes after video footage emerged showing violence at demonstrations in support of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi. Moussavi has contested the results of Friday’s election, which showed an overwhelming victory for hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

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