100 Prominent Opposition Members Arrested in Iran

The crack down that had begun with a stolen election continues:

TEHRAN, Iran — The Iranian authorities detained more than 100 prominent opposition members, and on Sunday unrest continued for a second day across Iran in the wake of the country’s disputed presidential election.

The leading opposition candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, issued a fresh statement calling for the election results to be canceled, as his supporters skirmished with a vast deployment of riot police and militia members on the edges of a victory rally organized by the government in central Tehran.

A moderate clerical body, the Association of Combatant Clergy, issued a statement posted on reformist web sites saying the election was rigged and calling for it to be canceled, warning that “if this process becomes the norm, the republican aspect of the regime will be damaged and people will lose confidence in the system.”

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the opposition’s allegations of large-scale election fraud, saying his landslide victory had given him a bigger mandate than ever. He hinted that Mr. Moussavi — who remained at home Sunday with police closely monitoring his movements — might be punished for his defiance.“He ran a red light, and he got a traffic ticket,” Mr. Ahmadinejad said of his rival, during a news conference at the presidential palace.

Having refused to protect his opposition for, violence, its clear a coup has occurred. Admittedly its a soup by those already in power, but its takeover none the less.

Talk about throwing down the gauntlet:

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Fresh clashes broke out between police and protesters Sunday as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a victory rally and opposition supporters claimed ballot fraud in Friday's presidential election Ahmadinejad, the hard-line incumbent, defeated reformist rival Mir Hossein Moussavi, a former prime minister, in the election, according to official results.

Backers of Moussavi have been denouncing the results. On Sunday, a letter that appeared to be written by Moussavi requested that the government annul the contested results. The letter was circulated among Moussavi's supporters and posted on his campaign Web site, which has published previously confirmed statements from Moussavi.

"I see this as the only solution to restore the public trust and support of the people for their government," it states.The letter calls on Iran's Guardian Council to nullify the results. The Council is a constitutionally mandated body of six clerics and six jurists, which functions as Iran's electoral authority and has other powers.

Conflicting reports emerged about Moussavi's location Sunday.

Its still up in the air what Moussavi's end game is, Iran is on the brink and we can only hope for the best out come.