The former Iranian President – Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (right) has used a sermon at Friday prayers to re-open the debate about last month’s presidential election.
He said large groups of Iranians had doubts about the election – which returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power – and something must be done to reassure them.
He also said those imprisoned following riots about the election should be allowed to return to their homes.
span lang=”EN-GB”>Supporters of the main opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, attended prayers and chanted his name.
ATOW there are reports of tear gas being fired at Pro-Mousavi supporters at Tehran University.
This follows a week when ;
* the country’s nuclear chief resigned – Gholam Reza Aghazadeh (below), known to be close to Mousavi 
.
* Iranians boycott Nokia phones because the company supplied the government’s monitoring technology …
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BBC World Have Your Say 
I HOPE SO. But since I’m on the outside I don’t know how much and in what way. Only time will tell what type ofchange there was.
No. The entire thing is a farce, meant to make the west think something is “changing” in Iran. Mousavi was on their approved list, he is no different than Ahadminejad, so this story really is a diversion and waste of time. Terrorists bombed multiple hotels in Indonesia, targetting westerners. I think that’s what people should be discussing. There is a history of attacking westerners in that country, remember Bali?
Happy Friday Sabbath Iran. We in the Western World send you our best wishes for a speedy recovery from the Caliphist Fever which has gripped you for these many years.
Selfishly, we hope that the sitting (squirming) President, Mr Avmedinnerjacket, will be too busy, forging ties (rather than voting certificates) with his aging, deluded mentor, The Supreme Being, sorry, Leader, to continue sending us IEDs (Iranian Exported Devices).
We hope too that Iranian ladies are never forced to emulate their unfortunate Afghan sisters of faith by the male thugs who temporarily rule Iran.
All things must pass.
God bless.
It’s too early to say. So far there is little sign that the Khamanei and Ahmadinijad are taking any notice of the protests–and, so far, the officials have been pretty ruthless about clamping down on the demonstrators.
Change is subject to the previous circumstances
and policies adopted by the existing government
under the leadership of Mr. Ahmedi.
Iranian people want Iran become atomoc power
it is the desire of majority
Mr.Ahmedinajad voted tp power in the election
it is wrong to say there was any rigging committed by the ruling party.
Mr.Ahmadinajad’s policies are not favoureable for some particular quarters so want to bring changes in Iran but Iranian people want to keep the present leadership in power.
The past is witness,
Iran still live without foreign ecnomic asistance,
its behave toward Israel is untolrable for some quarters so their keen desire not fulfill in the presence of Ahmadinajad and existing policies of his government.
Why should Iran change? And for whose benefit? The BBC’s or the West’s?
Though there is a sense of discontent among certain people, I don’t think that is enough to bring a dramatic change in Iran.
Iranian Muslims had allowed Shah Iran Change Iran.At the cost of Billions of the dollars distribution to the West .Iran People had the wrong Loyalt y of the Shah.Shah had decided to go without Iranian Public..This brought Islamic Revolution.The Jeoulousy of the Westt created Iran –Iraq war for a decade .The west tested Islamic Revolution Mullahs had their education their democracy and their progress Tested .President Khatemi and President Rafsanjani served the coundtry well .Then came the election of Mousavi vs Ahmedinjad.The supreme Leader of Iran found no evidence of Vote countiong mistake And frauds.Mousavi would not accept the loss in wide wide margin.Anti Iran elements explored flaws in the Iran mechanism which elects Supreme Leader.For them there was a hope to eliminate Ahmedinjad Via eliminating Ayatollah Khameini.The news that Khatemic and Rafsanjani (via arrested family members)Have a chance to change Iran.There is little evidence that Iran Govt will accept Changes and bringback Mousavi Who has challenged integrity of Iran Vote counting Authority.
Iranian Muslims had allowed Shah Iran Change Iran as well as bring Iran Islamic Revolution.The supreme Leader of Iran found no evidence of Vote counting mistake which will require another election.The chance to bring back
Mousavi to overthrow Islamic Regime seem little.
I think that this is a very interesting question. It seems to me that a unique revolutionary spirit exists amongst the citizens of Iran unlike any other place in the world. What I believe we are seeing in Iran is the capability of citizens in a nation to speak out to bring about something. I don’t know if it’s change it; I don’t know how it can be described. But there is something significant happening in Iran and I believe that I believe that the current struggles of Iranians will help serve as an example to others in the world you have yet to know and understand the true value and necessity of their voice against injustice. Iranians are setting a new standard of existence for their nation, not to be like the west or the east, but to be Iran as only they can do it. Inspirational.
I’ve never seen the like in all my 67 years!
It’s young, it’s jubilant, it has started to breathe again. There is a festive mood across Tehran. Pedestrians and car passengers salute each other with V signs!
This is a young society! It has no roots in moldy, archaic and strong-arm tactics.
This generation has been repressed, muzzled and deprived of speech and action for too long! It’s on the right track because it believes in freedom, decency and the right to speak, and allows others to speak their mind.
” Why should Iran change? And for whose benefit? ”
because everything needs to change. the benefit is for people.
its been years that the young people in Iran had questions and doubts about their new goverment stablished since 1979.
their fathers did it.
now they are thnking this is not what their generation want.
first 4 years of Ahmadinezhad presidental putted them under so much preasure more that anytime and what you saw about huge people wanting to vote was because they needed a real change.
now they are looking for that real change.
and I am one of them!
Love, brotherhood, and unity,
i have seen among the Iranian people,
never before this in other nations,
so there is no question of change,
as being wanted by some particular quarters.
Iam very sorry what is going these days inside of Iran ”’ I would like to give some suggestion the president who is ruling the country in this moment,
Mr President as we see This is difficult situation day after day it’s escalating and I’m afraid civil war can be happen, Iranian people have been facing many problem since u took over the country, by the way this is time that you have to resign please as soon as possible do that,, Iranian people need freedom in their country, but since you took over the country it was look like that the Iranian people are under colonization. We are hoping that you will resign these coming days.
I agree with Akbar, Iran is changing. What do you have to lose when the state wants to take your youth?
@Akbar Javadi – I hope you’re right & I am wrong. But here’s my answer to the question “Has Iran changed forever?”
Not as far as I can see – Khamanei is still there, Ahmadinajad is still there. All that’s happening is that the same old crowd is playing the old games of musical chairs in order to distract the west and the Iranian people.
I can’t see things changing until someone, who doesn’t have a role in the Iranian version of The Good & The Great, can get enough support across all of society (including the security services and the rural communities) to overthrow the current regime. In other words another Khomeini, who’d preferably be someone whos not a card carrying Ayotollah or Shah or any relation or associate thereof.
Rafsanjani, Harroubi and Mousavi are no solution, they are part of the problem. Each of them have form, in that they’ve been responsible for the oppression of – women, students, dissidents. liberals etc, over the past 30 years.
Dear Sir, Nothing has changed when I have just read of the killing of Women and Children, which is barbaric. They come across to the outside World that they are nothing but heathens, and have no desire for Peace.
A change is continuing to happen. But it’s ironic that Iranians will do what’s necessary to try to change. In the States, millions say they want change. But nobody can be bothered to take action. Why?
@T – are you saying that Barry’s election was not a collective action on the part of the US electorate in favour of change?
That’s what your media and the likes of the BBC keeps telling us. Although it seems to me that the new US regime looking, smelling and sounding increasingly Clinton-esque.
I don’t think it will never change until the dictatorship is overthrown, and the old men put in jail never to see the light of day. They are like dictators anywhere, under the guise of overseeing the good of the country. No good can come from unelected dictators deciding on the govt of the day, and the spread of votes not counted is just too large. Interesting is the fact that it is the young, educated people, in the cities, who should be excited about the future of a country with so much oil, what it can do. Yet the old men continue with polices that ensure the disdain of the industrialized world, giving the uneducated no future, note the unemployment rate. Like Turkey, it is the uneducated, the country people, and this is not meant to be disrespectble, that are controlled by the propaganda of the govt to supposed bad influences to divert there attention from the true problems within the country. North Korea and Iran, really not much difference to me except geography.
Iran and changing? The Iranian people and their top officials are never going to change! They are responsible for most of the chaos afflicting the Middle East. Look at the Lebanon War, Palestine Israel conflict, Iraq conundrum,Kurdish separation and the list goes on!
The Iranians just like to fight guerilla wars and dont have the balls to face up! They being chaged is like having a magic wand which changes a white cloth to black! Next to impossible and only possible in fiction.
I believe the current events in Iran are following a set script. Rafsanjani and others are with the regime but just showing through their public pronouncements that they are bitter about the elections! All this crisis has done is take the steam out of their nuclear programme.
Iran is always going be the same and its people just want to renegade and leave Iran at the very oppurtunity! What a bunch of wannabes!!
Why arent people amassing and why are we seeing only a few hundred supporters or a few thousand? Dont they understand its their Watergate.
Well done the Iranian regime for hoodwinking everyone again. We should never trust them.
For change,
needs revolution and there is no chances of revolution
in the near future,
internally and externally.
Change in Iran is about of attitude but i seen no change so far rather than polices beating up young people on Tehran streets in both day & night.However, change is not about Iran alone but it also needs other countries to changes their thinking towards Iran.
Agitation is not the solution of the existing political problem,
there is possibility that it creat untoward situation which may lead further conflict,
every country has a constitution, iran has also constitution like other democratic countries.
Iran has a good legal system, there is judiciary which has authority to decide complicated social and political matters.
After delivering sermon by the former president,in which recent election has been targeted and in view of the unrest created in the public the matter may approach the apex court.
In case, the apex court take sue moto notice of the issue it will be better.
as we think, in this way no change will come but historic judhement acceptable to all including Iranian people and political parties, groups and former leadership.