TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s supreme leader sought Friday to end the deepening crisis over disputed elections with one decisive speech — declaring the vote will almost certainly stand and warning opposition leaders to end street protests or be held responsible for any "bloodshed and chaos” to come.
But a first sign of possible resistance came shortly after nightfall in Tehran. Cries of "Death to the dictator!” and "God is great” rang from rooftops in what’s become a nightly ritual of opposition unity.
The sharp line drawn by Iran’s most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a gambit that pushes Iran’s opposition to a pivotal moment: either back down or risk a crushing response from police and the forces at Khamenei’s disposal — the Revolutionary Guard and their volunteer citizen militia, the Basij.
It also presents tests for opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
He now must examine his willingness to challenge the Islamic leadership he once served as prime minister. There are further questions about his ability to control his own followers, who are waiting for a clear response to Khamenei’s edict before a rally planned for today.
Since the June 12 election, Mousavi has become the figurehead for a broad collection of demonstrators — from the liberal-leaning reformists to religious conservatives — brought together by claims that fraud was behind the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Some could be prepared to take their protests to the limit. Many others, however, have no interest in an all-out mutiny against the country’s Islamic system.
by the associated press
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