IRAN: Police, soldiers massing along protest route

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Conflicting reports and a media blackout mean it is still not clear whether there will be a protest today. The rally for supporters of presidential challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi was set to begin at 4 p.m. Iranian time. But the opposition appears to be at a critical juncture: To defy Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to back down or create a new strategy.

Shopkeepers along the protest route in Tehran were asked to close their stores before the scheduled start of the march. By early afternoon, anti-riot police and soldiers could be seen massing along the route. Empty buses were parked nearby, presumably to haul away arrested protesters.

Tehran Deputy Police Chief Ahmad Reza Radan announced that “as of today, no form of illegal gathering to protest against the election results should take place,” according to state television. He also warned that anyone who directed protesters to gather in the streets would be liable for arrest.

Opposition figures, however, are reporting on Facebook and other social networks that the demonstration will go forward. There were reports that protesters were gathering, but no indication of the size of the crowd.

Iranian state television is reporting that there will be a partial recount of votes from the June 12 elections. ‘Although the Guardian Council is not legally obliged ... we are ready to recount 10% of the [ballot] boxes randomly in the presence of representatives of the three [defeated] candidates,’ a council spokesman said.

-- Borzou Daragahi in Tehran

-- Jeffrey Fleishman in Cairo