Iran Still Going Apeshit; Pakistan Jealous

In a not so shocking development, the Guardian Council of Iran has stated that no voting irregularities occurred before the election not during or after.  They have also stated that there was not enough evidence of voter fraud to overturn the election results and Ahmadinejad will be re-sworn into office sometime between July 26th and August 19th.  All the while, leaders of the opposition and people with ties to candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi are steadily being arrested and detained. 

There appears to be a split in the top leadership of Iran and former president Mohammed Khatami have come out in support of the protesters and even Mr. Khatami's daughter is among those detained.  The website Tehran Bureau, run by Iranian ex-pats, is tracking the arrests which have been happening steadily since June 13th.

On Monday, riot police broke up protests using batons, tear gas and gunfire while the volunteer militia, the Basij, is spreading fear.  Tuesday, President Obama weighed in on the unrest in Iran, condemning the tactics of the regime.  While he also denied that the U.S. is supporting or interfering in the affairs of Iran, covert support would likely be in the U.S.'s best interest as well as in the best interest of the protesters.

In other news, Pakistan was dealt a major blow in its war on the Taliban.  One of the chief rivals of the Taliban, Qari Zainuddin, was shot and killed in northwest Pakistan.  The Pakistani government has been supporting him as a foil to the Taliban's efforts in the region.