Bloomberg: Regime forces supported by fighters from the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah have moved north after defeating rebels in al-Qusair, a setback that triggered concern in Washington that Iran and its Lebanese ally are tipping the balance in favor of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
Assad prepares offensive as Obama promises rebels arms
Iran’s Khamenei urges large election turnout, takes swipe at U.S
Reuters: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged a large turnout in presidential elections on Friday, and said he did not “give a damn” about U.S. suggestions that the ballot was unfair.
Iran votes in key presidential contest
AFP: Iran chooses a new president Friday in an election the reformists hope their sole candidate will win in the face of divided conservative ranks, four years after the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
British lawmakers back Iranian resistance
Scoop: Ahead of major international gathering of Iranians in Paris on June 22, ‘Onward to Freedom’, British lawmakers back Iranian Resistance and express ‘deep concern’ for dissidents in Iraq.
Canada urges Iranians to make voices heard in election
AFP: Calling Iran’s presidential election a “sham,” Canada’s top diplomat urged Iranians Thursday to “make their voices heard” by casting protest ballots, boycotting the vote or using satire to express criticism.
Social media abuzz as Iran heads to poll
AFP: The social networking websites which helped mobilise anti-regime protests in 2009 are buzzing again — this time urging Iranians to be sure to vote on Friday when Iran elects a new president.
Hardliners still split as Iran election campaign ends
Reuters: Campaigning in Iran’s presidential election ended on Thursday, a day before the vote in which the sole moderate candidate has an outside chance of stealing victory from his hardline rivals.
Azerbaijan to try 29 over Eurovision plot
AFP: The ministry said at the time that the group had links with neighbouring Iran and was planning attacks on the concert hall where Eurovision was held, police buildings, hotels used by foreigners, mosques and other religious sites in the Caucasus state.
Economy not for donkeys as crisis tops Iran voter concerns
Bloomberg: Decades after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini dismissed it as an asinine matter following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, fixing the worst economy in about 20 years tops the list of issues voters in tomorrow’s election say they care about, according to the Iranian Students Polling Agency.
Iran votes Friday on a president, but the ballot is quite limited
Washington Post: Iran’s last presidential election four years ago offered hope of real change in its theocratic regime, through the reformist Green movement. But if the race to elect a replacement to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad alters anything, it may be for the worse — at least from the West’s point of view.
