Iran Focus: Brussels, Jul. 10 – A news agency run by the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed that Israel was “using the mask of Al-Qaeda and [Abu Musab”> Zarqawi to hunt down diplomats based in Iraq” and that “the London bombings were also part of the mischief by Israel”. “Israel is now in control of religious extremists, particularly the Wahabis and the Salafis, in Arabia and North Africa”, it claimed. Fars News Agency used as its source “a senior Iraqi security official who requested anonymity” to claim that “the role of Israel in terrorist attacks and sabotage in Iraq is becoming clearer by the day”.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jul. 10 – In a poignant letter to Iran’s outgoing President Mohammad Khatami, Hojjatol-Islam Mehdi Karroubi accused “an autocratic political clique” of making use of “part of the armed forces and government employees” and taking advantage of “this country’s resources and manpower to conduct illegal activities”. He said fake ballots were used in two provinces to bolster the vote for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the first round of the election to allow him to go on to the second round.

Iran Focus: London/Berlin/Washington, DC, Jul. 10 – Iranian exiles in 40 different cities in Europe and North America held rallies, gatherings, and seminars on Saturday to mark the sixth anniversary of a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy students in Iran. Participants in the rallies also strongly condemned the July 7 bombings in London which claimed more than 50 lives. Protesters carried signs reading “Punish the REAL terrorists” and urged the international community to support the Iranian opposition’s efforts to bring about democratic change in Iran.

Iran Focus: London, Jul. 10 – Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed a top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as the country’s new police chief, the state-run news agency reported. In a decree that was read out on the state radio, Ayatollah Khamenei said the police forces’ top priority was “to create security all over the country at a level worthy of the Islamic Republic”. Brigadier General Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, the number two in the paramilitary Bassij and commander of the force in Greater Tehran, is a long-time ally of President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.