Leader of Iran Opposition Toughens Line on Government

NYT – Excerpt: Mir Hussein Moussavi, the Iranian opposition leader, made some of his harshest remarks against Iran’s rulers on Tuesday in an interview published on his Web site, calling their behavior dictatorial and terrifying. The remarks by Mr. Moussavi, whom supporters regard as the real winner of Iran’s contested presidential elections last June, appeared to be part of a broader opposition effort to counter an intensified crackdown by the government ahead of the Feb. 11 anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when many expect new street protests to erupt. Mr. Moussavi’s remarks came as the government in Tehran announced that nine imprisoned antigovernment protesters would soon be hanged. Two were hanged last week. In the interview, Mr. Moussavi said the executions were aimed at ‘terrifying people’ into submission. ‘The majority of people believed in the beginning of the revolution that the roots of dictatorship and despotism were abolished,’ he said. ‘I was one of them but now I don’t have the same beliefs. You can still find the elements and roots that lead to dictatorship.'”