Iranian updates (keep refreshing page#45)

He went to a polling station on the day of the election not having shaved for a couple of days - which gave him the appearance of a Basij or a plain-clothed pro-regime type. When he handed his ID notebook in order to cast his vote, the authorities didn't bother to stamp it to confirm that he had already done so and was ineligible to cast any further ballots - they assumed from his appearance he was pro-Ahmadinejad and so wanted to give him the chance to vote again.. He voted for Mousavi - and taking advantage of the official hospitality - he went straight to another polling station and cast another vote for Mousavi. It was to no avail and that's not what the tacit nod towards casting a second vote was designed to achieve. But it's a fascinating insight into the jiggery-pokery that went on in election day.Robert Tait @TheGuardian

An Iranian protester holding an anti-British placard kicks burning flags during a demonstration in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Photograph: Javad Moghimi/AP

Jeremy Bowen BBC reports less militia on streets when he toured 1 hour ago #iranelection #gr88 less than 20 seconds ago from TweetDeck

Despite fantasies of insurrection in some of the more fevered Western media assessments of the confrontation, the balance of forces appears to militate against a knockout blow by either side. U.S.-based Iran scholar Farideh Farhi, speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations, stressed that Ahmadinejad and the Supreme leader may not have the majority of the people behind them, "but they do have support. They also have the resources of the state - both financial and military. So that makes them quite robust."
At the same time, Farhi notes, the opposition coalition includes some very powerful figures from within the regime, who together command the support of a large section of the population. Thus, she warns, "To assume that this will lead ultimately to a victory of one over the other is unrealistic as well as dangerous because it may come at the cost of tremendous violence." More likely, she argues, is the pursuit of some sort of compromise that allows the regime to back down to some extent, without necessarily surrendering.@Time via HuffPo

There are numerous Twitter reports of demonstrations taking place in Tehran. One says the protests are at six locations: Bahareset, Valiasr, Enghelab, Vanak, Tajrish, Sadehgieh.

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Army Helycopters flying over Baharestan and Vali Asr Sq. #iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from web

7:13 AM ET -- Demonstrations going local. An editor for the Kahylan newspaper notes to Al Jazeera that university students are now returning to their home towns, and bringing demonstrations with them. "In provinces, where people were before gathering in universities, in recent days were are seeing people gathering in main squares."@HuffPo

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The Iranian authorities and their lackeys in the state-controlled media are trying to launch a counter-offensive on the Neda phenomenon, writes Robert Tait.

Jomhouri Islami newspaper is blaming her shooting on snipers from the MKO (a militant group calling for the overthrow of the republic). It said the group exploited the lack of security created by the demonstrations.

Javan, another pro-regime paper, blamed an even more unlikely source - my friend and recently expelled BBC correspondent Jon Leyne. It claims that Leyne hired "thugs" to shoot her so he could then make a documentary film.

Meanwhile, the government has forbidden hospitals from releasing deaths certificates that give shooting as the cause of death.

@TheGuardian

Shrin Ebadi, an Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel peace prize winner, has offered to represent the family of Neda Agha Soltan, the woman whose death was captured on that horrific video.

"I am personally prepared to legally represent her family against the people who ordered the shooting and those who fired at her. This act was against the law," she told al-Jazeera.

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Interior Minister says some 'foreign nationals' have been arrested in Tehran during protets. Some with British passports, #iranelection half a minute ago from web

The supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says he won't yield to pressure on the election, according to a Twitter flash from Reuters.

"I had insisted and will insist on implementing the law on the election issue ... Neither the establishment nor the nation will yield to pressure at any cost," Khamenei said in his first remarks since Obama's press conference.

Unrest in Iran: Incident Statistics and Map for Protests, Arrests, and Deaths@IranTracker