Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

More Discussion and Analysis of the Highly Disputed Election in Iran

Aired June 14, 2009 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good afternoon, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It is a highly-disputed election. In the streets of Tehran tonight, more visible signs from people angry about the reelection of Iran's president. Despite that sentiment, earlier today, the contrasting views. Tens of thousands of supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a victory rally. Ahmadinejad responded to critics calling the election a fraud.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): People's response, 40 million people who participated in the elections are present right now. Close to 25 million people who cast their votes in my favor are also present right now. And they will repeat such epics in the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is in Tehran with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today was a day when the streets of Tehran belonged to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A huge rally was convened and organized in one of the main squares downtown and overhead video, from helicopters belonging to Iranian state television shows the huge crowd surging into the streets leading off that main square.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the rally and he congratulated the people of Iran on their historic turnout and also addressed the controversy around his re-election. He says that 40 million people, well 39 million people had turned out and he had 25 million of those votes and those who are protesting were just in effect, sore losers.

In a very combative and defiant press conference just earlier, he spoke to the international and the local press, and again, he rejected all the questions that are coming out about the legitimacy of the election and he rejected the protesters on the street, calling them just a handful of dissatisfied people who had expected to win and they didn't. When one of the reporters asked him about the questions and about the controversy, he had this to say. AHMADINEJAD: Who dares even thinking about this? These are certain statements made by certain media. No power has been able of threatening Iran. The situation in the world has changed. Today is the era of nations. There is the era of logic and thoughts. It's the era of major changes and developments. And, of course, the Iranian nation is a powerful nation. And at the same time, it supports peace and brotherhood and at the same time, defends its interests strongly and to make the aggressive feel remorse.

AMANPOUR: Mr. Ahmadinejad was also asked about Iran's nuclear program and relations with the United States. He did say that his country was putting all governments on alert that he was watching to see how they were reacting to this election and as he said, the will of the people.

In terms of the nuclear program, he said that this was a closed issue. Iran would continue its peaceful nuclear program but that he is also to debate President Barack Obama at the United Nations on this issue. And in response to the fact that all options are still on the table, he said with the U.S. and with Israel, he said who would dare to even think about attacking Iran now? As for the challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, his whereabouts have been unknown. There are conflicting reports as to where he might be.

I asked whether Mr. Ahmadinejad would guarantee Mr. Mousavi's security and why had other members of the opposition being arrested. He didn't answer directly but in a roundabout way he indicated that Mr. Mousavi had infringed the law and therefore was being punished, however later, the police issued a statement saying that they had not arrested Mr. Mousavi.

Mousavi himself is now sending a letter, according to his website, to try to ask the guardian council in charge of elections here to nullify the election result. He's also asking for a permit so that his supporters around the country are able to demonstrate peacefully. He is also calling on his supporters to avoid violence. Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Tehran, Iran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we are getting reports of arrests of Ahmadinejad opponents. These photos are getting out of the Islamic republic through social networking sites. The submitter wants to stay anonymous for fear of possible retribution. Here is an idea of why. Fully armed Iranians riot police on the streets of Tehran today, as you see. Supporters of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi chanted "death to the dictatorship" and other anti-Ahmadinejad slogans. We're also getting reports of street clashes today between protesters and police.

The Iranian election was the focus of protests right here in the U.S. as well in many different cities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is my vote? Where is my vote? (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That's from a rally in Washington, D.C. where Iranian-Americans chanted "where is my vote"? Besides Washington, take a look at the different boxes here. There were protests in New York as well as in California. The New York rally took place just outside the United Nations building where they chanted "Ahmadinejad, shame on you" and about 100 people turned out for a demonstration in San Francisco. There is also similar demonstrations taking place in Los Angeles. We will give you another view of the one in Los Angeles a little bit later on.

The Obama administration is keeping a close eye on the volatile event in Iran. Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House with more on that. Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, White House officials are being very cautious in their public comments about Iran. They obviously don't want to be seen as in anyway interfering with the process but they're also not leaving any doubt, they are skeptical of the results.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO (voice-over): As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad celebrated what he called his re-election, vice president Joe Biden made clear the Obama administration has doubts.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: We don't have all the details it sure looks like the way they are suppressing speech, the way they are suppressing crowds, the way in which people are being treated what that there's some real doubt about that.

QUIJANO: Despite reports of voting irregularities, vice president Biden did not signal the administration would back away from efforts to engage the Iranian government but he insisted the U.S. position on Iran's nuclear program will not change.

BIDEN: Our interests are the same before the election as after the election and that is we want to desist and decease from seeking a nuclear weapon and having one in its possession and secondly to stop supporting terror.

QUIJANO: Analysts say if Ahmadinejad remains in power, the U.S. will have no choice but to deal with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be very difficult for the Obama administration to say that no we want to speak to different (inaudible) in Tehran given the influence which Iran has major issues of critical importance to U.S. foreign policy from nuclear proliferation to Iraq and to Afghanistan.

QUIJANO: But with Ahmadinejad's history of anti-Israeli rhetoric and statements denying the holocaust, Israel could grow impatient.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we need to basically make sure that our allies are calm enough and not do anything rash.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO: Now, domestically there is also pressure on the Obama administration to get tougher with Iran. In a statement, Senator Joe Lieberman says the Iranian regime had "made a mockery of democracy" and he called on President Obama and lawmakers to express solidarity with the Iranian people. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, Elaine, something else on the radar for the White House and the rest of the world, and now for the first time, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also saying now possibly a two-state solution for the Palestinians and Israel. What is the White House saying to that?

QUIJANO: Yes. Just a short time ago, Fredricka, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued a written statement basically welcoming this as an important step forward and that statement went on to say, "the president is committed to two states, a Jewish state of Israel and an independent Palestine in the historic homeland of both people. He believes the solution can and must ensure both Israel's security and the fulfillment of the Palestinians' legitimate aspirations for a viable state and he welcomes Prime Minister Netanyahu's endorsement of that goal."

Now noticeably absent, interestingly, any kind of talk of freezing of Israeli settlements, that's of course, something that the Obama administration very much wants to see. Fredericka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Elaine Quijano. Thanks so much. Appreciate that.

Well, let's talk a little bit more about what Prime Minister Netanyahu had said and what might be next and what are the possible stipulations to all of this? Paula Hancocks joins us now from Jerusalem with more on that. So, exactly what is Netanyahu agreeing to or is at least setting the stage for the next step in continued talks on this?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, there was nothing radically new in this speech but there was something new for the Israeli Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu finally endorsing a demilitarized Palestinian state. Now, all along with previous Israeli administrations as well, it was never expected that any Palestinian state wouldn't be allowed to be militarized, wouldn't be allowed to have its own army, there was also the concern with Israel that it had to have its secure borders and that security was always the number one issue.

But previous Israeli administration had already agreed to this demilitarized Palestinian state. So the Palestinians, they weren't happy with what they heard. They said he didn't go far enough. It was an important speech but one Palestinian legislator (inaudible) we spoke to said he hasn't endorsed a state, he has endorsed a ghetto, saying that a Palestinian state must have its own border controls and its own airspace. Now, a couple of other headlines from this speech on the issue of Jerusalem. He said Jerusalem will remain the undivided capital of Israel. Again, Palestinians reject this. They claim east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. On the issue of settlements, this is something that was watched very closely. Mr. Netanyahu said there had would no new settlements and there will be no land confiscated for settlements but there would be natural growth allowed in existing settlement blocks and this is in direct opposition to what the U.S. President Barack Obama had been calling for which was an immediate freeze on all settlement activity.

And then finally on the right to return, he said there would be no right of return for Palestinian refugees who have to leave their homes back in 1948 when the state of Israel was created. So certainly, nothing radically new, Palestinians have said it didn't to go far enough, they're not happy with what they have heard. We even heard some of them say that it showed there is no partner for peace in Israel but for Mr. Netanyahu, it does show that he has managed to appease his coalition, which is more right-wing and more pro-settler. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Paula Hancocks in Jerusalem, thank you so much.

All right. Meantime, we are going to talk some more about our other big story you top story, Iran. We are going to be joined by a former translator for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad coming up next with his perspective on the outcome of the disputed Iranian election and what sort of meetings might be taking place already in country so that perhaps the opposition can continue to maintain some of its momentum.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Our eye on Iran now, as seen through the lens of a CNN I-reporter. The reporter who supports defeated challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi asked not to be identified because of possible retribution from the Iranian government. The video was shot yesterday in Tehran as the protests first erupted.

All right. Developments are being closely monitored by Iranians living abroad. Hooman Madj was born in Tehran but has lived outside Iran for most of his life now. He is also a former translator for re- elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and is related to the former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. He joins us now from New York. So based on what you had been seeing, whether it be the momentum leading up to the election and the signs of protest afterwards what would have been your observations? What are your thoughts?

HOOMAN MAJD, IRANIAN-AMERICAN WRITER: Well, I think that there is a lot of skepticism about the results of the election and, you know, the skepticism is well placed. It doesn't seem, based on - I was there until about 12 days ago, it didn't seem right that Ahmadinejad would win -

WHITFIELD: 12 days ago, what was the tone like in Iran? MAJD: Well, it was very - a month ago, when I was there a month ago, a little over a month ago for a music magazine, the tone was apathetic. Nobody really seemed to care very much. It seemed that Ahmadinejad was going to win easily because there wasn't a real opposition to him and people were apathetic. Within a matter of weeks a couple of weeks, the tone changed dramatically and almost anywhere you went, and again, you know, people talk about Tehran being not representative of Iran and I traveled throughout the country, well mostly north and south, and everywhere you went there seemed to be a real wave of enthusiasm for the opponent or at least anyone but Ahmadinejad.

WHITFIELD: OK. You mentioned you were in Tehran because you were working with a music magazine. You have a long-standing career in the entertainment industry before also making a turn and being a full-time journalist as well. Let me ask you though, this is now being qualified as one of the worst visible signs of unrest in about 10 years or so.

MAJD: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Do you see that this sort of unrest will actually promote some sort of change that maybe a lot of supporters of the opposition - they were hoping for change from election but consequently, will this type of unrest actually promote a new type of change, a different direction?

MAJD: Well I think that the authorities in charge in Iran can't fail but notice that the people in Iran, certainly the big cities and urban centers, are very dissatisfied. I think that these thing - unfortunately, I don't think there's going to be a recount, despite the fact that Mir Hossein Mousavi has asked for one or asked for a nullification of the vote.

Right now, the regime is kind of slowly coming together. The Speaker of Parliament Larijani has expressed his support now. One of the conservative opponents Moussandra Zai(ph) who was a former revolutionary guard, who is very anti-Ahmadinejad.

WHITFIELD: So you really don't see any turning back at this point?

MAJD: At this point, I don't see any turning back but I also don't think that the regime can fail to notice that the people are extremely dissatisfied. And it had to be some sort of change.

WHITFIELD: Ahmadinejad did come out today and he dismissed all of these displays. He essentially equated it to the passions after a football match, a soccer match. He says it's not necessarily that important. Does that only kind of further embroil the opposition or that momentum, this feeling from opposition supporters who say they don't like the outcome?

MAJD: Absolutely. Because, I mean, the analogy is not perfect because soccer matches are generally considered to be fair. The opposition right now doesn't think this was a fair match. I think if he had won by what the sense was in the last few days, and Iranian elections are, by the way, very unpredictable, so it is possible for someone to win an election that nobody thinks they are going to win. But to win on the kind of scale that he did and with the way it was announced and the way the vote was counted, there are a lot of questions that haven't been answered. So I don't think opposition and certainly a lot of people who came out and Iran is a very young country, the youth turned out in huge, huge numbers, clearly not voting for the incumbent president, I think they feel like it wasn't a fair match.

WHITFIELD: I prefaced this interview by saying and revealing that you were a former translator for Ahmadinejad. So, now, on a personal note, I would love for you to kind of expound on your relations with him, what your observations were working with him in such close quarters and if that's the same man that we are seeing exhibited today?

MAJD: Well, I mean, I - it's not totally accurate. Yes, I did translate for him a couple of times at the U.N. and my - the reason I did it was for journalistic reasons, I wasn't a paid translator of his. And I did meet with him a bunch of times. I have seen him. I have spoken to him. I wrote about my experiences. That was my condition that I would do it if I could write about it. I wrote it both in articles but also in my book.

WHITFIELD: What did you notice about his word choice, because you had to pay very close attention to his word and try to translate closest to the meaning as possible. But I know in - depending on certain languages, it's difficult to make literal translation and there is a lot of to read into certain word choices that are made?

MAJD: Absolutely. I mean, he actually doesn't - he actually speaks very clearly. His speeches are very clear. Crystal clear. And they are uncomfortable to be honest with you in some cases, some of the choices of words are very - I mean, they are very clear what he is saying. There is no ambiguity when it comes to the issue of Israel or when it comes to the issue of how he is discussing the United States. But in general, he's actually a reasonably charming person and a consummate politician in many ways. He certainly comes across that way. I don't think - but his behavior in the last couple of years and certainly over the last few weeks has been - I would say a little defensive and he's clearly someone who decided that he is going to do whatever he wants regardless of what anybody says.

Even his statement, you know, about comparing this election to a soccer match and the opposition being sore losers, you know, is completely neglecting. And intentionally so, neglecting the fact what people don't consider it fair. You know and when you look at the debate he had with Mousavi has made a point opponent, his actions in that debate, you know holding up files and saying we have files on your wife and stuff like that.

WHITFIELD: Intimidation.

MAJD: Intimidation. WHITFIELD: We're hearing a lot of people who have been taking to the streets, those that we had a chance to talk to and others that I simply read about who say that they do fear some repercussions as a result of letting your voices be heard.

MAJD: Yes. I think that there has been a lot of intimidation whether it was the arrest of a few people that I happen to know, Reza Khatami, the brother of former president Mohammad Khatami. He was arrested last night. He was released in the early morning.

WHITFIELD: OK.

MAJD: And other people who have been -

WHITFIELD: Sorry.

MAJD: Yes. Go ahead.

WHITFIELD: So, we are just out of time.

MAJD: OK. No problem.

WHITFIELD: Fascinating story. I know we will have you back. Because we're going to continue to talk about this, I'm sure in the days to come, if not weeks to come. Hooman Madj, many, many titles, journalist, a writer, an author of the book "The Ayatollah begs to differ." Thanks so much and not to forget, also a former translator for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while working at the U.N.. Thanks so much. Appreciate your time.

MAJD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Challenging weather, it's something we're going to be focusing on, in this country, many parts of the country dealing with some pretty nasty stuff right there. We will take a look at the big mess being left there in western Tennessee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A pretty good day to keep the umbrella handy. A lot of you maybe seeing some wet, very dangerous weather. Let's bring in our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Fredricka. Yes, things are kind of spotty all over this afternoon and most of the activity in the nation's midsection and then across the deep south. Check out the severe weather risk area today. You know, it's kind of covering a lot of real estate there, but this is going to be the focus of severe storms over the next couple of days, large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes from Montana all the way down to Mississippi.

Now, we are looking at quite a few watches out there now. One tornado watch in particular with dangerous conditions at this hour. A tornado has been spotted. This is in Goshen and Platt counties in Wyoming. There you can see Cheyenne and Laramie, just to kind of put it in perspective for you. This storm has also been producing softball-sized hail. Yes, about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. That is really extreme and gives you a good idea of just the updraft or the lift in the power and the force in that storm.

In the deep south, we've been watching a complex of thunderstorms, that's been diving down through the south, through parts of Alabama, producing some very strong and potentially damaging winds. It could be as strong as 60 to 70 miles per hour moving down through the Dothan area right now. And that's moving down along the i-10 corridor and down towards Tallahassee about an hour from now.

Just spotty thunderstorms here across the Ohio River Valley area, from Cincy down towards Louisville and into Bowling Green. So be aware of some heavy downpours and a lot of lightning there. In the northeast, well we've got a kind of lame weather system, I guess, so to speak, compared to the other action that we have going on. It's just kind of a nuisance more than anything else, with some cool and damp conditions but with overcast skies and some of these light showers and we do have problems at the airport.

If you're traveling to Boston, Logan, we've got some delays, around 30 minutes. 40 minutes now around JFK and about half an hour out of Newark. Tomorrow's forecast showing that chance of severe weather pretty much right where it is once again for today. Fredericka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui. Appreciate it.

And much more straight ahead, more on our top story, Iran, President Ahmadinejad, asked about the safety of his political rivals. See if you can decipher his answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Updating our top story here. Iran's president says he was the winner of a free and fair election. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke to supporters at a huge rally in Tehran today, declaring that Friday's vote counts giving him a landslide victory was legitimate, despite his claims, anti-government protests continue and his top opponent, Hossein Mousavi wants the results thrown out, he is asking the cleric and judges on Iran's powerful guardian council to annul the election..

Earlier, Ahmadinejad held a news conference and CNN's Christiane Amanpour asked whether he would guarantee the personal safety of the opposition candidate, Mousavi. When Ahmadinejad ducked the question, of course, Christian tried again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR (voice over): May have missed the translation. I was asking whether you were going to -- no, just the first question. Last night, you said you were the president of all --

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Yes, I did respond to your question. I said that people come out of the stadium, one person maybe angry answered may pass the traffic light, violating the traffic regulation and he will be fined by the police. He is also a member of the Iranian nation. Of course he has been fined for just violating the traffic rules. This has nothing to do with your question. I'm president of all Iranians, as I have been the past four years. All people are respected. And all people are equal before the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Reaction to Iran's disputed election is pouring in from around the world. Take a look at these pictures coming to us this afternoon from Sydney, Australia, and then in London, a repeat of a scene we are seeing elsewhere, protestors holding up signs asking where is my vote in the majority of these protestors are in support of the opposition, which has lost the election.

We have also been monitoring similar protests right here in the U.S. Earlier this afternoon, I spoke with a number of people here in the U.S. as well as abroad who feel they have intimate interest in Iran. This is what a demonstrator who was in Washington had to say.

Give me an idea of how important you believe as an Iranian- American it is to take part in the protest in the nation's capital when the -- when the sentiment of this outcome of this election a half-world away?

SHAHRIAR ETMINLANI, IRANIAN AMERICAN: Well, I think personally, I was there to show support for the kids of an Iran that are brutally beaten up as we speak by this regime. So I felt, as I show support, to be there and do the little I can do from this part of the world.

WHITFIELD: We also spoke with an Iranian-American who is also a freelance journalist working in Tehran. His name is Jason Rezaian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that what's going on right now is really showing for the world what large division there is between different factions within Iranian society, those that are one issue hold onto the evolutionary ideas, and those that become part of the community in nations.

WHITFIELD: Supporters of the opposition candidates are sharing their thoughts in so many different ways. Earlier I spoke with a young Tehran resident by phone who asked that we not use her name to protect her safety.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: I think that was expected from this sort of outcome because prior to the election, five, six nights prior to the election, this was happening in the streets, very peaceful and people were just happy and dancing and there was music and, you know, people were just driving on the streets, this was going on four, five nights prior to the election but very few people. Now, all those people who were in the streets, they are peaceful, they are really, really, really upset with the outcome of the election.

WHITFIELD: Is it correct that now what's taking place while there have been some fires in the street, it means that some stores and shops have been broken into, there's been some looting, describe for me if that is correct. UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Well, I don't know if there has been some looting or anything like that but in the streets, one of our main streets in Tehran, most of the banks have been broken, most of the bus stops have been broken. All the ATM machines are broken, I mean, you see that all the glasses have been shattered but I don't know if actually something has been taken from it or not. You know what I mean?

WHITFIELD: Now, you are a supporter of the opposition, Mousavi. And there has been some talk that he and many of his supporters are trying to win some sort of appeal by superior leaders, the ayatollah for one. But once there is already a rubber stamp on President Ahmadinejad's winning, do you think that the opposition has any recourse? Is there any other direction to go to try to get a recount to have this election thrown out, to have a new election? What do you think are the real possibilities?

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: I have no idea. I mean, even if it happens, it has to be under international law or some international, you know, something bigger than us.

WHITFIELD: You're hoping outside countries, outside entities will be able to apply some pressure on Iran to-make or promote change?

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: No. What I'm thinking is that if they are going to have a recount, we need to happen under some sort of other supervision than the supervision that was already, you know what I mean? Obviously this is supervision that we had in counting the votes. I don't think that it was fair and I don't think that it was completely 100 percent honest, you know? So I think if there is going to be a recount or if there is going to be another election day, where people would be able and have a chance to cast their votes again, I think it needs to be under some sort of international supervision and not the supervision of our own country.

WHITFIELD: All right, that caller from Tehran. Again she wants to remain anonymous. Both she and I were both struggling with correct terminology, she was really talking about having some sort of international election monitors that would be available if and when there were to be yet another election to take place in Iran.

All right. Let's talk a little bit more about this an Iranian who received his undergraduate and postgraduate education here in the U.S. is with us, Hamid Dabashi, the professor of Iranian Studies at Colombia University he is joining us live from New York. Good to see you, professor.

PROF. HAMID DABASHI, COLOMBIA UNIVERSITY: Good to see you, Frederica.

WHITFIELD: So when you hear these sentiments whether it be from Tehran or even protestors who are organizing here in the United States, overwhelmingly a sentiment seems to be in support of the opposition. Is it difficult to locate someone who is in support of Ahmadinejad's re-election because we haven't been able to find enough of them to get them on the air? What are your views? DABASHI: Well, I think Christiane Amanpour should probably look better. I'm pretty sure there are supporters for Ahmadinejad as well. They don't speak English; they are not Internet savvy and such. But from what I hear it is very reminiscent. I was a graduate student here during the reunion revolution of 1979 and most of what I see and hear is very reminiscent, in fact, of the February, 1979, when the revolution happened.

WHITFIELD: What are the parallels?

DABASHI: For example last night between 9:00 and 11:00 in Tehran time, the protest, civil unrest, people went to the roof tops and began chanting, a very shrewd move on part of Mousavi supporters. First of all, it means that god is great, straight out of Islamic prayers, nothing unusual, not making any nationalist slowing on associate slogan, straight out of Islamic slogan and civil unrest by everybody and by nobody, you can't go and arrest them.

Third this is exactly what happened during the revolution of 1979. My sense is, Frederica that this, of course, began as an issue regarding certain irregularities concerning the election results but has now assumed a different momentum beginning yesterday when there was a spontaneous demonstration in the streets of Tehran and a number of other cities and also when Mr. Mousavi declined to accept the results and, in effect, he went over the head of Ayatollah.

WHITFIELD: Is a very cold move.

DABASHI: Indeed.

WHITFIELD: And maybe dangerous.

DABASHI: He said he believed in Islamic Republic, I believe in this regime, I even believe in the office of the supreme leader but in three consecutive moves what he has done is shrewd. First of all, he said he wished Khomeini was alive to answer our request. Which means the current occupier of the supreme leader is not doing so. Second, he wrote an open letter to people who are in a superior position, asking them to intervene and third, wrote yet another third letter to the guardian council asking them to intervene. Now --

WHITFIELD: And you wonder if there is going to be a response. You know what, professor; we have been receiving a lot of great questions from viewers who are incredibly interested in this topic. The world is galvanized about what is taking place. I want to a pose a couple of the questions to you this from Carl Clark on my blog and he is asking I wish objective observers would be given the opportunity to verify the vote with a recount this should at least add to the legitimacy of the vote or expose it for the fraud that is being characterized. Where are the ballots? Would you know?

DABASHI: They are in the Minister of the Interior. In fact, both -- the three oppositional candidates, Mousavi and other candidates have asked for a committee to protect the votes to be included in the committee in the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry of Interior has categorically denied them permission. WHITFIELD: Okay.

DABASHI: So, yes, I agree with the question, not necessarily outside observers but certainly within Iran for a representative from the other candidates could have been present as they were counting the votes.

WHITFIELD: Real quick, you were talking about the letter going to the grand Ayatollah this question from Hussan, who is out of Toronto is asking about the spiritual leaders, since they are generally the ones in control, asking if his efforts really are legitimate, if they really can hold water. I believe the spiritual leaders are the ones in control, isn't that correct?

DABASHI: Yes, they are but remember, these are very important moves. He asked for permission from the minister of the interior for a massive rally in two major squares in Tehran. He said if permission is not allowed me, I will go to the Mausoleum to of the Khomeini and sit down in a political move, which is called seeking refuge, which means he would be immune from any kind of police intervention. Is he a shrewd politician, a shrewd revolutionary and he is not going to give up?

WHITFIELD: Wow. Fantastic, very great information. You have all made us so much smarter that is what professors do, Colombia University Professor. Sorry we are out of time.

DABASHI: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, appreciate it.

Meantime, there are some more to talk about in terms of the outpouring of sentiment as it pertains to the Iranian election. Protesters in Los Angeles also hitting the streets and that is where we find our Kara Finnstrom. Kara what is taking place there outside the federal building?

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you can see there are still protesters here behind me, this was a protest that was supposed to end about an hour and a half ago. Police officers here on the scene tell us that they believe this crowd grew to about 800 to 1,000 people. Everybody here believes this election was stolen there are two different groups here, one behind us here supports a complete regime change, they did not vote for Mousavi because they don't believe he would bring about the change they want to see. The group here on this side of me are all Mousavi supporters, I want to bring in one of them to speak with us a little bit about why they are out here protesting today. Tell us a little bit about what you hope to accomplish by protesting here in the U.S.

(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): We basically want the whole world to know that this is not what we wanted; Ahmadinejad is not what we wanted. We obviously voted for Mousavi and we wanted the real war, the war to know where we wanted what we voted for. The real vote civil wars to know that this is an obvious cheating. FINNSTROM: What you are seeing, as we mentioned there are some tensions between the different visions for the future of Iran what everyone can agree here is that this election did not go off as the people wanted it to, but very different visions for the future of Iran that you are seeing right here.

WHITFIELD: Contentious there, and we are seeing in many places around the world. Kara Finnstrom thanks so much from Los Angeles. People pour out to express themselves.

Meantime, the straight ahead, we are also going to talk about what Israel is saying. The prime minister has some new thoughts perhaps getting this president of the United States attention.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama has a lot on his plate this weekend or this week as well. There is unrest over the out come of Iran's election and Israel's Prime Minister today announced that he is ready to accept a limited Palestinian state. Senior political analyst Bill Schneider is in Washington.

This really does set the tone of the focus for the president this week. Let's talk first about Israel and president -- or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a limited Palestinian state. Why should the White House be happy with that when the White House wants completely two states?

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALAYST: Because this is the first time Prime Minister Netanyahu has actually endorsed the idea of some kind of a Palestinian state with legal authority. Although it's seventy would be limited. He delivered this speech more or less in response to the speech that President Obama gave in Cairo a couple weeks ago. Here is the key line where he talked about for the first time, from this prime minister; he talked about a Palestinian state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: If we receive a guarantee as to this demilitarized aid and aid and we have the appropriate guarantees, then we would be prepared to reach an agreement with regard to a demilitarized Palestinian state side by side with the Jewish state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Now, that statement was remarkable because he did talk about a Palestinian state, not an entity. And he did say it has to be demilitarized, a critical condition would not have control over its airspace and another point in his speech, he talked about Jerusalem remaining the capital of Israel but those are important concessions made by Prime Minister Netanyahu in order to get negotiations going with the Palestinians.

WHITFIELD: In the meantime let's talk about Iran now, if this White House still wants to reach out to Iran have talks, how might to be different as a result of an election that is being disputed?

SCHNEIDER: Well the United States does want to reach out to Iran; President Obama has said that ever since the campaign last year, the problem is he will be dealing with a government whose legitimacy is very much in question. Kind of hard to talk about making concessions or even making any kind of a deal to stop nuclear weapons production with that government which seems to have no intention whatever of stopping nuclear weapon -- nuclear enrichment which could led to nuclear weapons production.

How do you reach an agreement with the government whose legitimacy is in question? That plus the fact you will find a lot of critics whether they are domestic critics on the Republican side of the aisle or even critics in places like Israel who say this proves once and for you will you cannot make a deal with this government in Iran and really isn't a legitimate government at all.

WHITFIELD: All right. Political analyst Bill Schneider thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Then there's North Korea also on the table for the Obama White House. What Vice President Joe Biden had to say about that?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Another dangerous threat from North Korea today. The communist country vowing to weaponize all plutonium and acknowledges it says the uranium enrichment program both are key ingredients of the atomic bomb. The threat comes two days after the United Nations slapped new sanctions on North Korea for its recent nuclear tests. The sanctions include searching ships suspected of carrying nuclear material into North Korea.

Vice President Joe Biden talking tough about North Korea today. The vice president says Pyongyang poses a serious threat to the world and he insists it is critical of the U.N. sanctions stick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: We are going to enforce the U.N. resolution. The U.N. resolution is probably the most unifying thing that has been done. Look this is -- North Korea is a very destabilizing element in East Asia. Everybody now realizes that.

The Chinese realize it, the Russians realize it they have gone further then they have ever gone in joining us on real sanctions against North Korea and it is important that we make sure those sanctions stick.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: North Korea says it will consider the search and seizure of any North Korean ship an act of war.

All right. Her story could be yours or your neighbors. She is one of the millions of Americans who have lost their job. One woman now making tough choices without health insurance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Congressional leaders pick up the health care debate tomorrow the proposal could help millions of uninsured Americans finally get the coverage they need. Health care reform is also the focus for President Obama, who talked to the American Medical Association in Chicago tomorrow.

Yesterday at about this time in our hour-long special, I talked to an Ohio woman who lost her health insurance in February.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD (voice over): Talk to me about health care reform and what you are hoping to see. In a situation like yours there is cobra that is available. This is a government program that helps fulfill the gaps for 18 months when one is out of insurance coverage from, say, their employer is that something that is an option for you is it even affordable to you?

LAURA WALKER, UNINSURED PATIENT: When I lost my job in October the cobra payment for my daughter and I at the time was going to be several hundred dollars a month, like $4 to $6 hand you month and there was absolutely no way I could afford that.

So, I opted instead to go for life insurance and I got $200,000 coverage in life insurance. That way, in the event something happens to me, let's say you know, I could be sick and run up a health bill but I still pass away, my daughter is covered, the farm is taken care of, she's got money to pay all the taxes, the bills, everything's good. And it wasn't until here just recently that they lowered the rate on the cobra and now that rate for me by myself is $164 a month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Laurie spoke to me yesterday in our special prescription health care reform. Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden said today the Obama administration opposes taxing medical benefits that employers provide to workers. But he didn't rule out the possibility entirely.

Well, today on Fareed Zakaria "GPS," the fight for the future of Iran, what's at stake? Fareed Zakaria is coming up next.

Then Don Lemon will be in the NEWSROOM he will be talking to one of our CNN journalists who was beaten while in Iran covering the unrest.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Have a great evening.