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CNN Sunday Morning
Iran Tense After Police, Protesters Clash
Aired June 21, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And yes, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We're starting an hour earlier. Been on since about 5:00 a.m. this morning. It's now 6:00 a.m. here in Atlanta; 2:30 in the afternoon in Tehran. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, everybody. Thanks for joining us. I'm Betty Nguyen.
We do want to start our special coverage today obviously focusing on Iran. So let's get right to it.
Thousands of protesters defying supreme leader's demands and they are taking to the street in protest. International journalists - well, they are banned from Iran's streets. We are banned from coverage out of Iran.
But the Iranian people, they are capturing their own images. They are telling their own stories. But it's hard to verify exactly where this video, where this information is coming from, if it's truly a credible source. So really the best that we can do is provide it to you in the best context possible and let you know that is unverified information that's coming into CNN. But we do want to give you the latest from the streets of Iran.
Also, you - a lot of this stuff coming through YouTube. And I want you to watch this latest video that we got in, and listen for the sounds of gunshots.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(GUNSHOTS)
(SHOUTING)
(GUNSHOTS)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Again, this is amateur video. None of this can be confirmed. Not exactly even sure where this was shot. And - but you can see - oh goodness, there is - we apologize for this graphic nature of this video. But it's the reality of some of the information that's coming into CNN. Don't know if this man right here is dead or unconscious. But you can see others trying to carry away his limp body and trying to get him some kind of medical attention just as soon as possible. But it gives you an indication of just the tense situations that are taking place right now on the streets of Iran as they really not only protest, but we're seeing the fallout of this disputed election.
T. HOLMES: All right. Show you other video. This was coming to us not from the streets of Iran, but the streets of America. Specifically, the streets of San Francisco. A group of Iranian- Americans there started marching. This was at the U.N. Plaza in San Francisco.
The iReporter that sent this to us said this started out as simply just a gathering, but grew to the point of what you're seeing there. And people shouting things, and grew into a bit of a march and a demonstration - again, showing support for the people of Iran.
NGUYEN: All right. In the past 24 hours, we have seen the already-tense situation in Iran explode.
Yesterday, thousands of protesters clashed in the streets with Iranian security forces. There were reports of police brutality, security forces trying to disperse crowds with batons, water cannons. We've even heard gunshots.
Hospital sources though have confirmed to CNN that at least 19 people were killed yesterday alone. Again, according to Iran sources. No official number has been given out as of yet.
But a human-rights group in Iran says some injured protesters have been arrested while actually seeking medical treatment.
T. HOLMES: We, of course, have our reporters all over the place keeping an eye on this story.
Our Kara Finnstrom's out in - in Los Angeles for us; our Kate Bolduan monitoring things at the White House; Octavia Nasr, who we heard from a short time ago, our senior editor for Mideast Affairs. She's here with us in Atlanta. She'll be along again, of course. And our Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent, who covered the lead-up to the elections there in Iran - the elections, and then the post-election turmoil. She is in London for us. And then our Ivan Watson here for us at the international desk in Atlanta.
NGUYEN: All right. So let's start right there, with our Ivan Watson, watching things from our hub of newsgathering on Iran. He joins us now live.
T. HOLMES: Yes, good morning to you again, Ivan.
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.
Well, we've spoken with Iranians on the ground in Tehran. They say last night was the loudest ever for these defiant chants of "Allahu Akbar," where the Iranians get on the roof, they yell, "God is great." And that is a symbol of defiance against the Iranian regime. They say it was louder than ever, and this has been a tradition basically since the contested elections of last week.
But there were some also sinister events taking place last night.
Let's take a listen to this video of what appears to be a home invasion by security forces in the dark in that Tehran neighborhood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(SCREAMS)
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WATSON: And here we can add the translation of what people are yelling in Farsi is, "They're coming. They're coming. They're coming from the terrace. Get out. Get out. Oh God!"
And you know what? This fits some eyewitness accounts we've gotten from some of our sources in Tehran, that they've seen their neighborhoods attacked this way by security forces, by Basij military and people detained in the night. Terrifying stuff.
Now I'd like to switch from that to another image, a series of images that we got yesterday taking place, where doctors were coming out onto the streets - doctors were coming out in their lab coats, trying to show signs, indications of how many people they say they treated, how many people were wounded and killed as a result of the hostilities in the streets, these riots.
According to their signs, they were showing eight people killed, more than 20 wounded. And this is very dangerous for these doctors to do right here. They could lose their jobs. They could face imprisonment even for declaring these figures out on the street like this so boldly.
So a very brave gesture on the (INAUDIBLE) of these doctors and nurses out on the streets of Tehran.
And a final thing I'd like to show you here. Messages coming from Twitter not only from inside Iran, but from outside. Messages of support to the demonstrators. Here somebody writing, "I hope this is right." This is clearly not a Farsi speaker, saying, "My heart is with you." And then offering that translation in Farsi.
So this is attracting support from all over the world, T.J.
T. HOLMES: All right. Ivan, we appreciate you keeping an eye on things for us this morning. We'll be checking in with you again soon.
NGUYEN: We also want to hear from you, the viewer. We want to get your thoughts on the situation in Iran.
Just go to our Facebook and Twitter pages. It's easy to find us: Facebook.com or Twitter.com. Or you can simply e-mail us, weekends@cnn.com. Send in your responses to the situation in Iran, what you think about it, and we'll read some of those on the air.
But in the meantime, President Obama called on Iran's government to stop the violent crackdown in Iran. In a statement issued by the White House, the president said, "The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights" - end quote.
"As said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government" - this is another statement from the president. "If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion. Martin Luther King once said, 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'" The president went on to say, "I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian people's belief in that truth," and that "we will continue to bear witness."
So the president weighing in on the situation in Iran.
T. HOLMES: Well, the president's weighing in; members of Congress are weighing in as well.
Let's turn to our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, joining us live now from Washington.
Paul - where is he? Oh, there he is. All right. Good morning to you, kind sir.
We just heard the - Betty there read the statement from the president. People were - some, his critics, were seeking for him - not all Republicans, but some - many Republicans, critics, seeking him to get some stronger language here.
Is that going to satisfy them, at least the part about "standing with all who seek to exercise their rights to free speech and assembly"? That was the statement. At least he's - he's supporting the Iranian people.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, I - I think, T.J, everybody's acknowledging this is the toughest statement yet by the president. This one coming out about midafternoon yesterday.
I think the White House would say that they are not bending to pressure by Republicans in Congress, but they're actually just reacting to the situation on the ground
A lot has changed since last weekend. The announcement Friday by Iran's supreme leader calling - basically saying the election had been won by Ahmadinejad, the current president. And also yesterday, the violence in the streets.
So I think as the situation on the ground has changed, you're starting to see a tougher stance from the White House. You saw a little bit in his - the president's interview Saturday - Friday with CBS, and you're definitely seeing it in that statement right there.
Will satisfy Republicans? I think we'll find out later today and next week.
T. HOLMES: So is it just what we saw yesterday that prompted it? Many would say, 'We've seen for the past week at least, since the election over there in Iran, that there were some crackdowns in the streets. Maybe not as dead.'
But still, what was it that prompted the president to come out this time? I know you said in change in things that are happening. But I guess what - what - what about this change? And what about just what we saw yesterday that prompted the president to use some stronger language?
STEINHAUSER: I think maybe the change coming from Iran's supreme leader, who actually weighed in on Friday on the election, and - and basically validating the election. And that could be one of the reasons.
So the White House still says they are being very careful not to meddle directly in - in this, because the White House and the president don't want the protesters to be considered almost stooges or puppets of the United States, because that would definitely defeat the purpose.
As for Republicans, T.J., at least up and through Friday, you heard - you've heard some tough language, both directed at the administration - some very critical of the administration.
And take a listen to Mike Pence, a top Republican in the House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE PENCE (R- IND.), REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE CHAIR: I don't believe that having the president of the United States express a word of unqualified support to the brave men and women who are risking their liberty and their lives on behalf of freedom on the streets of Iran would constitute meddling.
A thought is that when - when president - when Ronald Reagan went before the Brandenburg Gate, he did not say, 'Mr. Gorbachev, that wall is none of our business.'
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Now, T.J., Republicans introduced a resolution - a non-binding resolution in Congress which was pretty tough. It was watered down a little bit, and it was passed overwhelmingly, both in the House and in the Senate on Friday. And maybe at first, that was almost veiled criticism of the administration. I don't want everybody to think these are all Republicans.
T. HOLMES: Yes.
STEINHAUSER: Not all Republicans have been attacking the president on this. And I think we should take - take a listen to the Sunday talk shows. John McCain, who has been very vocal against the president - he will be out there. Senator Lugar, the top Republican in the Senate, he'll be on "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King.
Let's take a listen to what he has to say as well. See if he's - if he's changed - if he's changed his tune at all.
T. HOLMES: All right. We should know a whole lot more later on in the morning. It is that day for Sunday talk, is it not?
Paul Steinhauser, a friend of our show here on CNN "SATURDAY" and SUNDAY MORNING, our deputy political director. Good to see you as always. We'll see you again soon, buddy.
STEINHAUSER: You got it, T.J. Thanks.
T. HOLMES: All right. Now I want to turn to - to Bill Clinton, someone else who knows a thing or two about foreign policy.
Listen to his take on the situation in Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: What's going on in Iran, really? They have some ethnic differences there and some religious differences. But basically, this is about a government trying to deny the modern world, and the idea that they don't think they can keep control if everybody gets to say what they really believe and go where they really want and be who they want to be. And they're right about that.
We are all going to have to get used to living in a world where we strive for more influence with less control. That's the only way you can build a win-win world, instead of a win-lose world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
T. HOLMES: Again, the former president's take on what we've been seeing in the streets of Tehran. He was speaking at a luncheon in Cincinnati. That luncheon was to honor boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Also, baseball's Hank Aaron and Bill Cosby.
NGUYEN: Well, back to the streets of Iran. At least 19 people are dead. Some of those deaths caught on tape.
T. HOLMES: Yes, they're turning into rallying cries on Twitter, and our senior Mideast editor has been watching the tweets. She'll have some of the reaction online.
Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
T. HOLMES: All right. We've gotten a lot of video in over the past 24 hours or so here at CNN, people showing protests and things they've taken with their cell-phone cameras down there, people who are involved in what's happening in Tehran.
NGUYEN: Yes, and with that though, we can't independently confirm the authenticity of any of these pictures that we're about to show you. And we also have no reason to doubt though that reports of massive protests taking place on the streets of Tehran and accounts from these protesters are not true, and the fact that they've been met head on with police forces there.
But we want to show you this video, because the protests that we're about to show you apparently started peacefully. But then watch what happens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right. So you see the crowd dispersing. You see fire there. You saw a little bit earlier some of the protesters - we believe were protesters throwing rocks. Not really sure because there are members of the besieged militia, which also blends in and - and that's not an arm of the government as well.
So a lot of this video, amateur video, coming in with unconfirmed information. But the best we can do is show it to you, which gives you a glimpse of some of the sites and sounds of what's going on on the streets of Iran, especially since there is a media blackout when it comes to CNN and all foreign media, in fact. So in order to get some video to you and give you the - the closest view as to what's truly happening, we are relying on the people on the streets as they send in iReports, as they upload video like this, or pictures.
These next photos though come from an iReporter who wishes to remain anonymous.
T. HOLMES: Yes, these were taking near Ingalap (ph) Square. You've heard that name a few times. Also called Revolution Square. Some of them are taken from the - the back of a car.
They show in some instances - if you see there - some of that green, that trademark green we've been seeing. Some of the people with signs and their hands in the air and participating in these marches. A lot of them, of course, in direct defiance of what the government and the supreme leader has told them to do.
And some of those photos, they came to us by someone - an iReporter's fiance, actually. And we expect to be hearing from that person coming up a little later.
And some of the enforcers in the middle of all this chaos - you've heard this name a few times, the Basij.
NGUYEN: Right. But are they militia or law enforcement? We're going to take a closer look into the Basij in Iran.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SPEAKING IN FARSI)
(SCREAMING)
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NGUYEN: Man, this is some compelling video. More of the clashes in Tehran on Saturday.
You're looking at video shot by an amateur and then posted on YouTube. And of course, it's shaky, but you can hear what appears to be gunshots fired. It also allegedly show an Iranian militiamen called the Basij. Now they appear to be running from a crowd of demonstrators as the demonstrators shout and throw stones and other debris at them.
You know, Iran's supreme leader promised to crack down on street protests. But it may not be the police of official security sources who will provide that force.
T. HOLMES: Instead, that responsibility may fall on that powerful militia. Again, the group, the name you hear often now, Basij - a group of loyalists that get great support from Iran's hard-line leaders.
Our Ivan Watson and Michael Holmes talked about them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: The Basiji, or Basij, are kind of the shock troops of the Islamic regime. They're - they're a pro-government militia, and they were in the frontlines getting blown up in minefields during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. And they see themselves as the enforcers of morality in Iran.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And who are they? Are they, like, official? Unofficial? Are they on the payroll?
WATSON: They're - they're supported by the state. And they have stations - like, police stations, around the country.
M. HOLMES: But they're really more militia than official? Or - how would you describe them?
WATSON: They - they get some training. And they seem themselves as - as - as the law, the enforcers of the law. And they do it.
M. HOLMES: Yes.
WATSON: They really do it.
M. HOLMES: In - in a shadowy sense though. People seem to be really afraid of these guys.
WATSON: Absolutely. Because they are - are prone to using violence.
I mean, I've interviewed Iranians who maybe were walking with their sisters in the street, and they would get attacked by a couple of guys in plainclothes who - who would think that it was boyfriend and girlfriend, even if it was brother and sister. And they wouldn't wait to hear the explanation.
M. HOLMES: So - so the - they're kind of semi-official.
Are they accountable? Or they can just pretty much do what they like?
WATSON: Well, I think they can be sent in. And we've seen that in past, when there were protests, university-student protests in 1999 and 2003, the Baseeji were the one who would - the ones who were sent in, on motorcycles. And I got accounts from eyewitnesses on past reporting trips to Iran, they would come in with chains whirling and just wallop those university students, clubs as well.
M. HOLMES: So to do the dirty work, if you like -- they're - they - they're - the authorities didn't want the police to do? Is that how it works?
WATSON: What - these are true believers, yes.
And they're not the same as police. They don't wear uniforms. You may have mixes of - of security forces as well involved in some of the crackdowns.
And their role has evolved, because, again, during the Iran-Iraq War, these were volunteers who were going - marching into the minefields. And they have since become this kind of moral police.
And some people love them; some Iranians really hate and loathe them.
M. HOLMES: Yes.
And - and - and what's interesting here is that, you have had dealings with these guys. What - what happened?
WATSON: Well, in 2004, I was on a reporting trip in Iran, and it was the 25th anniversary of the Basiji. And they were brought in to Tehran University, where this speech from the supreme leader was today. And a hard-line cleric gave this speech saying, 'You guys are the prize in Iran. And if any government official does not take care of you, they will burn in hell.'
M. HOLMES: That's pretty good backing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And just some additional information: Basij leaders are based in every mosque throughout the cities in Iran. And according to Iranian reports, there are some 5 million of them throughout the country.
T. HOLMES: That's a lot of unofficial, if you will, guys...
NGUYEN: Right.
T. HOLMES: ...guys who aren't on the books, and you don't know who they are or where they are.
NGUYEN: They say they do the dirty work for the Revolutionary Guard.
T. HOLMES: Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.
Well, we were showing you some photos a little earlier - I think we still have those cued up, we can show you. They were coming to us from an iReporter who wishes to remain anonymous, taken near Revolution Square.
Some of them taken from the back of a car, we understand. They show, as you see, the marchers, the protests, a lot of people here who essentially are defying the word, the order essentially by the supreme leader to not go out and participate in these protests.
Now the photos we're showing to you come to us by way of an iReporter's fiance, an Iranian who lives in the Netherlands.
Our Don Lemon spoke with him last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VOICE OF POYAN, IREPORTER'S FIANCE (by telephone): The problem is, everybody's life is at risk now in Iran. So it doesn't matter if it is my fiancee or somebody's else, there is - somebody's dying now in Iran.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And your thought - have you - have you had a chance to speak to her?
POYAN: I called her this evening.
Now the - the government has closed down the - the Internet, the text service, the phone service. So it's difficult to call Iran and to get called from Iran. So the - I tried to call her and - and I talked to her, like, two minutes. And I told her about CNN and - and her pictures. And she was very happy and she said, 'Please, CNN, be our voice in - abroad.'
LEMON: What are you - what can you share with us besides that? Are there any personal moments or any stories that she has? And I'm looking at our iReport page, and her pictures really are right on the front, on - on the home page of the iReport page.
What else has she shared with you that you can share with us?
POYAN: Now she is - she is very active at the - this moment from the Day 1 of the election and the fraud.
And what she told me this evening was that she that three people died in front of her in Revolutionary Square because the guards are chasing people to the alleys, and then they catch - they catch people, they shoot them, they - they use tear gas, they use water cannons.
So it's - if you are in an alley, you are not sure of your life. And she saw three people die there.
LEMON: Has she spoken to you, Poyan, about the social-networking sites, and - especially for her as an iReporter, and someone who is - who is there. Has she spoken to you about the importance, and how people are getting around those sites to get the information and the pictures out?
POYAN: They are - they are very active in Iran, especially Tweeter and FriendFeed and YouTube. But the government has closed down their - their Internet connection, so - or very slowed down.
So they cannot upload pictures very easily. Their only site that is going on air very easily is Yahoo or Google. And they mail their pictures to - to me or the - to somebody else, and that's how the - the pictures come out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. Those are pictures on the streets of Iran.
And while protests are taking place there, many here in the United States are also taking to the streets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
T. HOLMES: We'll be taking a look at America's show of support.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
T. HOLMES: Well, good morning and welcome back to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. Thanks for joining us for this special coverage.
T. HOLMES: Well, more and more video starting to trickle in to us from social-networking sites, from YouTube as well, of what happened in Iran yesterday.
Took it one - take a look now at one example of what I'm talking about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: This video taken late last night in northern Tehran. Most of the people are chanting "God is Great." Just another example of protesters really staking a lot on this and - and putting a lot of risk out there for democracy. And as they fight for their voice to be heard and what is a disputed election.
The turmoil in Iran remains a difficult story to cover because of the clamp down on international media. Here's what we know so far. It was a defiant day yesterday. Thousands of people flooded the streets despite a harsh warning from Iran's supreme leader just a day earlier and as expected there were clashes. We're hearing reports that Iranian security forces attacked protesters with batons, tear gas, even blasted them with water cannons..
Now, the extent of the violence? Well, it is really hard tally, simply because there's a media blackout. No foreign journalists are allowed to report from the streets of Iran. In fact, they've been kept in their hotel rooms, or in the offices, there, in Tehran. We can tell you this, one hospital, one hospital has confirmed at least 19 people have been killed. The international campaign for human right in Iran says some injured protesters were arrested as they sought medical treatment. So, clearly, thousands of Iranians have defied the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PROTESTORS CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: This is an example, again, of some of the video we're getting in. This comes in from one of our iReporters in Tehran. It shows protesters. You can hear them and you can see them. Their hands, their arms waved in the air. But over in Tehran, not the only place we are seeing protesting, some here in the U.S. as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PROTESTORS CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: As you can see this is one that happened in Washington, D.C., yesterday. You can see the White House in the background there for a moment. Also we can tell you about what's happening in New York. We'll show you that video as well. These demonstrators gathered on the outside of the United Nations. They chanted, of course, similar scenes we have been seeing in different places across the country. Calling on the U.N., actually, to pay more attention to what is happening over in Iran.
Also, we saw right here in Atlanta, right outside of where we are, the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta, protesters there as well. You can see the signs. Again, some of the typical scenes we are seeing across the country.
NGUYEN: You know, here's the question that a lot of people are asking, is the situation in Iran a national security threat? We'll delve into that.
I want to tell you about this other really compelling story from streets of Iran, another body on the streets and the situation behind this, just has out raged so many people. Again, unconfirmed reports as to exactly how this happened, or what happened. But they have given the person injured a name.
And we're going to show you some video of that person. They calling her Neda, a woman who is dying, or in fact, dead on the street of Iran. No one is sure exactly what her real name is and we're blurring some of this because of the graphic nature. Don't even know exactly when, why or how this happened. The video went online yesterday and it caught on like wildfire. A blogger wrote that the young woman was protesting when her father, who -- she was protesting with her father, I should say, when the pro government militia shot her in the heart. Again, all this was is unconfirmed. This is just what we're getting from blog sites. Her death has become a bond for protesters both inside and outside of Iran. There's a lot of talk about this story on Twitter.
HOLMES: All right. And our senior editor of Mideast affairs, Octavia Nasr, is the one who is giving us a lot of details about what she's been finding online, about this story we are getting and about others. Octavia joins us once again.
Octavia, what else are you finding out there?
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SR. EDITOR FOR MIDEAST AFFAIRS: T.J. and Betty, Neda's story is all over Twitter. Dozens of entries per minute, literally, hundreds within the hour. Look at this. They created an avatar especially for Neda, you see it here, with a heart and her name and the broken heart, here. People are changing their avatars, in addition to changing their avatars green, for Mousavi's movement. Basically all those people are in support of free elections and reelections in Iran.
The language that we're hearing is very interesting. Take a look at this. This is a quote, "I have one vote. I gave it to Mousavi. I have one life, I'll give it for freedom." People are finding these quotes and reTweeting them, sending them out, basically expressing how they feel about this. People from all over the world, not just Iranians, but people who feel they need to support Iranians at this point.
Then you are seeing all kind of information about people, what they are seeing, what they are hearing. This has become the community to turn to for a lot of information. Of course, a lot of it is not confirmed. A lot of it is not trustworthy to take to air because people go there and vent as well. But what's interesting here is that the information that comes from sources, from people that we know are inside Iran, people we've been dealing with for a while.
But see, if you look at my screen. I have two things there. I'm searching for Neda and I'm searching for Iran election. Anything that posts anywhere in the world, with this hash tag (ph), you see here how they add those hash tags at the end, or beginning of a message, basically to make it easy on people who are searching, people who are interested in the subject will search for these word and then all the postings will show up.
You see how it's updating as I talk to you, literally, every second there's a new update about the story. For example, here you're looking at this, it says some of yesterday's photos, if you click on this it will take you to a web site where there will be photos from yesterday. People are now sending out messages also telling people to hold newspapers up so that people see the date, to confirm when this video was shot. They are telling people to speak to camera, or speak as they are shooting video, basically giving details what you're looking at, give information.
So it's very interesting to watch this story develop. Where Iranians, ordinary Iranians have turned into journalists, and mediums themselves. They are the news agencies, themselves, they are filming what they are seeing, they are taking pictures and then they are uploading them on the Internet for the whole world to see.
See, you look here at those pictures. These are taken yesterday. People posted them and then Twitter is becoming the place where you send these pictures out, and then hundreds and thousand of people will take those pictures, and then send them out for the whole world to see, including ourselves here.
NGUYEN: It's been a really good tool, especially for those of us in the media, since there's a blackout on foreign journalists in Iran. Essentially, this is one of the only ways that we're getting actual video and pictures out of the country, so we can see what's happening on the ground.
So, Octavia, thank you so much for scouring those web sites and bringing us the latest.
We also want to hear from you at home. I know you've been watching this story the past week. Watching it play out and seeing it culminate into protests yesterday, some of them violent. We want to know what you think today. Send us your thoughts to our FaceBook, Twitter pages. You can also reach us also at Weekends@cnn.com.
I want to take you, right now, quickly to my Facebook page. I have a bunch of responses. Let me read just a couple of them for you, quickly.
One person right here says, "With unconfirmed reports coming out of Iran, we can only pray for the safety of those fighting for the rights to be heard." Another person here says, "It is unfortunate that more people would get hurt and get killed. This is a revolution that will definitely result in that Iranian dictator to finally step down. It's just a matter of time."
And we're going to watch to see how all of this plays out. But at the core of this is the fight for additional rights within the country, but also the fight, many will say for a revote, a free vote in this disputed election in Iran. We're watching very closely.
Here's a question for you as well. Is the situation in Iran a national security threat? That's what some people are asking.
HOLMES: We have an expert coming up to possibly help us answer that question. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(PROTESTORS SHOUTING)
NGUYEN: The majority of protests we've heard about have been in Tehran, but there have also been demonstrations in smaller villages and towns. This piece of amateur video taken from YouTube, now we can't confirm its authenticity, but it appears to show protesters shouting at police. The crowd appears to throw things, perhaps rocks. We're not really sure exactly what that is. But then, again, a lot of this video coming into us unconfirmed. We want to bring you the latest pieces of news coming out of Iran since there is, indeed, a media blackout on foreign journalists.
Let's check in with CNN's Ivan Watson right now. He's been watching all of this, right here from Atlanta.
HOLMES: Hello again to you. He's checking things with our at our International Desk, which is where all this news gathering, right now, is happening for us, on Iran.
Hello, again, to you, sir.
IVAN WATSON, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Hi, T.J.
I just got an e-mail from one of the opposition activists that I've been in touch with over the course of the last week. And he confirmed other reports we've gotten from some of our other sources in Tehran, that last night was very loud. That despite the battles in the streets, the opposition people got out back on the roofs of Tehran, and they started shouting, Allah Akbar, God is great, and that has been a nightly tradition since those contested elections. He said it was louder than ever and that's what we've heard from other sources as well.
And he said there was retaliatory gunfire but that didn't stop the people from chanting. It's interesting because we've gotten that from this Tweet as well in Farsi, also saying last night people chanting, Allah Akbar, they tried to shoot at us, and we kept going.
Now, another interesting point that came from this activist, who sent me an e-mail. I'm going to protect this activist's identity. He said we're going to try to gather again, at Vali Asr Square, in downtown, in Tehran at 4 o'clock today for another demonstration, a more official one. And then on Monday a demonstration of mourning.
So they are trying to keep the momentum up here. And that will be a question, can they do that in the face of the violence and the weapons that the security forces have, with what we saw yesterday, tear gas, helicopters flying over head, water cannons, clubs, truncheons, guns, as well, and clearly some deadly clashes. I mean, the streets were, there was blood in the streets yesterday.
And we've gotten an account from one organization, T.J, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, it is reporting that scores of the wounded protesters, when they tried to go to hospitals they were then arrested by Iranian security forces, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Ivan, we appreciate you. We'll be checking in with you and lot of that information you're get, sources on the ground, also, from some of those web sites. We do appreciate you, Ivan.
NGUYEN: Yes, we do. And we appreciate what you're sending in today. You're weighing in on the situation in Iran. And we want you to continue to do so because we'll air it on the show. You can find us, FaceBook, Twitter. Also, at Weekends@CNN.com. Let us know what you think today.
Let me read one from my FaceBook page, right now. This person says people like Neda, that is the lady that we showed dying in the streets of Iran, from unconfirmed video, mind you. But "people like Neda are dying just to be able to speak their voice. We all must come together to make sure their efforts and their lives are not lost in vain." That story is really taken hold. And a lot of people on the Internet are speaking out about the video that they watched.
One other thing, very quickly, from Twitter. This person writes, "These videos of the brutal regime in Iran makes me want to cry. They need a Declaration of Independence. A U.S.A. style revolution."
Some may argue that what we're seeing now is the beginning of a revolution in Iran, as we watch protesters taking to the streets for days and days.
HOLMES: We're also keeping an eye on the media there in Iran. We have a look now. Do we have that, Deidre? A live look at the affiliates there. We'll have this up for you in just a second. Those affiliates, we have to keep an eye on.
That's the - what folks in Iran are seeing, right now. That's Iranian state television. They pop in every once in a while and give updates about the protests and when we see those we bring those to you. Haven't seen many, didn't see many yesterday, but we are at the mercy of Iranian state television given that there are so many restrictions on what we can, and mostly what we can't do there in Tehran. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Our special coverage this morning includes powerful images from Iran. Just take a look at this. They offer chilling glimpses. The clashes between protestors and police; authorities following through on a government-imposed ban of all protests and demonstrations. These pictures are from the web site, Guya.com
HOLMES: Well, the scenes playing out across the world, a lot of video we've been seeing showing street protests in Iran's third largest city, but demonstrations also taking place in France, Germany, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, also Washington, D.C. Well, New American Foundation fellow and author Nick Schmidle joins me now from Washington, D.C. He's the author of the book, "To Live or Perish Forever", about his time he spent in Pakistan.
Nick, I appreciate you being with us this morning. It wasn't too terribly long ago that Iran was a member of the axis of evil, and talked about the threat it was to the United States. Well, right now, given what's going on there is Iran becoming more or less of a threat to the United States? How is the U.S. and the government viewing what's happening there?
NICK SCHMIDLE, FELLOW, NEW AMERICAN FOUNDATION: It's all going to depend on how the coming days play out. What we effectively saw a week ago was a military coup by the hard liners within the regime, sidelining many of the pragmatic elements within the Iranian government. The Obama administration, I think, it had in mind who it was going to try and reach out to, as part of its new engagement strategy, of engaging these various powers and not isolating them, as the previous administration had done. So, that's going to make things more difficult for sure.
HOLMES: Break this down a little bit. I haven't heard too many use that term, explain a little further the military coup, as you describe it.
SCHMIDLE: What we've seen is that the Revolutionary Guard, the Basij, Akbar, Najar (ph), Khamenei, I mean, their power base right now is coming -- the clerical elements are not as united behind what we've seen in the past week as one might think. In fact, the clerical elements, the grand ayatollahs that are in the holy city of Qom, which is about two hours south of Tehran, are very divided over this.
And so, because of the very legitimacy of the state is being questioned by these senior scholars, who 30 years ago legitimized the Islamic revolution, the hard liners Khamenei, Ahmadinejad, etc cetera, have had to turn to their support base within the Basij that you were all talking about, earlier this morning, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
HOLMES: It sounds like the options are hard line, and not so hard line. It still doesn't sound like anything anybody is necessarily fighting for. Maybe just a few people in the streets, or the people we are seeing, by the hundreds of thousands, in the street for a full on freedom and democracy. But the power struggle seems to be for something that is maybe hard line and hard line like.
SCHMIDLE: That's right. The true power struggle that we're seeing right now is, in fact between a Khamenei and a two-time former Ali Rafsanjani, who is also a scholar. And it's these two individuals who, I think, right now are most at odds. And it's almost that everything is flowing - I mean, there is a power struggle in the halls of power. But, you know you mentioned a good point and that is that the hundreds of thousands that are in the street seem to be wanting something more.
I'm now beginning to wonder whether Mir Hossein Mousavi, the individual who ran for the election, and was apparently, according to the Iranian government defeated, whether he could take this, whether he can match the expectations of the protesters at this point. And I'm not sure he's the man that can. I don't know he can live up to that.
HOLMES: It sound like and we've heard this from several guests we've had, and now you're reiterating this point, that Mousavi is the vehicle that people are using to getting their message out and he's not necessarily leading them they are leading him.
SCHMIDLE: That's right. And you know, it has put him in a situation that I think he never would have expected himself to be in. For him, yesterday, to have again, this is coming through Twitter feeds, this is coming from his FaceBook page, but we can't confirm whether it was posted there by him or by someone else, but he apparently said yesterday that he had taken the ritual bath, and he was prepared for martyrdom. I mean, this is a guy who is a product of the system, and who two weeks ago wanted to contest the fair election. Thought he had the support base, did not, and now is saying he's willing to sacrifice his life for the project that these people have taken on in the streets. It's a pretty powerful term for an individual who is so central to the Islamic regime.
HOLMES: You're making a very good point there, that needed to be made. Nick Schmidle, again, joining us, a New America Foundation fellow, and author of "To Live Or To Perish Forever" about his time - spending time in Pakistan.
Nick, we certainly appreciate getting you on. Appreciate you being here with us early.
SCHMIDLE: Thanks for having me on.
HOLMES: Thanks so much.
NGUYEN: The supreme leader in Iran did lay down the law on Friday telling people demonstrations would not be allowed. But obviously protesters, they are defying that. We'll hear from an expert on security and terrorism in the Middle East as CNN SUNDAY MORNIGN continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: This is another example of some of the video we're getting in. You can see the people in the streets there. This is, again, part of the demonstrations, part of the marches and protests we have been seeing. This is near Tehran Azadi Square. We've heard that name several times that we've been covering what's happening in Iran. That is Freedom Square, also known as - uh, you can see some of the confrontations there. You can see a couple of folks down there tossing things in the direction of the other side of that crowd. We assume, there are clashing with protestors - clashing with police, I should say. Protesters versus the police.
Iran's government are preventing international media outlets from publishing reports. We can't get in there ourselves and get live and get our own pictures, so we are depending on amateur video, people posting this stuff on social networking sites, also on YouTube.
I want to show you some more video of a standoff between police and protesters in Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CROWD NOISE, YELLING, SCREAMING)
It is a little shaky, a little blurry, but you can still make out a large group of riot police. You can see and hear, mainly hear, the chaos as we're told police we are told began beating people in the crowds with batons. You can see a little bit of that, right there. Again, really fuzzy video here. But there are loud screams from the protesters. Just giving you a minute to listen to that.
(SCREAMING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Some more video of what is going on in Iran. These pictures posted on FaceBook, the social networking site. Again, we're relying a lot of these social networking sites in order to capture some of the video in Iran due to the media blackout.
HOLMES: We're seeing protests, we are showing you a lot of video from Iran and people on the streets there. But also people on the streets in the U.S., in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., also in Los Angeles, and that is where we saw one of the largest demonstrations.
NGUYEN: Exactly, because it is home to the largest Iranian community. And here are some of the demonstrators talking about what they want out of -what they've come out to demonstrate about and their views on what is happening in Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (CHANTING): Mousavi! Mousavi!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we're standing for is our human rights, for expressing our opinion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not Mir Hossein Mousavi's problem. This is not Ahmadinejad's problem. This is the problem of the country of Iran, this is the problem of the supreme leader, that we cannot express our different opinions in a peaceful manner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now is the moment of the whole world is united and it is so beautiful to see.
(PROTESTORS CHANTING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are totally energized. They have never had a union like this, because people in Iran, at this point, it's a matter of day-to-day survival. But finally the nation is coming together in a way that it's just - it's shocking and amazing to everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We expect the United Nations and the other countries in the world, Europe and the United States, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) They just be side-by-side with our people, and don't act like Ahmadinejad as the president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of us are here to build strong solidarity and support the Iranian people, who are in a tough situation now, as everybody knows, and as everybody has seen from the small clips that are getting out of the country. And show the Iranian people that we are united with them, wherever we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
