it is perhaps the most direct challenge yet to supreme leader ayatollah khamenei who declared mahmoud ahmadinejad the undisputed winner. abbas milani spoke to cnn tonight about the rising dissent. >> sometimes regimes that have big cracks in them continue to survive by cracking people's bones and this is exactly what this regime has tried to do. >> allahu akbar. >> even though public street demonstrations have been shut down, protesters have been taking to rooftops at night to shout allah akbar, god is great. it has become a rallying cry for the opposition. this type of nocturnal demonstration has been going on for three weeks now. cnn's reza sayah has been covering the tensions in iran since before the election. he joins us now by telephone from philadelphia with the very latest. reza, what exactly does that mean for iran right now? you've got these nocturnal demonstrations, these clerics coming out against the election. what does this mean for iran? >> don, the government crackdown ended the mass street protest and demonstration in iran. the question is now what? is the opposition m

it is perhaps the most direct challenge yet to supreme leader ayatollah khamenei who declared mahmoud ahmadinejad the undisputed winner. abbas milani spoke to cnn tonight about the rising dissent. >> sometimes regimes that have big cracks in them continue to survive by cracking people's bones and this is exactly what this regime has tried to do. >> allahu akbar. >> even though public street demonstrations have been shut down, protesters have been taking to rooftops at night to shout allah akbar, god is great. it has become a rallying cry for the opposition. this type of nocturnal demonstration has been going on for three weeks now. cnn's reza sayah has been covering the tensions in iran since before the election. he joins us now by telephone from philadelphia with the very latest. reza, what exactly does that mean for iran right now? you've got these nocturnal demonstrations, these clerics coming out against the election. what does this mean for iran? >> don, the government crackdown ended the mass street protest and demonstration in iran. the question is now what? is the opposition m

he is not someone who is always deferential to ayatollah khamenei so he could have even pushed his way into this friday prayer speech without the endorsement of ayatollah copainee. >> woodruff: what did rafsanjani say, hooman majd that was most significant to new. >> well, i think the fact that he said that the people -- he acknowledged that the people did not believe the vote. he himself did not say the vote was rigged. but by acknowledging the the people believe that and that that is a huge fault of the system, and it's something that needs to be corrected, he also criticized the guardian council which is very, very significant. i mean nobody in the top leadership has ever criticized the guardian council including rafsanjani himself. i think those two things are very significant. i think his calling for the protestors to be released, political prisoners to all be released, that's significant. there are a number of very significant things that he said. i don't know that he would go much further than he did. it was a battle about as good as one could expect if one is with the oppositio

they are questioning the legitimacy of the supreme leader ayatollah khamenei. what is interesting to me talking to people in tehran, behind the scenes i think there more happening than we know given the fact that there is very little foreign media coverage in iran. i was talking to a friend of mine in tehran who said that he lives in a neighborhood which is ef heavily populated by revolutionary guardsmen. >> lehrer: these are the government guys. >> exactly, the people on the side of the government. and at night what people have been doing is chanting allah aqba, as a way to protest. >> lehrer: the revolutionary guards are doing that? >> yeah, this is in neighborhoods inhabited by revolutionary guardsmen. i think certainly the government has a monopoly over coercion right now and the scale of the demonstrations have increased. but i think the fissures that exist behind closed doors we're still not privy too. >> lehrer: are you picking up those kinds of things as well? >> absolutely. and i think we've seen that at the end of the day just because people are not o

in many ways, they are the ones who are aligned with mahmoud ahmadinejad, aligned with the ayatollah khamenei, and the protesters on the streets today were protesting this government. >> thank you for joining us from washington. >>> just a few weeks ago, indonesia was celebrating elections widely hailed as a success. islamic militants have always been a presence, and on friday struck again, killing nine people, wounding 50. in a pair of suicide attacks on luxury hotels, the explosions happened as guests were having breakfast at the ritz carlton and marriott hotels in jakarta. another device at a third hotel was defused. >>> these pictures capture the moment as people were on their way to breakfast when the first explosion took place. it tore through the lobby of the j.w. marriott hotel, killing and injuring people in its wake. a few minutes later, another explosion across the road in the ritz-carlton hotel work off the front of the hotel facade. huge clouds of smoke covered the building. they are in one of the most prestigious business districts in the capital, a place where foreign businessm

in a direct rebuke to ayatollah khamenei, he gave this very interesting sermon about how could you talk about the rule of law@@@@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that to both of those institutions are the same institutions, so you can address that law. it's the first time that these hesitant clerics are making their statement that this will not continue, it's not working out very well. i assume that ayatollah sistani also falls into that category of people that are not very happy with what is going on in iran. >> just two quick questions. first of all, if by pressure he agrees to think they vehemently support this, what will be the position in the key issue -- what will be the key issue? and there is leniency -- what happens to the democracy and the democratic forces? if the group people up from iraq, do you think it has any implications on the middle east or iran? thank do. -- thank you. >> i do not think it has any implications on what the u.s. decides to do. i do not think the u.s. has appetite for additional military intervention in that neighborhood. in terms of obama, i think they have not

they are questioninghe legimacy of the supreme leader ayatollah khamenei. what is interesting tme talking to peopl in tehran behind the scenes i think tre more happening th we know given thefact that thre is very little foreign media coverage in iran i was talking to a fend of mine in tehran who said that he lives in a neighbhood which is ef heavily populated by revolutnary ardsmen. >> leer: these are the government guys. >> exactly, the pople on the side of th government. and a night at people haveeen doing is chanti allah aqba,s a way to ptest. >> lehrer:he revolutionary guards are doing that? > yeah, this is in neighborhoo inhabited by revolutionary guardsm. i think certnly the governmenhas a monopoly over cocion right now and the sle of the demonsations have increased. t i think the fissures that exist behind closed doors we're still n privy too. >> lehrer: are yopicking up thoskinds of things as well? >> solutely. anithink we've seen that at the end of the day just because people are not the street all the time fighting, doesot mean that the suck nell

>> well, you kw, hooman is right in respect that the supreme leader ayatollah khamenei ultately endorses the friday prer speaker hran but all across the countr and not only that they give talking points. t rafsanjani is a man not ithout his own means. he is man as i sd, a lion of t revolution. is not someone who is always deferential to ayollah khamenei so h uld have evenushed his way to this fridayprayer speech withut the endorsement of ayollah painee. >> woodrf: what did raanjani say, hoom ma th was most significant to new. >> well, i thnk the fact that he sa that the people -- he acknowledged that the people d not believe the vote. he himself did nosay the vote was rigged. but by acknowledging the the people believe that and that that i a huge fault of the system, and it's something that needs to be corrected, he also criticized the guardian cocil which is very,ery significant. i mean nobody in the to eadership has ever cricized the guardian counl including rafsanji hielf. i think thse two things are very significant. i think his callingor the prestors to be released, political proner

demonstrations come on the heels of a decision earlier this week by iranian supreme leader ayatollah khamenei. to close down one of the most notorious prisons used to hold protesters who have been arrested. the iranian government also said they would release 140 of those currently in custody. >> beating, jailing, harassing, intimidating, threatening the protesters doesn't seem to be getting them to stop, so they're confused. they're issuing contradictory messages. they're trying to figure out what to do to stop this thing. they don't quite understand it. it's not like anything they experienced before. >> to take a closer look at today's demonstrations in iran and the ongoing political turmoil there, we joined by afshin molavi, an expert on iran and from the american fellow foundation. he joins us from washington. welcome to the program. >> thank you. >> how significant were today's demonstrations compared to those that followed last month's disputed elections? >> well, i think these were significant, martin, because today was the 40th day after the killing of neda allah soltan. you recall the

that is why the issue is between rafsanjani and the group of ayatollahs and khamenei and ahmadinejad and i love the pictures of the generals because they are the guys that get the money, not the people -- and that is why the question of who controls the revolutionary guard is very important and we don't know. but the unity and vulnerability become a key issue and it is basically them fighting over the money that they are making. so, the outcome will be partially related to who will control the money. thank you. >> thank you very much. our last presentation is by the political editor of the national in abu dhabi. he is a nonresident research fellow and he will focus his comments on the impact of the election and protests on the gulf and larger region. >> thank you. thanks to robin, we know that the public conversation in iran is entering a knew phase that probably more defuse, opaque and protracted than we saw in the previous weeks. in a way that makes it harder support the countries to have a good sense of what is happening in iran and how this will play out over the coming weeks and

ayatollah khamenei and mr. ahmadinejad that this is not going to die away with incarceration and arresting people and putting them in jail. if our brothers and sisters are arrested in iran, there are millions of iranians around the globe who will rise up. >> the message is to the u.n. and obama administration to do something to apply pressure on the iranian leadership to rescue and free some of these prisoners. there is the scene here. you'll see song writers -- >> oh, unfortunately, it looks like our signal broke up just a bit with reza sayah but we will stay on top of the developments there once again. that hunger strike begins today in the united states in support of iran for the next three days. >>> this story to tell you about now. paying taxes to smoke pot. a first for the nation. we go to oakland, california where voters have opted to tax medical marijuana. >>> i'm rob marciano in the cnn severe weather center. we had record heat in spots, record rainfall, and an eclipse. we'll show you video of that whe

it is perhaps the most direct challenge to ayatollah khamenei who declared president mahmoud ahmadinejade not yet saying as very investigate the death of steve mcnair and 20-year-old sahel kazemi described as his girlfriend. the bodies of both were found saturday at a downtown nashville condominium. police discovered a gun under the body of kazemi who apparently had been dating the married mcnair for several months. >>> i'm don lemon. those are your headlines. keeping you informed, cnn, the most trusted name in news. when can a t-shirt be a pacifier? when you add ultra downy with renewing scent pearls. you get 3x longer lasting freshness so you feel more connected. which can turn a sweater into your sanctuary. downy...feel more. and get up to 33% more loads from a single bottle. now every drop of shell gasolines... contain a nitrogen-enriched cleaning system... that seeks and destroys engine gunk... left by lower-quality gasoline. it protects engines from performance-robbing gunk. try new nitrogen-enriched shell gasolines. >>> january 16, 2004. it seemed like another classic michael jack

khamenei is the son of the supreme leader ayatollah khamenei.reme leader has veto power over much of the state. and he has been chief of staff to the supreme leader's office, essentially running his office. but they also, the story that has he merged in iran, is that he has taken over the hard line basij militia and has been the master mind between this crackdown on protestors. and from the very beginning of the election dispute, there were many in iran saying that he was the man behind this massive rigging of this election, as well. in a way this man who had been working behind the curtain to use a persian term has been exposed. and i think that's quite significant. >> yeah, very interesting. does that make the supreme leader himself less powerful? >> i think the supreme leader has certainly been diminished by all of these events over the past month. the supreme leader likes to think of himself as an arbiter. he was never much of a balancer, he did lean towards the conservatives. but in this particular instance, he overtly went behind a particu

state television in an interview today and said that there is no real rift between him and the ayatollah khamenei, in fact, that was all exaggerated. are there any signs of rift, though, between the political regime and the military, the militia, and some of the other security forces? any crack in that armor? >> there are anecdotal indications that there is a lot of discontent, that there are soldiers or people that are not following the orders, that some of the riot police are not implementing the orders that they have been given, and even at some point have held back the basij. and part of the reason is is that there is a widespread sense that the government has completely delegitimateized itself through the perception that it was stolen. >> and of course, ahmadinejad, barring something that happens between now and then, will be sworn into a second term on monday. thank you very much. >>> and what political story will be making headlines in the next 24 hours? all that, and for the first time, we will be broadcasting live from africa next week as secretary of state hillary clinton embarks on her

the supreme leader, ayatollah khamenei, still supports ahmadinejad.rotesters hit the streets 0 for two weeks after the election. at least 22 people were killed and more than 1,000 people arrested. that includes a greek journalist released today and 9 british embassy workers. nearly all have since been freed. >>> in 1990, washington, d.c. mayor, marion barry, was arrested and eventually served jail time for smoking crack. now barry's a washington, d.c. city councilman, and he's had another run-in with the law. >>> a postal worker who defied a bank robber got shot in the face yesterday. robert norman was at an indianapolis bank when the gunman walked in. norman tried to run but found himself face to face with the robber. he tried to grab the gun and the robber shot him. >> god protected me. i could have died. all he did was break some bones and my jaw and the bullet has to stay in my neck. they don't want to take the risk of damaging anything, so i've got a souvenir, the doctor said, of this experience. >> now, you noticed his eye looked pretty bad ther

today, ir's supreme religious leer ayatollah ali khamenei issued a warning. he suggested thaclerics supporting the opposion by challenng the results of last month's presintial elections are undermining t nation's security. >> trslator: they st be vigilan they have to know that any words that would hp our emies are removeagainst the nation. we all should be rely careful. >>> on the west bankoday. iaeli forces clashed with israeli settlerprotesting the army's removal of an unauthorized selement outpost. just yesterday, thstate assador to the u.sto ael's protest israel's decisioto go ahead with a plned housing project in east jesalem. land claimed by the palesnians. israeli prime minister njamin netanyahu said yesterday, quoting now, "weannot accept the fact that jews uldn't be entied to live and buy anywhere inerusalem." >>> the united statemade much today's 40th anniversary o the first landing oman on the moon by the space race that d to the amazinguccess has expanding far beyond the u.s.-russian competion of the 1960s. ina is now a member of the manned space

tay's demonstrations com on the heels of a decision earlier this we by iranian supreme leer ayatollah ham khamenei. they will also release 140 those crently in custody. >> beating, jailing, harsing, intimidating, teatening the protesters doesn't seem toe getting them to stoppedo they're confused. they're issuing contradictory messages. they're trying to figureut what to d to stop tis thing. they can'tuite understand it it's no like anything they experienced before. >> to take clser look at toy' demonstrations in iran a theongoingpolitical turmoile, we joined by shin molavi, an expert on iran and fromhe american fello undation. he joi us from washington. welcome to the prgram. >> thankou. >> how signicant were today' demonstrations compared t tho that folwed last month disputed elections >> well, i think these were significant, martin, because today was t 40th day afte the killing of ne alla sultan. yo recall the woman that w shot, she became a symb with the brutality in which they were me so it w significant religisly because 40 days after a death in shia islam is knwn as the arbien and mourning c

we're told that in a speech today, the ayatollah do khamenei not only upheld the election results butill suffer a negative impact with its relations with iran for speaking out in support of the demonstrators. meanwhile, the opposition leader-mile-an-hour hussein mousavi reportedly making his first appearance in a week vowing to continue campaigning against iran's clerical leadership but indicated a turn away from massive street protests telling supporters to protest within the framework of the law. they are being called the deadliest riots to hit china in decades. thought fighting between muslim minority in china and chinese majority is sparking disturbing comparisons to the unrest in iran. we have reports tonight that indicate at least 140 people are dead more than 800 more injured or arrested after protests against the murders of two migrant workers at a chinese factory last month. as you can see demonstrators are clashing with police. attacking homes and cars. it's all happening in the chinese province of zinjiang in the northwestern part of the country. the protesters' chants are

today, iran's supreme religious leader ayatollah ali khamenei issued a warning. he suggested that clerics supporting the opposition by challenging the results of last month's presidential elections are undermining the nation's security. >> translator: they must be vigilant. they have to know that any words that would help our enemies are removed against the nation. we all should be really careful. >>> the united states made much of today's 40t anniversary of the first landing of man on the moon but the space race that told that amazing success has expanded far beyond the u.s. and russia competition of the 1960s. china is now a member of the manned space mission club. last september, you'll remember, china launched three astronauts on a 60-hour mission highlighted by the country's first-ever space walk. in a clear reference to neil armstrong's famous words as he stepped on to the moon's surface 40 years ago, the chinese called their accomplishment "a small step but a historical leap in china's space dreams." >>> for more on the state of space exploration programs

yesterday, the sproik religious leader ayatollah ali khamenei warned clerics contesting the election outcome that they're undermining iran's security. but today, the former president, ali akbar rafsanjani issued a defiant statement saying he knows no fear. and in tehran today hundreds of antigovernment protesters took to the streets, once a >>> secretary of state hillary clinton's continuing her tour of asia. today she's in thailand and expressed concern that north korea may be exporting its nuclear technology to the military regime in myanmar. that, she said, would destabilize the region. >>> of course, are there continuing tensions between north korea and south korea. and there's also concerns that north korean spies continue to cross the border and infiltrate the south. now as steve chaof al jazeera english reports the government in seoul is taking some extraordinary steps to alert its young people about the problem. >> reporter: south korea is a nation obsessed with gaming. 17 million, the majority young men, packed internet dens like these nightly. and so it's here, country's in

fill in the middle box, state tv quoting the ayatollah khamenei, saying western governments should be about their hostile remarks. he said this behavior will have a negative impact on future relations with iran. in the bottom box, the dalai lama celebrating his 74th birthday today. he has spent 50 birthday's in exile in india. trace: on the hunt for a serial killer. in just the past week, five people have been murdered. police say the physical evidence leads back to one suspect. you can imagine the entire community is living in fear, as they say their final goodbyes to the victims. >> people are pretty scared. i know the police are working as hard as they can. i certainly hope they catch him before he heard someone else. -- hurts someone else. the whole thing is a tragedy. that 16-year-old girl is beyond belief. trace: we are live in south carolina. two victims were laid to rest today. the community has to be struck. >> that is right, and they were laid to rest yesterday. the pastor said that instead of talking about independence day, we are here. the two girls were found bound and sh

that's when president ahmadinejad is going to stand next to ayatollah ali khamenei as he approves his presidency with a ceremony. two days later, the president is going to be sworn in with an unprecedented backdrop in iran with hundreds of thousands of people still believe his re-election was rigged. john? >> reza sayah tracking this at our iran desk. >>> could that happy hour beer chat at the white house leave the president with, you know, a political hangover? joining me, paul begala and tony blankley. i want some analysis from you first, but first a little bit of a treat. late night, some call them comics or political analysts. how do they view this? >> obama really cut loose at the kegger. he -- he was -- he was wearing baggy dad jeans and sipping -- sipping a bud light. so, he was just -- >> president obama had a beer with harvard professor henry louis gates and the policeman who arrested him. yeah. you know, the meeting got off to a rough start when a neighbor called the police to say gates was breaking into the white house. there's a man going in there! >> laughing matter? much

if i were in charge, i would not put it there because it is a stretch, but remember when the ayatollah khamenei, when his casket was being credit for iran, the crowd rushed it, the whole thing tumbled apart. >> i remember. the lapd would never permit that. but let me tell you the words i think best characterized your saying. something that never, ever happened at a michael jackson performance. improvisation. you're seeing spontaneous decision making, making it up as they go along. there is no there there. at least have a reasonably coherent public relations guy, but where was he last week? if he was representing the family, where was he during the chaos? jon: i have never paid a huge amount of attention to his career, but reading about his decisions, it seemed like he changed advisers every other week. >> the last change the most disruptive because he fired basically everyone. even the brothers, jermaine and randy, they were also cut out in a sense from being part of the decisionmaking process. as he went forward, he had an entirely new cast of characters. his expectations were overblown and i

khamenei. what would be comparative? >> ayatollah ali cama knee is the spiritual led der of iran. he is really the head of the state. he is the head of the army. he runs the country. he rules the country e . he is the one after friday prayer says, do not demonstrate. do not demonstrate or else. look at this. weeks after his threat, basically, what they are doing, they are challenging the authority of president ahmadinejad and ayatollah ali khamenei. there is no point of return. they want to keep moving forward. >> what's unique about you, and i try to do it as well from my own vantage point back there in my offices but i know that you are very close to this. you talk to people all day long. so you are not just sharing with us what you are hearing. you are actually sharing with us qu conversations that you have had with sources there in tehran. i want to let you know how much i appreciate that. how much our viewers should appreciate that as well. >> listen, we are going to stay on top of this story. we will probably get you back as we go through the hour. we are going to get reza t

he heads the group responsible for appointing or removing the supreme leader, that's ayatollah khamenei. khamenei backs the incumbent president ahmadinejad. >>> a big move in the business world to tell you about too. >>> a bankruptcy judge has now approved the sale of general motors' assets to a new gm. christine romans joining us from new york to explain what all of this means for taxpayers and then, of course, the gm customers. hi there, christine. >> the judge says there was no other choice. he said he had to approve the sale of these good assets to the new gm, otherwise he'd be facing liquidation and that would hurt everybody. the only alternative is liquidation, a disastrous result for gm's creditors, employees, suppliers who depend on gm for their own existence. so what's happening here? taxpayers will get 60% stake in the company, this new gm would have four benchmark brands, chevy, cadillac, gmc, and buick, everything else will stay in bankruptcy, sold, liquidated, could take a couple of years to get rid of that stuff. it will mean for retirees, lower benefits, those very rich b

what's interesting, in this video is that you are hearing chants of death to mushtuwab, ayatollah khamenei, the extreme leader's son. there are a lot of reports that he has taken over the government. >> he have showed us pictures. >> many people are blaming his son for the brutal crackdown. there, you see protesters yelling death to him. >> we thought the basij, the paramilitary people had been effective in shutting down the protests. now, we have protests all over in tehran. >> not all over. what we saw there was video from the area where the ministry of oil is. this all started at 5:00 p.m. local time around revolution square. that's where you see out here. the protesters were using today as an opportunity to come out and protest. they showed up here around 5:00 p.m. local time. they were met with security forces and disbursed and went into neighboring areas and this gives you an idea how far out they went. >> it's nighttime there. thank you for staying on top of this. >>> he was an outspoken critic of kidnappers and criminal drug cartels in mexico. he was an american citizen who led mar

also we heard chants of "death to ayatollah khamenei," the supreme leader.'t disperse were tear gassed by security forces. the picture may be graphic, so turn away if you are disturbed by scenes like this. we spoke with this man this morning, who went to protect and rescue some women who were being beat up and this is what happened to him. he said security forces came up with batons and gave him a few shots in the back and in the head. and, again, he said he was watching some women being beat up. he went to their rescue. so, a lot of people like this man paid for the fact that they went out there. these were, safe to say, the hardco hardcore, some say the courageous elements of the opposition groups went out there. nowhere near the numbers that we've seen in the past but they wanted to go out and show the government that this thing is not over. but it's important to know the government has said all along, it is over, do not come out. these election results will not be annulled. leaving the opposition leaders with very little legal recourse, tony. >> reza, ca

vice presidents and advisers all on his own, without the involvement of the supreme leader, ayatollah c khameneiis, in theory, above politics. that's in theory, but in practice, the supreme leader is kiboshing ahmadinejad's choice for his vice president. khamenei writing ahmadinejad a letter demanding that his choice for vice resigns. in other words, there's a crisis in this state. which isn't weird for a country whose real name starts with "the islamic republic of." but this means that he might be losing the support of the cleric regime that runs the show in the iran. the question if this will be a jolt in the arm for the support in iran that still seems ready to pour into the streets to try to get rid of their government at any moment. >>> and the nixon scandal-related real estate market is not so hot. back in april, you might remember that apartment number 310 at watergate west went on the market. it was the apartment once owned by fred larue. he's the man who in that apartment distributed hush money to keep the original watergate break-in secret. remarkably, the watergate tells us now that t

significant if symbolic setback for the government and especially for the supreme authority for the ayatollah khameneihose word is supposed to be fun. the government has tried to paint the opposition and its top presidential candidate as criminals and traders, a strategy that now becomes more difficult if not impossible. they are talking about calling the vote in iran illegitimate in causing a rift in the highest leadership levels. host: the independent line, good morning. what do you think about the president's trip? caller: here is the deal. the president is making a trip to russia. i think it is about time we let the russian people know they are our allies. it is the best interest of both countries to see -- something concerning israel. if we stop them from developing nuclear weapons it is good for us. the president needs to let the russian people know that they have to improve their relationship with israel and clamp down on iran. host: if you like to send us a message on twitter the address is cspanwj. here mousavi is accused of treason -- this comes out of tehran. he released documents on saturd

on one side, the establishment -- president ahmadinejad backed by supreme leader ayatollah khamenei and the powerful security forces. on the other, the opposition. led by mir hossein mousavi, and former reformist president, all founders of the 1979 islamic revolution and disciples of the father of the revolution, ayatollah khomeni. >> it seems the two sides, the proahmadinejad and anti-ahmadinejad sides have solidified. the people in the center, the clerics, the religious establishment has yet to go one way or the other. >> in a country where the word of god outweighs democratic institutions, observers say it's the individual clerics that could be the difference maker. the indications are, they are even split, some siding with the option, others siding with the establishment. all eyes on teheran and other cities around teheran. security forces will be out in the street. so will protesters possibly making for another volatile situation, kiran. >> the other interesting development, reza people talked about was as long as it gets it attention of the world, there are many protesters who bel

i do not blame or criticize obama for using outreach, showing respect for ahmadinejad and ayatollah khameneito work. the question is, do they, for example, now signal their support for bipartisan legislation that would give obama the tools for serious sanctions, cutting off gas supplies, something that would really put the squeeze on iran, which during the campaign obama and hillary both said they were in favor of. >> karen, do you agree with cliff there is no sense in pursuing talks with iran because it leads nowhere? >> look, i think what you'll hear is the secretary talk about certainly none proliferation is a key goal of the administration. but again, this -- we tried cowboy diplomacy. didn't work. really tanked our relationships around the world. the secretary and the president have been working very hard on rebuilding those relationships and sort of again setting a new course. again, what's been a little bit different, not just in tone, but in substance, diplomacy obviously is an important part of what we're doing, but so is development. that's been a key part of what she's been trying

. >> in a rare show of defiance toward ayatollah khamenei, mahmoud ahmadinejad is preserving his choice for a top vice president. it comes in spite of strong opposition from hard line elements who criticize that candidates stance. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton is strengthen iing suggesting a missile defense umbrella for allies in the gulf. speaking in thailand she also took on reporters' questions about her future ambitions. >> will we ever get to see you as president of the united states? >> well, that's not anything i'm at all thinking about. i think the job i have now is incredibly demanding. i'm not somebody who looks ahead. i don't know but i doubt very much that anything like that will ever be part of my life. >> so it's wait and see? >> no, no, no. >> never say never. >> well, i am saying no because i have a very committed attitude toward the job i'm doing now so that's not anything that is at all on my radar screen. >> secretary clinton will be david gregory's exclusive guest for the full hour on sunday's "meet the press." there are reports today that said one of osama

. >>> mahmud ahmadinejad said his relationship with ayatollah ali khamenei is like a father and son, based on kindness. hardliners have cast doubt on his loyalty after he picked a controversial vice president, one who once said iranians and israelis were friends. ahmadinejad was pressured to drop him. the streets of tehran are quiet after clashes broke out yesterday they were trying to march to the burial site of netta. >>> nato confirmed yesterday's incident, and said the marines died from wounds suffered from direct fire. the troops were in helmand province where anti-taliban offenses are being conducted. >>> it's a booklet apparently that outlines the taliban's new code of conduct. u.s. and afghan military officials call it a joke and propaganda. the guide calls for limiting suicide attacks and civilian deaths, but u.s. officials point out with all the recent bombings and civilians killings, it's obvious they don't follow their own code of conduct. one u.s. officials si says the book is a prescriptive on how the bad guys are supposed to conduct themselves. >>> well, the military s

willingness to engage with iran at this point, could you tell us, has there been any response from ayatollah khamenei or the government to the letter that was sent in may, and if these aliens damage iranians should show interest, what if they stonewall how long this would go on if there is absolutely no give, and could you clarify after vice president joe biden's remarks, has there been any green, yellow or red light given to israel aboabout an attack on? >> we are well aware that the situation after the elections puts a different complexion on both the iranian government, we don't really know what their intentions might be at this point in time, we are very troubled by the repressive actions that they took in the aftermath of their elections as well as most likely a certain amount of electoral irregularities. but as i said, we have no pact that has opened up right now, but we have made it clear that there is a choice for the iranian government to make. we will wait to see how they decide, whether that choice is worth pursuing. a favor to choose to pursue it, we have made it very clear that this is n

in iran, the ayatollah ally khamenei spoke out today. the former presidential candidate mir hossein mousavi spoke publically today the first time in a week. he quoted as vowing to continue to lead government opposition. critical new support for his cause. some top iranian clerics are questioning the election and the government's response. let's bring in brian todd looking at this significant developments. >> they certainly are. they have a lot of us bracing right now. a fresh round of defiance in iran. an ominous counterattack by members of the government leadership adding up to signs iran may be seeing, may be seeing in the coming days a second wave of political confrontation. part of iran's religious establishment from the holy city now openly questions election results. an ayatollah who heads the group responsible for removing iran's supreme leader khamenei says i don't think any wakened consciousness would be satisfied with the crackdown. some senior clerics at a seminary. perspective from an islamic scholar once jailed under the sha

. >> in iran, president mahmoud ahmadinejad is showing rare defines against the ayatollah ali khameneie ordered him to fire his vice president but he is refusing. cnn's reza sayah is there to explain what the leadership dispute really means. reza? >> reporter: well, for the first time, we are seeing cracks among hard liners and conservatives. in the past, we have seen reformists and modernists take on the hard liners. we have never seen them take on one another. that appears to be what's happening. the controversy surrounding the man president ahmadinejad appointed vice president, his son is married to his daughter. that's not the problem. the controversy came along when he said that iranians are friends with efrp, including the israelis. now, they are calling for his arre resignation. in new york, a three-day hunger strike by iranian exiles who are trying to put the pressure on iranian leadership to free hundreds of detainees arrested after the controversial election on june 12th. wolf? >> thanks very much. what's happening in iran by no means over at all. let's go to jack cafferty ri

the iranian revolution occurred in 179 when ayatollah ali khamenei came out of exile, came back to tehran, and we have born the consequences of it not only in iran but worldwide ever since. that would have been something that would have taken a creative genius to understand the forcing leading to that. we saw that the shau was on shaky ground. the question is how do you react? we are dealing with domestic issues. i want to talk about the domestic impact, which was a rise in gas prices and gas lines. five million barrels of oil were taken out of production because of the day yoss in iran. it took me 30 minutes to fill up to get to the white house to deal with the problem that everybody had to wait 30 minutes. here is where the policy mistake was made. we had had the courage to deregulate natural gays, the courage to deregulate crude oil, combined with a creative win fall profits tax to get the democrats to go along. this was one of the worst mistakes i made. if we had recommended to the president deregulating the price of gasoline, and we were all concerned about it during a time of high i

if you remember, i'm from hawaii and i had to stay awake until past midnight to watch ayatollah khameneik in prayer and my mouth was open. i couldn't believe he would actually go on television on friday prayer and incite the public to go into the streets the way that he did. and that is a role that the leadership in iran has not played, or has not tried to play. so, the failure of these two institutions was the direct cause of street confrontation and violence. because, as far as i'm concerned, it is electoral politics by other means. but the iranian election is still continuing. and it will continue, as far as i can tell, for a while. in the process, the damage that has been done to the legitimacy will either have to be repaired in serious ways or face -- these institution also have to face serious consequences. and with results for the future structure of power. either elections will become totally meaningless in iran, for instance, or the way they are conducted has to be repaired in serious ways. in short, such cosmetic and in some ways amusing efforts to open and read the ballots of