Will President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad be disempowered or resign?

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday the will of the Iranian people should be fully respected and he was closely following the situation after Iran's disputed presidential election.

"The position of me and the United Nations is that the genuine will of the Iranian people should be fully respected," Ban told reporters, adding that he was watching how an investigation of complaints about the poll would turn out.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE55E49120090615

Does anybody have ANY IDEA how a dictatorship works? The dictator is re-elected. There is an official investigation into the appeal of the opposition party that will not produce any notable change. If you have any questions about what is going on: HAVE A LOOK AT ZIMBABWE.

SAME THING SPELLED DIFFERENTLY.

I like how, if you read it real fast, "disempowered" looks like "disembowled".. Nice mental picture ending for a well desserving A.H. But dictators stay where they are and how they are.... unless someone does do the dirty... What a mess..

I am not sure how the Boston Globe put this together, but the link below goes to some very graphic pictures of protesters of the Iranian election.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/06/irans_disputed_election.html

The question is whether the UN, USA, CIA, or whatever will use this unrest to unseat the dude. Seems like from an intelligence point of view, now's the time for the US to act and possibly put this gentleman out of the picture and avoid a showdown that will cost us more lives.

...and replace him with what/whom? Getting Ahmadinejad out of the picture doesn't mean his replacement won't be worse. The CIA has played that game before and my guess is this administration is going to avoid putting themselves in any position where they might be perceived as playing a role in ousting him. Ahmadinejad is a known quantity. He's launched fewer missiles than most US ships in the last eight years. Why replace him with someone who might actually be worse?

Extensive photo set from Iran. Warning: Some Graphic
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fhashemi/sets/72157619758530748/show/

I just created a related question here:
http://www.hubdub.com/m44939/What_will_Mir_Hussein_Mussavi_be_doing_on_Sept_20_2009

Amazing pic, Mork. It's eerily remeniscent of Tiananmen Square. I hope it has a happier ending, but I'm not optimistic.

Supreme leader: Iran vote was "definitive victory"

Iran's supreme leader says there was "definitive victory" and no rigging in disputed presidential elections that set off days of unprecedented protests.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered no concession to opposition supporters who are demanding the elections be canceled and held again.

He blamed Great Britain and Iran's external enemies for the unrest, vigorously defending the ruling system in his first public comments since supporters of challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi flooded the streets.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jGSJEAPs_r2T2wxsL5G3t4z-jajQD98TLOJ80

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Chairman of the House Republican Conference, and Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have introduced a resolution that goes where the President fears to tread: explicit support for the Iranian dissidents. Said Congressman Pence:

“This is an important moment for the Congress, our country and the people of Iran. For days hundreds of thousands of dissidents have taken to the streets of Iran in support of freedom and democracy. The American cause is freedom and in that cause the American people will not be silent. I am honored to join Chairman Berman in offering this important resolution. The joint resolution I and Chairman Berman introduced will give voice to countless Americans who stand with the Iranian dissidents as they stand up for freedom. I urge Members on both side of the aisle to support this important resolution and I hope for its immediate consideration.”

Mr. Obama said he was “very concerned ..."

And the world shudders

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has defended President Ahmadinejad's re-election saying the results are fair, speaking at Friday Prayers.

The Supreme Leader said the competition was transparent and that the Islamic Republic would "not betray the vote of the people".

It is the first public appearance since he gave his unequivocal backing to the election result and President Ahmadinejad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8108938.stm

Did anyone really expect anything other than Iran reviewing their election process and then coming to the conclusion that, "Yessir, everything worked great, the will of the people prevailed!"

Warning: Graphic

Unimaginable Horror In Tehran Today
http://threatswatch.org/rapidrecon/2009/06/unimaginable-horror-in-tehran/

Amnesty International is gravely concerned that several opposition leaders detained in the wake of the 12 June elections may be facing torture, possibly to force them to make televised “confessions” as a prelude to unfair trials in which they could face the death penalty.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/detained-political-leaders-at-risk-of-torture-20090629

A group of clerics in Iran has called Iran's presidential vote invalid, contradicting official results.

The pro-reform group's statement pits it against the top legislative body, which last week formally endorsed the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8134904.stm