More massive protests planned in Iran

Opposition movement breaks ground
But Mousavi's opposition movement has broken significant ground. It has forced Khamenei into the center of the escalating crisis and broken taboos about questioning his role as the final word on all critical matters.

Javedanfar believes two key factors should be watched: whether the opposition movement can keep its show of strength on the streets for several more weeks and, more importantly, if it can bring in influential voices from the Islamic clergy.

Shortly after the election, Mousavi appealed for the backing of clerics in the holy city of Qom, Iran's seat of Islamic learning and a critical political base for the theocracy. But received shows of support from several prominent liberal and dissident religious figures, including Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who said that "no sound mind" would accept the election results.

But Mousavi, who was prime minister in the 1980s, has not captured widespread support among the Qom clerics. That doesn't mean, however, that they support Ahmadinejad, either.

The wild card for Mousavi's movement is former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who heads the Assembly of Experts — a cleric-run body that is empowered to choose or dismiss Iran's supreme leader. Khamenei is Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's successor, and the assembly has never used its power to remove Iran's highest authority.

Critical of Ahmadinejad
Rafsanjani was a fierce critic of Ahmadinejad during the election, but has not publicly backed Mousavi. It is not known whether Mousavi has actively courted Rafsanjani or if they have held talks.

But Iranian TV showed pictures of Faezeh Hashemi, Rafsanjani's daughter, speaking to hundreds of Mousavi supporters, carrying pictures of Khomeini.

Robin Niblett, director of the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London, said he does not believe Mousavi wants to topple Iran's theocracy, but his allegations of vote fraud could undermine the authority and respect of Khamenei.

"It is a split itself over this election and the broader grand strategy of the country," Niblett said. "I don't believe the protesters want to overthrow the system at this time — although their ire at Khamenei may yet increase."

Election tensions appeared to be spreading further into the Iranian political and religious classes — and even into the realm of sports.

Soccer players show support
Five Iranian soccer players, including captain Ali Karimi, wore green wristbands in an apparent sign of support for Mousavi at a World Cup Asian qualifying match in South Korea. State television showed the players wearing them for the entire first half, but the bands were gone by the time the second half started.

Blogs and Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been vital conduits for Iranians to inform the world about protests and violence. The Web became more essential after the government barred foreign media Tuesday from leaving their offices to report on demonstrations on the streets of Tehran.

Jo Yong-hak / Reuters Masoud Shojaye, second from right, celebrates after scoring a goal during Iran’s 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea. A teammate, on the right, is wearing a green armband, which is the color associated with Mir Hossein Mousavi’s opposition movement.

A senior Iranian prosecutor told NBC News that anyone found guilty of “incitement” could face the death penalty.

But the unrest appeared to be reaching the government and the country’s religious elite.

Iran’s most senior dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, said widespread vote fraud had undermined the legitimacy of the ruling Islamic system and that "no sound mind" would accept the results.

“A government that is based on intervening in [people’s] vote has no political or religious legitimacy,” said Montazeri, who had once been set to succeed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as supreme leader until he was ousted because of criticisms of the revolution.

Meanwhile, the semiofficial ISNA news agency and the private ILNA news agency reported that scuffles broke out between two legislators in an open session of Parliament after they argued about the election. The clash followed a parliamentary committee’s meeting with Mousavi and a report from the speaker of Parliament.

To try to placate the opposition, the main electoral authority has said it was prepared to conduct a limited recount of ballots at sites where candidates claim irregularities. The recount would be overseen by the Guardian Council.

Mousavi says the Guardian Council is not neutral and has already indicated that it supports Ahmadinejad. He and the two other candidates who ran against Ahmadinejad are calling for an independent investigation.

More on Iran

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