And here's a (loud) message of support for the protesters from a Tunisian activist:

@madyar tweets, "Riot police are gathering at Kargare Shomali Avenue too. The area is very busy with people."

1:55 p.m. So far, only riot police have shown up to counter the demonstrators that have gathered in Sadeghya and the impeding protests. No sign of Basij militia or Revolutionary Guard forces as yet.

Rahe Sabz reports that riot police are starting to move towards Imam Hossein Square, Darvazaye Shamran Square, Ferdowsi Square, Valiasr Square and other areas where protesters might gather. They add that riot police have already gathered in Enghelab Square and that the Tehran University administration has stopped students from entering the school today.

More reports of people -- in some cases entire families -- moving toward the planned protest route in Tehran.

1:45 p.m. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of protesters are now assembling in Sadeghya Square. Security forces are also beginning to arrive in the area. No clashes so far. The security forces are reportedly just staring at the protesters.

@madyar tweets, "Security forces now present in Mohseni, Mirdamad and Vanak Squares as well as Sa'adat Abad. Down with dictator chants are being heard from Sadeghya Square."

1:20 p.m. Rahe Sabz is reporting that few riot police or other security forces are visible on Tehran's streets. People are slowly coming out of their houses and moving toward protest sites.

Saham News is claiming that state employees have been offered overtime pay if they stay at their desks until 6 p.m.

1:10 p.m. A Tehran blogger reports:

On Twitter, @SheydaJahanbin reports that many people have gathered in Tehran's Sadegheya Square.

Reza Sayah of CNN tweets: "100 riot police at Ferdowsi square - 50 riot police on motorbikes headed towards Azadi sq."

1:00 p.m. From Mousavi's Facebook page:

Saham News reports that Karroubi's wife, Fatemeh Karroubi, was not allowed to leave their house today. One of the two security cameras on his house's walls was destroyed last night and the other was stolen by unknown assailants. Security forces are near the house and won't allow anyone to replace the cameras.

On Twitter, @madyar says there have been reports that Dr. Rahnavard was similarly barred from leaving the Mousavis' house by security forces.

12:50 p.m. Tehran Bureau contributor homylafayette reports that the web is buzzing with stories of a protester who climbed a crane near Chahar Raheh Ghasr and hoisted a flag at around 8:30 a.m. The protester held up pictures of "martyrs" and warned authorities that they would jump if approached. Here's a photo:

And a brief video:

Mitra Mubasherat of CNN tweets: "About 100 riot police are stationed around Ferdowsi Square in central #Tehran today. No sign of protesters on the streets yet."

12:30 p.m. Sources inside online hacktivist organization Anonymous confirm that they are using Distributed Denial of Services attacks to take down Iranian government websites -- Operation Iran Fax is the name they've given the endeavor. Here's the video "press release" issued a few days ago by Anonymous:

Police are reportedly still absent from major streets in Tehran.

12:25 p.m. Here's the lead headline on the website of Press TV, the English-language subsidiary of the state broadcasting network: "Egypt Army rejects protesters' demands". The article notes that some Egyptians are "disturbed by the army's failure...to release political prisoners." Press TV does not appear to be offering any coverage of today's planned marches and the developments surrounding them, nor of the hundreds of political prisoners in the jails of the Islamic Republic -- here's the stories of a few of them, from Tehran Bureau's Muhammad Sahimi: Young Lions of the Green Movement.

The headline of the third story on the regime-aligned Mehr News Agency's English-language website reads, "Iranian MPs rally in support of Egyptians". The story describes how "parliamentarians shouted slogans like 'God is Greatest,' 'Muslims Be United,' 'Down with the U.S.,' and 'Down with Israel.' Majlis speaker [Ali Larijani] in his speech said the United States should know that the regional nations want real democracy and not dependent governments which are democratic in name only." Mehr also does not appear to be offering any coverage of developments leading up to today's planned marches.

On Twitter, @madyar reports that shopkeepers on Tehran's Enghelab Square have been told by security forces to close down at 3 p.m., the scheduled start time of today's march.

12:05 p.m. We reported earlier that Mousavi's mobile phone had been disconnected. Apparently the landlines to his and wife Zahra Rahnavard's house have been cut as well. A police vehicle and several other cars have blocked the entrance to the street their house is on.

11:45 a.m. The live blog is back. The Mourning Mothers group has released a statement in support of the protests. They have three demands: unconditional release of all political prisoners, abolition of the death penalty, and the public prosecution of those responsible for the brutal killings in the past 32 years. They have announced that they will join today's protests.

The website of the state television and radio network, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, has been rendered inaccessible by cyber attacks.

Political prisoners in Rejaee Shahr Prison in Karaj have begun a hunger strike today in support of the protesters.

We noted in our previous post the Tehran Bureau article The Iran 34: Journalists in Jail, based on the annual global report from the Committee to Protect Journalists. Blogger Arshama3 has provided a much more extensive list of journalists imprisoned in Iran or out on bail, awaiting sentencing.

6:45 a.m. It's about ten minutes before sunrise over Tehran and a little over eight hours before the scheduled start of the march to Azadi Square. Things have been quiet for a while now and may be so for another couple hours, so the live blog will be resting its bleary fingers and callused eyes for a bit.

Some possibly apposite reading before our break. Those who have been following along may have noted that our Tehran-based correspondents tend to be filing anonymously. For some of the reasons why, The Iran 34: Journalists in Jail provides a brief survey of the current situation, and The Plight of Iranian Journalists delivers a more detailed look at what happened to the Iranian press during the protests of 2009. And, as we consider what happens (or may happen, or may not happen) in Iran in light of events in Egypt, here is a recent look at the ways the two nations have mirrored each other -- Iran and Egypt, Twin Outsiders of the Muslim World -- and here is an essay from last April that suggests how the wheels of destiny can turn...and turn again: Let Democracy Resound.

5:15 a.m. "For now, the only certain thing is that we will show up on time on Monday, February 14th, at 3 p.m. and will start walking toward Azadi Square. But we have to define what we want to do. I am not very comfortable with demonstrating just for demonstrating. They have the money, the guns, the religion -- the opium -- and what do we do if they start shooting at us? Do we turn the other cheek again?" A Tehran Bureau special correspondent sets the scene in the capital, as he and his two best friends sit over coffee and plan for the unknowable. For the full story, see 'Stay Together and Together Stay Strong': 3 Friends Prepare for 25 Bahman.

4:30 a.m. A correspondent in Tehran writes:

What will happen Monday, history will record in less than 24 hours. The atmosphere is filled by suspense over the call for demonstration. Certainly the city is not calm. There were chants of "Allah-o akbar" across Tehran. People expect something to happen. Publicly, Mr. Karroubi and Mr. Mousavi have called for a demonstration in solidarity with the people of Egypt. Nobody thinks or believes this is about Egypt or will remain focused on Egypt. No wonder that their request has been rejected as illegal. Their advisers have announced that according to Article 27 of Iran's Constitution there is no need for a permit. It must be noted that both leaders are under house arrest now. Most likely they will be prevented from attending the demonstration. [While Karroubi has been under house arrest for four days, there is no independent confirmation that Mousavi has been similarly confined. As we noted two-and-a-half hours ago, a senior adviser to the former presidential candidate says that his mobile phone has been disconnected and it has not been possible to reach him. --Ed.] It is interesting to note that beyond the publicly announced goal of solidarity with the Egyptian people, there is no other specific demand. There are a number of slogans for on the web, but beyond that there is no goal, at least no publicly stated goal. Right now it seems the question is not what the strategy is, it is if the crowds will gather in the streets of Tehran on Monday. In the events that followed the 2009 presidential election, the government showed that it is a fast learner indeed. New tactics were designed and more security units than ever utilized. By the time the Green Movement called for a mass demonstration on the anniversary of the Revolution last year, government forces were well prepared to prevent crowds from assembling. In many cases, people were dispersed as they exited metro stations. Any small gathering was attacked and the mass demonstration did not take place. Now many in the Green Movement hope that the recent events in the Middle East have shifted the paradigm in Tehran. They have no doubt that the government will use force. However, they are hoping that the suppression will not be as brutal as before. This hope is based on the fact that although the Iranian government does not care about global opinion, it cares a great deal about its image on the streets of the Middle East. And the eyes of region are on Tehran. The belief is that as the dictators of Egypt and Tunisia have departed and there is a chance for friendly governments in these countries, Iran's political establishment will not risk losing its stature and prestige among the region's Muslim population. The Green Movement leaders hope that this perspective will soften the government reaction to Monday's demonstration. In other words, the Green Movement is probing for an opportunity. The fact that Turkish President Abdullah Gul is in Tehran on an official visit has boosted their morale. The word is that the Iranian government will not risk violence in front of so many dignitaries and reporters. President Gul's presence in Tehran also serves as a reminder to the Iranian leadership that Turkey will gladly fill in any void created by a decline in Iran's influence in the region. If the Green Movement is right in its assessment, then it might be able to take the initiative back from the government on Monday. However, there is little doubt that Mr. Karroubi and Mr. Mousavi have gambled on an assumption that might well prove wrong.

4:05 a.m. While the official request made by Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi to the Interior Ministry for a parade permit was rebuffed -- and no such permit requests were made for the many other cities where demonstrations are planned -- there have been arguments about whether any marches that do take place will be legal under Iranian law. Pro-reform figures have turned to Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution to support their contention that the peaceful demonstrations they plan are, indeed, completely legal whether or not permits are issued. Here is the text of Article 27, in translation:

Public gatherings and marches may be freely held, provided arms are not carried and that they are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam.

3:35 a.m. U.S. State Department initiates Persian-language Twitter acount, @USAdarFarsi, aimed at Iranians. First tweet announces launch. Second blasts IRI regime for hypocrisy: criminalizing dissent while celebrating Egyptian citizens' resistance to dictatorship there. Third calls on Tehran government "to allow people to enjoy same universal rights to peacefully assemble, demonstrate as in Cairo."

3:20 a.m. We began the live blog with a list, unconfirmed, of demonstration sites and times in 24 cities. Here is an updated list, similarly unverifiable, now comprising 41 cities. Times are not provided for most of the new additions, but in every case where they are given, they are in the range of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.:

* Tehran: 3 PM (From Imam Hossein to Azadi Square)

* Babol: 5 PM (Dr. Shariati Avenue, Amir Kabir Square, adjacent to Shadi Park)

* Shiraz: 3 PM (Final Destination is Engineering Building #2. Path 1: From Namazi Square to the University. Path 2: Namazi Square to Setad University toward Namazi to Engineering University. Path 3: Eram Square toward Namazi Square to Engineering University and other roads and streets leading that end in Mullah Sadraa toward the Engineering University)

* Isfahan: 3 PM (Enghelab Avenue and Chahrbaghe Abbasi)

* Ahvaz: 6 PM (Saa'at Traffic Circle to Abadan Fourway)

* Mashhad: 5 PM (From Rahnomayee Threeway toward Shariati Square)

* Rasht: 3 PM (Motahhari Avenue)

* Ardabil: 4 PM (From From Imam Square to Sahriati Square)

* Bushahr: 5 PM (From Shuhada Avenue)

* Kerman 3 PM (Main Square, Azadi Square)

* Orumieh: 4 PM (From Shahrjaee to Enghelab Square)

* Tabriz: 5 PM (Abrasan Traffic Circle [University], Valiasr Square, and Baghmesheh Avenue)

* Hamedan: 4 PM (Bo-Ali's Tomb, Daneshgah Square)

* Tonekabon: 5 PM (From Karimabad Square to Imam Square)

* Kermanshah: 3 PM (Ferdowsi Square)

* Sanandaj: 5 PM (Pasdaran Avenue)

* Semnan: 5 PM (From Sa'adi Square to Kowsar Square)

* Khurramabad: 5 PM (Shuhadaye Sharqi Avenue)

* Shahre Kord: 5 PM (The area between Dampezishky Square to Enghelab Square)

* Kashan: 5 PM (15th of Khordad Square)

* Ghazvin: 5 PM (Khayyam Avenue / Adl Square)

* Sari: 5 PM (Gharen Avenue, Enghelab Avenue)

* Gorgan: 5 PM (Valiasr Square to Zartusht)

* Arak: 5 PM (Abbasabad Avenue, Malik Avenue, Imam Khomeini Avenue)

* Elam: 3 PM (24-Meter Avenue, 4-Meter Avenue, and Ashrafi Isfahani Avenue)

* Varamin: (Rahe-Aahan Square to Main Square in Varamin)

* Pishva: (Shariati Avenue)

* Gharchak: (Mohammadabad Avenue)

* Islamshahr: (Baghe Faiz Avenue and Imam Hossein Boulevard, from the beginning of Saveh Avenue to the Main Square in Baghe Faiz)

* Karaj: (Shah Abbasi Square to Hisarak Square)

* Birjand: (Muddarris Square)

* Bojnord: (17th of Shahrivar Square)

* Zanjan: (Sa'adi Avenue, Imam Avenue)

* Garmsaar: (Shuhada Avenue to Imam Square)

* Shahrud: (12th of Bahman Avenue)

* Yasouj: (Saheli Park on Provincial Square)

* Gilan: (Imam Khomeini Avenue -- Muttahhari Avenue -- Gulsar Avenue)

* Boroujard: (Shuhada Avenue)

* Amol: (Imam Reza Avenue)

* Bandare Abbas: (From Resalat Fourway to Nakhle Nakhuda)

* Yazd: (10th of Farwardin Square, Ayatollah Kashani Square,and from Mujahideen Square to Abuzar Square)

3:05 a.m. A female faculty member in the science department at a university in Tehran emails, "Many of my students are going to celebrate tomorrow night, because it will be a day of victory for the movement. It will be a glorious day."

2:40 a.m. Shouts of "Allah-o akbar" and "Marg bar dictator" (Death to the dictator) from the towers of Ekbatan, in west Tehran.

2:30 a.m. Female political prisoners in Evin Prison and Rejaee Shahr Prison released a statement in support of the planned protests. The statement reiterates their commitment to the Green Movement's pursuit of political reform. It adds, "The Green Movement that has continued to persevere in the past 20 months in the face of brutal suppression by the regime will continue to demand the people's rightful goals."

2:20 a.m. A resident of north Tehran writes:

Tonight, for about 15 minutes, I could hear the cries of "Allah-o akbar" from the rooftops around my home. As I listened, I wondered how many people would show up tomorrow afternoon in the proposed 25th of Bahman March. I can not predict and do not know if in fact there is any life left in the so-called Greens to come out again en masse and suffer the way they did and have been suffering for the past year. The regime certainly is fearful enough not to give them an official permit and proclaims their leaders and the movement "same as dead." The media is clearly not able to provide any coverage, since these days they don't just shut down the media outlet -- be it daily newspaper, weekly, or Internet site -- they also jail, torture, and if threatened enough, kill the journalists who would dare to report such an event. I see the frustration over higher prices for fuel and basic food stuff and the jadedness of people toward the laws and regulations attacking their very foundation, and I see the strength of the moneyed -- the privileged importers (ghachaghchis), the big developers, the quasi-government businesses -- keeping their grip on the economy by enriching the ruthless to rule the innocent. The tragedy is beyond description. What to do? Not knowing, I sit here and think through the whole mess and try to figure out at least what the ending will look like. Figuring out is not predicting, mind you, it's just seeing a path and extending it forward -- not necessarily minding the bumps! Egypt and the rise of its people, and capitulation of a dictator in less than three weeks is clearly a danger signal and alarming to the regime here in Tehran. Funnily enough, it is the same to the West. The regime here clearly wanted Mubarak to go, but had hoped that he would kill a lot more and ignite the radicalization (Islamization!) of Egypt, which would thus find a real friend in the Islamic Republic! But he quit and with him went the hopes of the regime here. [Majles Speaker Ali] Larijani saw that and has been taking the public mantle away from Mr. Ahmadinejad by marching the parliament around and doing shokr prayers [prayers of thanks]! Our values are being given to us on a platter with a "don't ask" tag that is getting to look pretty disgusting. The regime here has the advantage of knowing how the religious dictators in the dark ages of Europe did it. They used caste systems (we call them Hezbollahi), they used torture chambers (we call them Evin, Kahrizak, and many other names of places with similar functions), they used economic deprivation (we call it "goal orientation of subsidies"), they used the fear of hell and reward of heaven (we do the same, while describing the range of heaven's benefits in a bit more detail for the edification of the masses), and most importantly they made sure the Pope was accepted as the ultimate vicar of Christ on earth to complete the dictatorship (we similarly call our chief vicar the Vali-ye Faghih, the Supreme Leader, and hail him as the ultimate voice and leader of Muslims around the world). So it is easy to see where the value systems of the Islamic Republic come from. In the West, it seems more and more the values are being established by the media, mostly via television. They are the ones who tell us what the Pentagon and the State Department, No. 10 Downing Street or the White House tell them -- they tell us what they are told to tell us. They are the ones who accept being "embedded" with the U.S. military on the battlefronts. They are the ones who bring politicians to roundtable sessions and then ask them preagreed-upon questions. They are the ones who don't show the real death numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are also the ones who bombard us with the news of markets and oil prices moving up or down. They are the ones who lead us to believe that our interest lies in the rise of Wall Street as though we are all stockbrokers and major shareholders, and that higher oil prices cause massive problems for the economy as though we are all industrialists. The question of norms and values is not answered in my mind. So long as they do not clearly address the needs of humanity as enlightened human beings like Nelson Mandela or Dalai Lama have taught, we will be waving the flag of those who not only do not have our interests in mind but are set on getting their way at our cost. The cost that the youth in Iran, the bright in Iran, and the compassionate in Iran have paid is so very high that to wish them to continue paying is out of the question for me. I know this will not sit well with many, but the hope is that everyone will stop the rage-based activism long enough to figure out what needs to be done. Then and only then will the power of passive resistance cause the foundation of dictatorships to crack. Green sprouts will find those cracks sooner or later and dictators don't have enough legs to crush them in time. I wish them light! I pray for no blood and no death tomorrow.

1:45 a.m. Kaleme, Mousavi's website, is reporting that nighttime chants of "Allah-o Akbar" were heard not only in Tehran, but also in Tabriz, Shiraz, Rasht, and Isfahan.

1:40 a.m. Ardeshir Amirarjmand, a senior adviser to Mir Hossein Mousavi, just told BBC Persian that any kind of communication with the Green Movement leader had become impossible and that Mousavi's phone line has been cut off, as Mehdi Karroubi's was a few days ago.

1:20 a.m. According to a Tehran correspondent:

As night falls over Tehran, many speculate about the events of tomorrow. There are inspection posts all around the city. The inspection posts on Seyyed Khandad and Haft Tir are manned by police officers and not by Basiji militia, according to eyewitness accounts. One source told this correspondent that he personally does not expect a huge turnout tomorrow. Many others are also doubtful if anyone will come to the streets. Some believe the event has a louder buzz in the online world than in the streets of Tehran. There are reports, published by the Green Movement websites, that the IRGC has requested the High Council of National Security to use only the police force tomorrow and not Revolutionary Guard members to control the streets. However, no independent source has confirmed this report. Despite the speculations, there are those who say that they will be attending. They believe tomorrow we will witness a silent demonstration.

1:05 a.m. A source in Tehran tells us:

The likelihood of violence in tomorrow's marches should be low, because Turkey's President Abdullah Gul will be visiting. It is predicted that the number of people taking part will be larger than that of 22 Bahman of last year [the celebration of the 31st anniversary of the Revolution on February 11, 2010]. Since two days ago, 16,000 policemen have gone on high alert, and tomorrow the entire police force will be on alert. The police as well as the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] forces have also been using their cars that have private license numbers [in order to conceal their purpose], and will do so tomorrow as well. All the local Basij bases in different neighborhoods are on high alert tonight [Sunday night] and have begun creating barricades at different places for inspection of cars and other things. [Groups of] about 20 young people under [age] 25, together with one or two older supervisors, have created artificial ramps to lower cars' speed in order to search them. One can see the Kalashnikov rifles that they carry. Their equipment indicates that new clothes, batons, and other equipment for crowd control have been obtained. I have also been informed that an order has been placed to Imam Hossein University for 5,000 separ [riot shields] that were designed there and have now reached mass production.

12:55 a.m. Television viewers around the world following events in Cairo over the past few weeks have become familiar with the layout of Tahrir Square, epicenter of the Egyptian uprising. Here's a bird's-eye comparison with Azadi Square, the intended destination of the Monday march planned for Tehran.

12:30 a.m. Demonstration in the dark. Shouts of "Allah-o akbar" (God is great) ring out through the Tehran night in support of the call to rally. 12:00 a.m. We begin our 25 Bahman live blog with an unconfirmed list of demonstration sites and times in 24 cities. Given the nature of the demonstrations and their planning, it is impossible to verify much of this information in advance of actual events: * Tehran: 3 PM (From Imam Hossein to Azadi Square)

* Babol: 4 PM (In front of Babol Technical University; Near Amir Kabir Square)

* Shiraz: 3 PM (From Namazi Square to the Engineering Building #2; Mullah Sadra Avenue)

* Isfahan: 3 PM (Enghelab Avenue)

* Ahvaz: 6 PM (Naderi Avenue)

* Mashhad: 5 PM (Rahnomayee Threeway)

* Rasht: 3 PM (Motahhari Avenue)

* Ardabil: 4 PM (From Sahriati Square to the Bazaar)

* Bushahr: 5 PM (From Layan Avenue to 6th of Bahman Square)

* Kerman 3 PM (Around Taryafard)

* Orumieh: 4 PM (Atayee Avenue)

* Tabriz: 5 PM (Saa'at Square)

* Hamedan: 4 PM (Bo-Ali's Tomb)

* Tonekabon: 5 PM (From Karimabad Square to Imam Square)

* Kermanshah: 3 PM (From 22nd of Bahman Threeway / Nowbahar Avenue to Azadi Square)

* Sanandaj: 5 PM (6th of Bahman Avenue)

* Semnan: 5 PM (From Sa'adi Square to Kowsar Square)

* Khurramabad: 5 PM (Khurramrud Avenue)

* Shahre Kord: 5 PM (Enghelab Square)

* Kashan: 5 PM (15 of Khordad Square)

* Ghazvin: 5 PM (Khayyam Avenue / Adl Square)

* Sari: 5 PM (Enghelab Avenue)

* Gorgan: 5 PM (Palace Traffic Circle)

* Arak: 5 PM (Valiasr Square) Copyright © 2011 Tehran Bureau