New momentum in Iran protests
As we go on air at 1200 BST today (1500 in Tehran), tension in Tehran will hit a new high as opposing demonstrations converge near the city centre. Seven anti-Ahmadinejad demonstrators were shot yesterday -- and that could be a game changer. There was an earlier expectation that the protests would peter out but the shootings have given them a new momentum.
The reformists face an uphill struggle: the power of Iran's theocratic rulers is immense, as is there ruthlessness -- the crackdown has already begun with dozens of opposition activists arrested since the protests began. But there is no doubt the country's Islamic Establishment is surprised and rocked by the vehemence of the reaction to yet another rigged election.
Iran's powerful Guardian Council, which is under the control of the country's so-called Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei (who is appointed for life and more powerful than any politician), says it is ready to recount disputed votes from Friday's presidential poll, which is something of a U-turn -- though the ruling mullahs might simply be playing for time rather than finding an unlikely enthusiasm for honest ballots.
We are in unchartered territory here and only a mug would predict the outcome. But we will bring the latest, live, on BBC2 at noon, and discuss developments with the Liberal Democrats' former leader and foreign policy expert, Sir Menzies Campbell
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