At December 30 demonstrations in Tehran: Banners protesting against the protest movement leaders (Fars, Jahannews, Iran, December 30, 2009)

Regime forces fire on demonstrators, Tehran, December 27. (Khandaniha.eu, December 30, 2009)

Associates of Iranian protest movement leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi have denied regime reports that they had fled to the north of the country in fear for their lives. They also denied a report that Mousavi's wife Zahra Rahnavard had been arrested. They stressed that they had no intent to flee...

An Iranian legislator announced today that the Majlis's Foreign Relations Committee is studying U.S. Senator John Kerry's request to visit Iran.

"The (National Security and Foreign Policy) commission will be informed of the committee's decision and the result will be delivered to media," said Javad Jahangirzadeh, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, which is a subcommittee of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.

He also underlined that even a visit by the U.S. Senator would have no impact on Iran-U.S. relations.

Source: Fars, Iran, December 30, 2009

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has said that Iran agrees to a uranium exchange deal; however, he did not note the amount of uranium that it was willing to transfer to the West.

Under the original deal, Iran was required to transfer 1,200 kg, but Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said recently that Iran was willing to transfer only 400 kg.

Sourc: Tehran Times, Iran, December 30, 2009

The Student Basij in Tehran has threatened to execute the leaders of the protest movement if the regime does not take steps against them within the week.

At a Basij demonsration, demonstrators waved placards with photos of Mohammad Khatami, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, with "death to the hypocrites" written on them.

Source: Fars, Iran, December 29, 2009

At a meeting with Majlis National Security Committee head Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Japanese Ambassador to Tehran Akio Shirota said that his country had responded in the affirmative to Iran's proposal for nuclear cooperation.

Source: Mehr, Iran, December 29, 2009

Source: Al-Jarida, Kuwait, December 30, 2009

Supporters of the Iranian regime have shut down the offices in major cities of the ayatollahs who support the protestors.

In Shiraz, the regime dispersed a demonstration with tens of thousands of protestors.

Majlis speaker Ali Larijani called on the heads of the protest movements to denounced the demonstrators.

Security forces commanders threatened to purge dissidents in Tehran.

Sources: Rooz, Fars (Iran), December 30, 2009; website of Ayatollah Dastgheib, student newspaper at Amir Kabir University; ILNA, Fars (Iran), December 29, 2009

Iraq has deployed the 11th Brigade of 5th army division on the Misan side of the border with Iran to ensure the safety of the Fakkah oil field.

Maj.-Gen. Habib Taleb Al-Husseini, commander of the 10th army division, which is also stationed in Misan province which borders Iran, said that additional forces will be deployed to strengthen the defense of the oil fields. He added that there was logistical and training coordination with the U.S military to acquire technical skills.

The deployment of the military was also aimed at protecting the foreign companies that won service contracts to develop major oil fields in the southern provinces of Iraq.

Cartoonist: Alla Al-Laqta

Source: Al-Sharq, Qatar, December 29, 2009

The Lebanese daily Al-Nahar reports that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has conveyed a message to the Gulf countries, where he visited last week, a "reassuring message" from Iranian Majlis speaker Ali Larijani, that Iran would respond to an Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities by striking only at targets inside Israel.

The message added that if Iran were to be attacked from U.S. bases in the Gulf countries, it would attack the bases, and therefore the Gulf countries must prevent an attack on Iran from their territory.

Source: Al-Nahar, Lebanon, December 29, 2009