Iran’s supreme leader crushed the fading hopes of election demonstrators today with a declaration that the government would not yield to them.

Iran moved a step closer to a final election victory declaration for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today when a leading critic of the voting announced he was withdrawing his objections "for the good of the country".

As the protests continue, however, Mousavi might be propelled into a position he never sought: the Mikhail Gorbachev or FW de Klerk of Iran, a member of the ruling establishment who surprises even himself by deviating from the line to the point where the system falls apart