The Latest from Iran (21 January): It's Nuclear Talks Day!

2035 GMT: Execution Watch (Bahrami Edition). It looks like the Iranian Foreign Ministry may be a bit uncomfortable about the attention to the death sentence imposed on Iranian-Dutch national Zahra Bahrami.

Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast insisted in a press conference today that Bahrami's capital punishment was merited because she was "carrying more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of narcotics". He continued, "It is expected from the western countries to appreciate Iran's efforts to combat drug trafficking and even cooperate accordingly. Unfortunately, however, we are witnessing their support for Zahra Bahrami and they have even called for her release."

None of the claimed evidence has been presented against Bahrami publicly, and the Iranian authorities have imprisoned her lawyer, Nasrine Sotoudeh, and refused to allow Dutch officials to visit one of their citizens.

Mehmanparast did not deal with any of these issues although he did make a curious allusion to the dual nationality: "Apart from an Iranian passport, Bahrami holds other passports, including European ones."

Mehmanparast concluded with the warning against further intervention: the West should realise that if the issue of narcotics is not taken seriously, it will directly affect their own youth who will be entrapped by drug traffickers.

1915 GMT: Silence. Since "It's Nuclear Talks Day!", you are probably eagerly wondering what has happened at the discussions in Istanbul.

We don't know.

Apart from the vague but upbeat Iranian statement that the first statement had ended in a "positive atmosphere" (see 1215 GMT) and the note of State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley that there had been a second session today and would be another meeting tomorrow, nothing has come out of Turkey.

1710 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. At the request of a reader, who noted that this development has received little attention, we repeat an entry from yesterday....

Political Prisoner Watch. The European Parliament by a vote of 79-0, has passed a resolution of "support and solidarity with Iran’s human rights defenders who have been prosecuted and/or arrested due to their human rights activities".

The Parliament calls for the immediate release of attorneys Nasrine Sotoudeh, Shiva Nazar Ahari, Mohammad Seifzadeh, Mohammad Oliyafard, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, Abdolfattah Soltani, and Houtan Kian.

1520 GMT: Economy Watch. HRANA reports that about 6000 employees of 50 factories in Qazvin Province have not been paid for between 1 and 38 months.

1445 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Milad Dehghan and Hojat Kalashy of the Pan-Iranist Party have been arrested in Ahvaz.

1245 GMT: Animating the Green Wave. The Guardian of London profiles Ali Samadi Ahadi's animated documentary The Green Wave, drawn from first-person accounts of the 2009 Presidential election and its aftermath on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs.

1225 GMT: Halting the Mayor. An intriguing report in Aftab News that the Foreign Ministry has prevented Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf from travelling to Washington to accept an International Transport Prize.

Qalibaf is held in high regard by many for his handling of Tehran's infrastructure; however, his administration is currently embroiled in a dispute with the Government over plans to expand the Tehran metro, with the President's office refusing to allow $2 billion in support from the Parliament.

1215 GMT: How are Those Nuke Talks? An interim report from Press TV says the morning's discussions in Istanbul between Iran and the 5+1 Powers (see 0730 GMT) have ended in a "positive atmosphere".

No details are given beyond the photograph of the head of the Iranian delegation, Saeed Jalili, and Catherine Ashton, the European Union's representative on foreign policy and head of the 5+1 delegation. The Iranian delegation and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu are now at Friday Prayers before talks resume this afternoon.

1158 GMT: Getting Priorities Rights. The conservative Ayande News is unhappy with state television IRIB's programme commanding people to eat the Iranian dish albalu polou to fight the "cultural invasion" of fast food. Ayande remarks, "IRIB doesn't dare address subjects like corruption and airs such programmes instead."

1155 GMT: Economy Watch. A representative at the 14th International Exhibition of Home Appliances in Isfahan notes bluntly, "People have stopped buying," amidst subsidy cuts and the prospect of rising prices.

1105 GMT: Your Tehran Friday Prayer Summary. Ayatollah Emami Kashani brings everyone up to date:

1. Iran is in talks with the 5+1 Powers in Istanbul.

2. We hope there can be a "useful and positive outcome" but sanctions are reall bad.
3. Banning the hijab in Azerbaijan is still bad.
4. But ruising up against the dictator in Tunisia was really good.
5. Marriage in the West is "meaningless".

1020 GMT: On the Road Again. President Ahmadinejad continues his big PR push with an appearance on Sunday in Gilan Province in northwest Iran. It will be his third two-day tour of a province in the last two weeks.

1010 GMT: A Principlist Re-Alignment? Watch this story-line carefully....

There is an escalating move in Iran for a new principlist bloc standing against President Ahmadinejad and his camp. Morteza Nabavi, a prominent politician, adds to that momentum this morning with the declaration that a "new principlist generation [is less conservative". Looking for alliances, he suggests, "If the Supreme Leader agrees, the Expediency Council [which rules on disputes within the Iranian system] can be rejuvenated."

Nabavi's comments should be considered in context with a parallel debate and moves over whether some reformists could be "absorbed" back into the Iranian system through alignment with the "new principlists".

1005 GMT: Making A Stand. MP Elyas Naderan has reasserted his claim that President Ahmadinejad has prevented 1st Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi from appearing in court over corruption charges. Naderan said, "I'm ready for a court to tell the story."

1000 GMT: Another Change in Personnel. Abolhassan Navab, the head of social services for Qom seminary students, has been dismissed after 14 years. He is replaced by Hassan Rabbani, the head of Qom's propaganda office.

0910 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Saeed Haeri, activist and advisor to Mehdi Karroubi, has been given a sentence of 2 years in prison and 74 lashes.

0800 GMT: Corruption Watch. The head of Iran's General Inspection Organization, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, has promised that corruption cases involving 80 billion to 500 bilion Toman ($80 million to $500 million) will be vigorously pursued.

0755 GMT: Press Watch. The 11-year ban on the reformist newspaper Neshat has been lifted.

The newspaper was closed on 5 September 1999, and its director Latif Safari was found guilty of insulting a police commander, inciting the public and students to riots and strike action, and insulting the deputies of Iran's parliament.

Neshat's crime? Weeks after student unrest challenged the regime, and amidst a general crackdown on the press, the newspaper had called for an end to the death penalty and had published an open letter from an opposition leader asking the Supreme Leader to stay out of factional politics.

0750 GMT: Newsflash! CNN already has a dramatic scoop from the Istanbul talks: "One eve of Iran nuke talks, diplomats from P5+1 and Iranian negotiator all sat at 1 table for dinner hosted by Turkey in Ottoman palace."

And, in a positive sign, there appears to have been no throwing of food.

0730 GMT: The combination of an Iranian weekend, which usually means less news from the country, and the resumption of the uranium talks in Istanbul between Tehran and the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China, Germany), will define the theme for most media. It's Nukes, Nukes, Nukes.

We'll hold back a bit on the headline coverage, however. Our reading is that both the Iranian Government and its counterpart in Washington have been manoeuvring in recent weeks to create some room for discussion, but both also have to give the image of being Very Tough.

So this meeting, which follows an introduction in Geneva six weeks ago, is likely to be slow going. The challenge today will be simply to agree an agenda: the 5+1 want a focus on the enrichment question, preferably on the resolution of taking Tehran's low-enriched uranium out of the country for processing, while Iran has been putting forth --- with the label of "world politics" --- the priority of discussing the nuclear issue amongst other regional questions.

For those new to the game, this is the key point: the US and European countries have wanted "third-party enrichment", with a majority of Tehran's uranium going to other countries, e.g., Russia and Turkey, to be raised to 20% and then brought back to Iran for use in civilian projects such as the Tehran medical reactor. The bottom line for Iran, upholding its sovereignty and control over its nuclear process, is that enrichment has to take place inside the country.

While talk of a compromise is premature as the two sides fence over the agenda, look for signs of a deal in which Iran is allowed to enrich to 20% but with strict guidelines and guarantees for supervision of the process by international inspectors.