Revolution in Iran?

I had blogged about this before here and it looks like there are additional stories coming out... From Instapundit comes two links: As the Snowball Turns - an entry at Maroon Blog outlines how: bq. "Iran's main reformist party will boycott the country's parliamentary elections this month, the head of the party, Mohammad Reza Khatami, said today. bq. The statement by Mr. Khatami to reporters, which was carried by the Islamic Republic News Agency, was the latest development in what appears to be a deepening political crisis in Iran after more than one-third of the members of Parliament resigned on Sunday over a sweeping exclusion of candidates by religious conservatives." They offer this observation: bq. The second point reminds me of early Soviet Russia, when each side in a political squabble would question the political orthodoxy of the other, and declare that they had strayed from the tenants of Lenin. By declaring such views publicly, I really don't see how each side can be reconciled without many figures losing their face to such an extent that they will be pushed out of politics. The second link on Glenn's blog points to this Christian Science Monitor article: bq. A quarter century after launching its 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran is facing a political showdown between elected and unelected lawmakers that is set to redefine the parameters of democratic rule in Iran. bq. Already, a string of unprecedented acts has made the internal crisis one of the most severe in Iran's modern history. Analysts say that only intervention by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, can now end the deadlock between reformist and conservative camps. bq. The main reform party announced Monday that it would boycott upcoming parliamentary elections, but stopped short of asking Iranians not to vote. bq. "We have no hope that a fair, free, and legitimate election can be held on February 20. So in the current circumstances we cannot participate," said Mohammad Reza Khatami, head of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Monday. If the vote were held then, he added, "It would not be a reformist government anymore." And a telling quote: bq. MP Mohsen Mirdamadi, who was beaten by hard-line vigilantes during a speech last December, announced the party's decision. "They want to cover the ugly body of dictatorship with the beautiful dress of democracy," Mr. Mirdamadi said in a speech broadcast live on Iran Radio. "We had no choice but to resign." Dominoes anyone... Once people have a taste of all of the freedoms, they will want more. Let's have the strength to see that they get it.