Morteza Tamaddon, Governor-General of Tehran, said there had been no request for a permit to hold Thursday’s rally.

Like other officials, he blamed outside interference by foreign broadcasters as a source of the unrest that tore through Iran after the disputed June 12 presidential election, provoking a sweeping official crackdown.

“The enemies of the Iranian nation are angry with the post-election calm in Iran and try to damage it through their TV channels,” he said, according to Press TV. Those who “follow the statements by the enemies’ TV” would receive a “crushing response” from the people, he said.

The warnings coincided with other steps to prevent protests, AP said. Cellphone messaging was down Thursday for a third straight day, apparently to prevent communication between protesters, while the Government closed universities and declared an official holiday on Tuesday and Wednesday, ostensibly because Tehran has been shrouded in a heavy dust and pollution cloud. Thursday’s demonstration came against a backdrop of rising anxiety and continued arrests.

NYT

G-8: DEADLINE SET FOR IRAN N-PLANS

L'AQUILA: The G-8 nations have given Iran until September to negotiate the dispute over its nuclear programme, but remain vague and divided over what consequences they might try to impose should Tehran continue to defy them.

After a long discussion on Wednesday night, President Obama and other G-8 powers called on Iran to compromise on its uranium enrichment programme, condemned its crackdown on the dissent after President Ahmadinejad’s re-election and repudiated the his statements denying the Holocaust. NYT