The White House strongly condemned Iran's "intimidation campaign and blatant violation of its citizens' universal rights," Sunday night, Feb. 28 after a human-rights group said two opposition figures had been taken to an unknown location. They were too late: debkafile's sources reveal that the two prominent opposition leaders, Mir-Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi, were secretly hauled out of their homes in sacks Thursday, Feb. 24 and taken to the infamous Parchin prison in Tehran. Their wives have also disappeared.

Forty-eight hours after he went missing, opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi issued a pledge over the Internet of this willingness to sacrifice his life in defense of the people's rights. Iran was in serious crisis, he said and condemned the authorities' bloody crackdown against protesters. A day earlier, tanks, armored cars and Revolutionary Guards special units took up positions in central Tehran. Neither Mousavi nor Medhi Karroubi have been seen since ...

debkafile's Iranian sources reveal that Mir Hossein Mousavi's nephew, Ali Habib, was not shot dead during a Tehran demonstration Sunday, Dec. 27, as reported, but waylaid and gunned down as he left his home. Fresh riots followed the disappearance of the body Monday. The episode became even more ominous when Iran's security services chief Gen. Radan accused Mousavi of the murder to incite further violence. The opposition ...