[Mousavi supporters attend an election rally in Tehran. MOHAMMAD KHEIRKHAH / UPI / Landov]

For those interested in a great and very readable book on contemporary Iran I highly recommend Honeymoon in Tehran by Azadeh Moaveni. Here's my Booklist review:

In this intimate look at the modern Iranian middle class, Moaveni, a journalist and the author of Lipstick Jihad (2005), blends her own experiences in Iran with her primary reporting subject: the dubious Tehran reaction to the ascendance of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. An Iranian American living in Lebanon, Moaveni unexpectedly fell in love when she returned to her homeland on assignment. This opened her eyes to a whole new aspect of Iranian life, that of young couples. She writes extensively about how the country’s troubled economic situation forces twenty-somethings to postpone marriage and independence from their families. Iran’s “brain drain” is well documented, but the reasons professionals grudgingly leave Iran have rarely been discussed by Western media, which instead focuses on Ahmadinejad’s rantings. Moaveni tracks the country’s increased social conservatism, and reveals both expensive marriage traditions and governmental manipulation. This perfect blend of political commentary and social observation is an excellent choice for readers interested in going beyond the headlines to gain an in-depth understanding of twenty-first-century Iran..

It's on sale at Powells right now.

If you have been trying to follow the events in Iran I strongly recommend you read Andrew Sullivan's blog at The Atlantic. Sullivan has been collecting links since the election, running twitter posts and has translators helping him get first person accounts from the ground. When something is rumor he labels it as such but he also follows up on stories. Here is a list of a sample of recent twitters from Iran:

My Father has a truck load of ballot boxes that were to be burned in the back of his truck....i eats some pills and wanna sleep and i scared that if they can find me ...i going...thx for your supports....typing as fastest as I can in bth English&Farsi,Still we need outside help,I really don't want to be captured by Ansar...Once again I thank everyone in the world. No matter if Ahmadi stays or not, I'm proud to have clasped such supportive hands...URGENT JUST IN, there r TANKS in front of the interior ministry of tehran in valiasr st. & fatemi CAREFUL...I can't find my friends on streets....Rasht, glass splinters on the streets, riot police not hesitating to beat men, women and even kids...From Enghelab Sq friend just call me, Police & unknown forces beating everybody for no apparent reason!....Correction, no bus burned, but three cars....dawn is breaking. can hear prayers from mosques....cousin in tehran is traumatized by the club and baton beatings on tehran streets. eyewitness report of a girl beaten to death....IRG's helicopter flying low on yousefabadad Amirabad Gisha right now creating a devastating sound and making windows shake...sources from Tehran: ppl are killed, ppl are in blood, tehran is hell.

[More standard bookish news to follow.]