Word: ahmadinejad
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...capital's only skate park is a rare refuge for some of the country's restless and burgeoning youths, allowing them to congregate without being harassed by the feared Basij militia. Under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rule and particularly since the disputed June 12 election, when thousands of angry teens and 20-somethings took to the streets, the religious police have cracked down on this sort of rebellious youth culture, driving it further underground. "These artists are at the same level as those in the West, but they're working under the most incredible pressures," explains an Iranian electro-music...
...have noplace to perform live music," laments the electro producer. "Under Ahmadinejad, it is absolutely a dictatorship." He says that during Mohammad Khatami's presidency from 1997 to 2005, when Western street culture took hold in Iran and many underground artists got their start, he was able to hold public concerts that hundreds of fans attended. Now, even concerts held at private residences are likely to be interrupted by the religious police. He describes a recent rock party thrown by his friends where some 200 concertgoers were arrested in a late-night sting by the Basij; later, the government issued...
...Although Ahmadinejad has retained the presidency, his future remains shaky. He faces double-digit inflation, shrinking government coffers that may not support his expensive populist programs, and spiraling unemployment, particularly within the restless youth population. The regime's obstinacy on the nuclear issue may bring further debilitating international sanctions, which, combined with slumping oil prices, may push fellow conservatives toward a vote of no confidence in their leader. (Watch TIME's video "Iranian Rockers Unite for Freedom...
Even if the hard-liners can hold their faction together, they must deal with an increasingly unruly Ahmadinejad, who briefly defied the Supreme Leader in trying to appoint an in-law as his Vice President. Now, within two weeks, he must appoint a new Cabinet that a divided parliament must approve. But perhaps most pressing is the impending showdown with the West. U.S. President Barack Obama has given the Iranian government a September deadline to come to the negotiating table on the nuclear issue...
...pictures of Ahmadinejad's supporters on LIFE.com...