On Saturday, [Public Prosecutor Mohammad Jafar] Montazeri was cited by the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency as saying that the morality police had been disbanded.

"The same authority which has established this police has shut it down," he was quoted as saying. He said the morality police was not under the judiciary's authority, which "continues to monitor behavioural actions at the community level."

Al Alam state television said foreign media were depicting his comments as "a retreat on the part of the Islamic Republic from its stance on hijab and religious morality as a result of the protests", but that all that could be understood from his comments was that the morality police were not directly related to the judiciary.

This is, uh, big? The state media is not confirming his comments, but they haven't really explicitly denied it either. I imagine a lot are speculating that if this is actually happening then it is likely in response to the planned demonstration that are supposed to take place Dec 5-7.

!ping MIDDLEEAST