Tehran's top judge said today Iran's judiciary would review a death sentence on an academic that had sparked the country's biggest pro-reform protests for three years.
Such was the momentum of the two weeks of student rallies that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful figure, stepped in to order a review of the case two weeks ago after history lecturer Mr Hashem Aghajari had steadfastly refused to appeal himself.
But the hardline judiciary, until now, had failed to heed the order, leading reformists to charge them with trying to maintain a high level of tension and impose a crackdown in dissent.
"What the leader said is correct and, based on law, the judiciary is going to implement the leader's order," the ISNA student news agency quoted Tehran judiciary chief Abbasali Alizadeh as saying.
The statement came as tens of thousands of Iranian hardliners staged a show of strength marching through the capital swearing their loyalty to Mr Khamenei and denouncing Israel at the annual official "Jerusalem Day" rally.
The death sentence on Mr Aghajari has heightened political tension in the Islamic Republic at a time when moderate President Mohammad Khatami is gearing up to take on powerful hardliners who have blocked his attempts at reform.