In which we at Metro Green salute the courage of those marching in the streets of Tehran. We stand with you and wish you freedom.

Though I'd heard it earlier today, a friend just emailed me the text of Obama's newly-released formal statement on the Iranian uprising. I am particularly moved by his MLK quote: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Obama calls on Iran to 'stop all violent and unjust actions'

Obama directly addresses the Iranian government for the first time after a day of violence in Iran:

"The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.

Martin Luther King once said - “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness."

By all and any means.

UPDATE: "Clerical Error." Best Iran-related headline to date. (h/t)

UPDATE #2: Thomas Friedman provides a well-crafted explanation/analysis of the current political situation in Iran in his op/ed Bullets and Barrels.