Yet more top-down dissent in Iran:

Signs of a split over nuclear policy at the heart of Iran’s leadership emerged yesterday after MPs and an adviser to the country’s most powerful political figure criticised the departure of its chief negotiator, Ali Larijani.

Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign policy adviser to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, praised Mr Larijani and said his resignation should not have happened. His comments coincided with a letter of support for Mr Larijani signed by 200 MPs in Iran’s parliament. The parliament’s foreign and national security committee wrote to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, complaining that Mr Larijani’s departure “put the country in danger”.

There’s been blogosphere talk today of encouraging a revolution or coup in Iran. Find your own links — I’m under the weather today. Besides, I’ve been making that case for years.

Of course, during those years I’ve been totally wrong about the Iranians’ willingness to throw an actual revolt. But while we still have time to give them, I think they deserve the chance to free themselves.