There was an unprecedented reaction when Mr Yazdi was arrested: the press is freer than it was.

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Rather, it was the ideological and political ambivalence of Iran's leaders that first did down Mr Yazdi, then picked him up again.

ECONOMIST: Iran: Pull and push | The

Mesbah-Yazdi has lived in virtual isolation for the past 20 years, holed up in de-facto exile in the Shi'ite holy center of Qom.

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The uncertainty and unrest strikes close to home for Yazdi, whose grandfather -- a longtime politician in Iran -- was arrested from his hospital bed this week.

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By coincidence, Mr Yazdi was arrested on the day that Iran's president, Muhammad Khatami, gave a press conference at which he promised to improve the political climate.

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"It's very exhausting, " Yazdi said.

CNN: Iranian-Americans suffer a jumble of emotions