Whenever Iran takes a step forward, something clutches at its heel. Last weekend, an assailant shot Saeed Hajjarian, a political strategist who helped to bring about reformist victories at recent elections. For several years, Mr Hajjarian has worked behind the scenes to loosen the country's constraints. As he approached Tehran's city council on March 12th, a group of men distracted him while two others drove towards him on a motorbike. A gunman jumped off to fire two shots: policemen on the spot, even though armed with machineguns, failed to arrest him. One bullet missed, but the other lodged in Mr Hajjarian's neck. At mid-week he was in a coma, critically ill.
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