Iran’s supreme leader ordered an investigation Monday into claims of fraud in the country’s presidential election, marking a turnaround by Iran’s most powerful figure and offering hope to opposition forces who have waged street clashes to protest the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the powerful Guardian Council to examine the allegations by opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims widespread vote rigging and fraud in Friday’s election, state television reported.

“Issues must be pursued through a legal channel,” state TV quoted Mr. Khamenei as saying. The supreme leader said he has “insisted that the Guardian Council carefully probe this letter.” The day after the election, Mr. Khamenei urged the nation to unite behind Mr. Ahmadinejad and called the result a “divine assessment.”

The Iranian government is good at stalling and stonewalling. So, they will downplay the election results, crack down on the protesters a little, arrest some opposition leaders and hope the protests taper off.

And, main opposition candidate/leader Hossein Mousavi made an appearance a little while ago at a protest rally in Tehran.

Iran’s main opposition leader appeared at a rally in Tehran Monday, the first time he has been seen in public since last week’s elections which he says were rigged to give hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad overwhelming victory.

Reformist Mir Hossein Moussavi appeared before hundreds of thousands of people, a reporter for Iran’s Press TV said.

Moussavi may be trying to get Tehran’s Freedom Square to address the demonstrators, Moussavi supporters told CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

There was no chanting, with demostrators quieting anyone who tried to shout slogans, Amanpour said, because the Interior Ministry has banned political demonstrations. The rally is a repeat of a march which Moussavi supporters staged Wednesday, before the election.

Frankly, I think the protesters are placing their lives at risk and for what? Remember Moussavi was handpicked by the Mullahs to be on the ballot in the first place.

If the Iranian protesters succeed in overturning the Ahmadinejad government, won’t they be replacing it with one of the same – controlled by Iran’s Clerics?

Stay tuned……