Despite the overwhelming silence on the 24-hour news stations, the situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran is deteriorating by the moment.

Iranians on Twitter are reporting that Mousavi is being accused of having contacts with people in the United States and Europe, in an attempt to discredit him amongst Iranians as a western puppet. The effort appears to be coordinated by the opposition, with the claims originating on websites supportive of Ahmadinejad.

And now the first deaths as a result of the post-stolen election riots are being reported. The al-Arabiya network states that three civilians were killed as a result of the violence. Iranian security forces are also now reportedly surrounding a neighborhood home to many of the reformists, including former President Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Update: The news keeps getting worse. The AFP is now reporting that ten individuals who lead reformist groups that backed Mousavi have been arrested by Iranian police.

Also, an Iranian on Twitter writes:

Gun shots and loud booms being heard from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, people screaming.

By the way, the U.S. mainstream media? Total fail.