Iran: Massive protests in response to Ahmadinejad sweeping elections.

Pintu

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AFP: Iran to 'confront' opposition groups: Khamenei

Iran to 'confront' opposition groups: Khamenei

By Jay Deshmukh (AFP) – 17 hours ago

TEHRAN — Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned opposition groups they will be "confronted" if they jeopardise the nation's security, in an address during Friday prayers in Tehran.

"Those who draw swords against the regime will be confronted," said Khamenei, who has the final say on all national issues, as he led the weekly prayers at Tehran university.

"Differences of views should not lead to conflicts ... the policy of the regime is to work with the majority. But if opposition groups have ideas that are against the nation's security and the principles of the regime, they will be confronted," he said.

In response, hundreds of worshippers chanted: "Oh, our free-spirited leader, we are ready, we are ready."

The Islamic republic is engulfed in its worst crisis following the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 poll, which his rivals claim was the result of massive vote rigging.

The all-powerful Khamenei has steadfastly defended Ahmadinejad's victory.

Khamenei also said Iran was not afraid of Western powers, especially the United States and Britain.

"The US government and the British government have 200 years of wicked attitude towards Iran. So be it. This will not intimidate anyone," the country's top spiritual said to cries of: "Death to America! Death to Israel!"

Khamenei again defended Iran's decision to pursue nuclear technology.

"We must stand firm for our rights. If we give up our rights, whether nuclear or other rights, this will lead to decline (of the society)," he said.

The university was packed with worshippers and black-clad supporters of Khamenei who shouted "We are here because of our love for the leader" and "The hand of God is on our head ... Khamenei is our leader."

Top officials and clerics were present to hear the sermon, among them Ahmadinejad, parliament speaker Ali Larijani and chief of judiciary Sadeq Larijani.

Since June when Tehran was rocked by protests, Khamenei has regularly defended Ahmadinejad and ruled out any major fraud in the presidential poll.

He also warned that defeated candidates would be held accountable over the street violence.

Ahmadinejad's rivals however have remained steadfast in opposing his victory and have refused to recognise his government.

One opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi, on Friday charged that the authorities were preventing doctors from issuing medical certificates to protesters wounded during the post-election unrest.

Karroubi said on his website Etemad Melli that a military commander had told the health ministry not to issue medical certificates to protesters seeking treatment for injuries sustained in the turmoil or while later detained in prison.

The certificates could potentially be used in court by protesters seeking legal redress after the violent crackdown on protests.

"I am now more persistent to know why there is so much intimidation when I see a commander of a military body ordering in a letter to the health ministry that no documents be issued to injured protesters," Karroubi said in an open letter to judiciary chief Larijani which was posted on his website.

The cleric gave no further details but reformist websites norooznews.ir and mowjcamp.com also posted the letter and said Karroubi was referring to Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari.

In the aftermath of the June election, members of Iran's volunteer Islamic militia, Basij, were mobilised to crack down on protesters, along with the security forces. Basij is a unit of the Revolutionary Guards.

Iran's deputy parliament speaker Mohammad Reza Bahonar warned on Friday that if Karroubi does not prove his claims "he will be committing a big crime."

Etemad Melli also said Mohammad Ozlati Moghaddam, an aide to main opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, was arrested on Thursday night at his home.
 

Pintu

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Khamenei Speech Offers No Compromises - WSJ.com

* MIDDLE EAST NEWS * SEPTEMBER 12, 2009


Khamenei Speech Offers No Compromises


He Warns Domestic Critics Over Continued Turmoil, Pledges No Change to Nuclear Program; U.S. Still Renews Offer to Talk

By FARNAZ FASSIHI

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his second address to the nation since the turmoil over the June presidential election, set a tough tone for where the country is heading: No compromises with opponents outside or inside Iran.

Mr. Khamenei, delivering a sermon at Tehran's Friday prayers, said that if opposition leaders continue to question the legitimacy of the political system and create divisions among the public, he would have no choice but to "take out the eye of the storm." The comments set the stage for the possible arrest of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.

Mr. Khamenei reiterated that Iran wouldn't bend to Western powers when it comes to its nuclear program. To give up rights, "whether nuclear right or otherwise, would result in a nation's demise," he said.

Iran spurred a renewed furor over its nuclear program Wednesday when it presented a long-awaited offer to Western powers for talks, only to skirt the issue of nuclear-fuel enrichment entirely. The document, and a public Russian rebuff of the idea of new sanctions against Iran, left President Barack Obama with few options before a deadline he set this month for diplomatic progress.

Washington said Friday that the U.S. and allies would still try to begin a direct dialogue with Iran, despite the lack of substance in its offer. "We are seeking a meeting now based on the Iranian paper to see what Iran is prepared to do," said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.

Western diplomats said the U.S. and its allies are still pursuing a more general United Nations Security Council resolution on nuclear nonproliferation that Russia and China could agree to. But they and U.S. officials said an Iran resolution with stronger sanctions was essentially off the table, likely leaving the U.S. to pursue a more narrow sanctions agreement just with European Union countries -- which also is far from assured.

Iran contends that its enrichment of uranium is for peaceful energy purposes while the West suspects Iran is seeking an atomic bomb. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Russia has "no grounds to doubt" Iran's claim, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

In Iran, Mr. Khamenei's speech marked the anniversary of the death of Shiite Islam's founder Imam Ali. Mr. Khamenei drew comparisons between his rule and that of the imam. He recounted how Imam Ali had practiced patience with opponents until it was clear they weren't changing course, and then took out his sword to deliver them a final blow.

"The regime has the right to defend itself. If anyone challenges the foundations of our system or plays with the security of the public, the regime will forcefully deal with him," he said.

Representatives of the opposition abroad issued a statement Thursday saying if Messrs. Karroubi and Mousavi were arrested, their leadership would be transferred abroad -- a move evoking the strategy of Islamic Revolution founder leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the 1970s.
—Joe Lauria and Jay Solomon contributed to this article

Write to Farnaz Fassihi at [email protected]
 

Pintu

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Khaleej Times Online - Iran authorities against proof of protester abuse

Iran authorities against proof of protester abuse

(AFP)

11 September 2009
TEHRAN - Opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi Friday fired a fresh salvo at the Iranian authorities, accusing them of preventing doctors from giving medical certificates to protesters hurt in post-election unrest.

Karroubi, who was defeated in the June 12 presidential election, said on his website Etemad Melli that a military commander had told the health ministry not to issue medical certificates to protesters seeking treatment for injuries sustained in the turmoil or while later detained in prison.

The certificates could potentially be used in court by protesters seeking legal redress after a violent crackdown by security forces on demonstrations staged in the wake of the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“I am now more persistent to know why there is so much intimidation when I see a commander of a military body ordering in a letter to the health ministry that no documents be issued to injured protesters,” Karroubi said in an open letter to judiciary chief Sadeq Larijani which was posted on his website.

The reformist cleric gave no further details but reformist websites norooznews.ir and mowjcamp.com also posted the letter and said that Karroubi was referring to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari.

In the aftermath of the June election, members of Iran’s volunteer Islamic militia, Basij, were mobilised to crack down on protesters, along with the security forces. Basij is a unit of the Revolutionary Guards.

“Previously, we used to question why the military is interfering in economic and political issues, but its appetite has not been quenched and it is now even entering the field of medicine,” Karroubi said.

Karroubi has particularly enraged the authorities after he alleged that several male and female protesters were raped in custody. Iranian officials have dismissed these allegations.

On Tuesday, his northern Tehran office was raided by the authorities, his spokesman said.
 

Pintu

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/world/middleeast/19iran.html?bl

Despite Warning, Thousands Rally in Iran



Associated Press
Mohammad Khatami, center, a former Iranian president, is attacked as he attends a Quds Day rally.

By ROBERT F. WORTH
Published: September 18, 2009

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Tens of thousands of protesters chanted and carried banners through the heart of Tehran and other Iranian cities on Friday, hijacking a government-organized anti-Israel march and injecting new life into the country’s opposition movement.

The protests, held in defiance of warnings from the clerical and military elite, served as a public embarrassment to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who had hoped to showcase national unity just two weeks before he is set to meet Western leaders for talks on Iran’s nuclear program.

He used the annual rally for Jerusalem Day, also known as Quds Day, to deliver a fiery anti-Israeli speech in which he called the Holocaust “a lie” and impugned the West again for its criticisms of Iran’s disputed June 12 presidential election.

But his efforts to recapture the stage were largely drowned out by a tumultuous day of street rallies, in which the three main opposition leaders marched with their followers for the first time in months. Flouting the official government message of support for Palestinian militants, they chanted, “No to Gaza and Lebanon, I will give my life for Iran.”

Coming a day after President Obama announced a revised missile defense system that aims to check Iran’s military ambitions, the rallies underscored the continuing vitality of the domestic opposition movement, which has rejected the election as fraudulent and fiercely criticized the violence that followed it.

In a striking contrast with earlier rallies, the police often stood on the sidelines as protesters faced off against huge crowds of government supporters — many of them bused in from outside the cities — and chain-wielding Basij militia members. There were reports of arrests in Tehran and the southern city of Shiraz, but no shootings or deaths, with the police apparently showing greater restraint than during earlier protests.

The protesters, ignoring stern official warnings not to use the annual pro-Palestinian rally as a pretext for demonstrations, showed up in large numbers wearing the trademark bright green color of the opposition.

When government men shouted “Death to Israel” through loudspeakers, protesters derisively chanted “Death to Russia” in response. Many opposition supporters are angry about Russia’s quick acceptance of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s electoral victory.

The three opposition leaders, Mir Hussein Moussavi, Mehdi Karroubi and Mohammad Khatami, joined the crowds in Tehran for the first time in months, drawing cheers.

Later, Basij militia members tried to attack Mr. Khatami and Mr. Karroubi, but defenders pushed them back, opposition Web sites reported.

The government had largely halted street protests in July, with a harsh government crackdown that left dozens of marchers dead and thousands in jail. But the authorities have been unable to silence the opposition’s leaders, who have kept up their criticism of the election and the government’s violent response.

The opposition leaders raised tensions when they leveled accusations that some protesters were tortured and raped in prison. The rape accusations have been especially embarrassing for the government, which has denied them while acknowledging that some prisoners were tortured.

There were reports of similar demonstrations and clashes in other cities Friday, including Isfahan, Tabriz, Yazd and Shiraz, where protesters skirmished with Basij militiamen, and freed a group of fellow protesters who were being arrested, opposition Web sites reported.

In the capital, the police and huge crowds of government supporters blocked most protesters from approaching Mr. Ahmadinejad as he arrived in a bulletproof car at Tehran University to deliver a speech before the formal Friday Prayer sermon. But as he began his remarks, chants of “Resign! Resign!” could be heard, according to witnesses cited on opposition Web sites.

Mr. Ahmadinejad said that confrontation with Israel was a “national and religious duty” and that the Holocaust was “a lie” that was used as a pretext for the country’s creation in 1948. Although he has called the Holocaust a “myth” in the past, provoking angry reactions in the West, he has rarely if ever used the word “lie” in public speeches.

The White House responded sharply to the remarks about the Holocaust. “We’ve heard that type of rhetoric before,” the president’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, told reporters. “Obviously, we condemn what he said.”

The United States ambassador to the United Nations, Susan E. Rice, said Friday that Mr. Obama would not meet with Mr. Ahmadinejad next week when world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Mr. Obama, in a major national security reversal, scuttled his predecessor’s missile-shield plan to focus instead on protecting Israel and Europe against short- and medium-range Iranian missiles. Mr. Ahmadinejad made no mention of that in his speech, nor has his government responded.

Both the revised missile plan and Mr. Ahmadinejad’s anti-Israel rhetoric are likely to elevate the tensions surrounding his visit to the United Nations.

As Jerusalem Day approached, a number of conservative figures, including Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that the day should not become an occasion for domestic discontent. On Thursday, the Revolutionary Guards issued an especially fierce statement, declaring that all protesters would be treated as Israeli spies.

But the government appears to have treated Friday’s protests with relative leniency. Although tear gas was fired at some crowds in central Tehran — it was not clear by whom — there was no renewal of the fierce crackdown that took place in June and July.

Although the marchers celebrating Jerusalem Day generally outnumbered the protesters, there were parts of the city where the opposite was true. Often, the protesters slyly distorted the traditional rallying cries of the pro-government crowds. When the marchers chanted, “The blood in our veins is a gift to our leader,” protesters countered with, “The blood in our veins is a gift to our nation.”

At one point thousands of protesters chanting “death to the dictator” as they walked down Valiasr Street, the broad avenue that runs across much of Tehran, collided with an equally large crowd of pro-government marchers chanting slogans against Israel, the United States and Britain.

A standoff ensued. Police officers standing nearby refused to take sides, and in some cases even stepped in to break up fights. Finally, several trucks full of government supporters arrived, and the protesters began withdrawing.

Iranian state television ignored the protests, showing thousands of marchers clad in checked Palestinian-style scarves, carrying posters of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Jerusalem Day, held on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan, is an important occasion for the government, which uses its support for Palestinian militants and the Lebanese Hezbollah to burnish its street support in an Arab world that is largely hostile to Iran.

Nazila Fathi contributed reporting from Toronto, and Jeff Zeleny from Washington.
 

F-14

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it seems to that Iranians are stagging a counter revolution of their own
 

Pintu

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NY hotel axes event with Ahmadinejad on guest list | Special Coverage | Reuters

NY hotel axes event with Ahmadinejad on guest list
Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:05pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's Helmsley Hotel said on Friday it canceled a banquet set for next week when it learned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on the guest list, saying the man who called the Holocaust a lie was not welcome.

Ahmadinejad was due in New York next week to attend the U.N. General Assembly, and his public appearances outside the meeting have generated controversy in recent years.

"As soon as Helmsley corporate management learned of the possibility of either the Iranian mission or President Ahmadinejad holding a function at the New York Helmsley Hotel, they immediately ordered the cancellation of that function," hotel spokesman Howard Rubenstein said in a statement.

"Neither the Iranian mission nor President Ahmadinejad is welcome at any Helmsley facility," the statement said without saying why.

A group called United Against Nuclear Iran told the hotel that Ahmadinejad was on the guest list, he said.

The New York Post reported the banquet was booked months ago by an Iranian student group.

Ahmadinejad on Friday called the Holocaust "a lie based on an unprovable and mythical claim" in comments to worshipers at Tehran University.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Xavier Briand)
 

ahmedsid

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Ahmednijad must go! Iran doesnt deserve to have a Crackpot like him ruling over them (or acting to rule). Khatami is such a sane person, wonder who would treat him this way! Despicable! Truly!
 

F-14

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but then sidji i think that the avarage joe on the streets of theran is just fedup with the " revolutionary" goverment that even poor mr Khatami would get the boot
but then with the recent elections have deeply split the iraian people
 

Pintu

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I agree with you fully Ahmedji, and the reports pointing out fair amount of possibility that the election was rigged in favour of Mr. Ahmednijad , and also the amount of public protest and subsequent killing of a Iranian Girl by suspected Baszi Sniper in crowded Iran street, continuation of suppression of the public protests, it will be graceful if Mr. Ahmednijad offers himself to quit.

Regards
 

Pintu

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Agreed F-14, but comparing the public support for the protesters , pro -Ahmednijad supporters has everything for them they have the State Machinery and moreover Guardian Council support for them, and withstanding the frequent suppression of the protests , the protesters thronging in the street by thousands , without being low in Spirit, may be that is the power of mass, which Mr. Ahmednijad must respect.

Regards
 

Pintu

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The Associated Press: Iran detains several after Friday protests

Iran detains several after Friday protests

(AP) – 4 hours ago

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's official news agency says police detained several protesters after Friday's massive demonstrations.

The spokesman of Tehran police department Colonel Mahdi Ahmadi said Saturday that "several" people were detained for throwing rocks at police and setting motorcycles on fire, according to IRNA.

No exact number was given for the detentions.

On Friday thousands of anti-government protesters staged counter-demonstrations to the official pro-Palestinian rallies of Jerusalem day.

It was the first major opposition protests in two months.

The opposition says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's June re-election was fraudulent.
 

ahmedsid

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Ahmedinijad is Alienating Iran further that how it is already. Yesterday he clearly made some Comments pertaining to the Holocaust, in which he questioned if it happened. The Russians have taken a serious note of this as this is insulting to the memory of WW2 survivors and Veterans.

Russia is the one of the few allies Iran has, and this will further alienate them also, as they cant be seen siding with a crackpot.

The western media starting playing to Ahmedinijad, he sensing this oppurtunity to gain a few Claps from the fundamentalists at home as been making some nonsensical speeches to please them. This wont do anyone good. He is solely surviving on a plan of Hate against the West, which wont do good. Reconciliation is the way.
 

Pintu

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Iran's Mousavi hints at new opposition rally | International | Reuters

Iran's Mousavi hints at new opposition rally

Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:31am EDT



TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi appeared to urge his supporters on Saturday to take part in rallies on November 4 marking the 30th anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran.

If they gather in the streets on Wednesday, there may be clashes with police and government backers, as happened during annual demonstrations in Iran in support of the Palestinians on September 18.

In a statement posted on a reformist website, Mousavi said he would press ahead with his efforts for political change in Iran following its disputed election in June, which he says was rigged in favor of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Referring to the Iranian date of the seizing of the U.S. embassy in 1979, Mousavi said on his kaleme.com website: "The 13th of Aban is a ... rendezvous so we would remember anew that among us it is the people who are the leaders."

He said: "Our green path is a rational one and a bearer of good news since it shows that we will stand firm on our demands." Green was the color of Mousavi's election campaign.

Apart from sporadic incidents, the streets of Tehran have returned to normal since the poll sparked Iran's worst street unrest since the Islamic revolution three decades ago.

Anti-Western rallies usually take place outside the old U.S. embassy to mark the day in 1979 when radical students scaled its walls and took 52 Americans hostage, holding them for 444 days. Washington cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in 1980.

Some reformist websites have called on people to gather outside the Russian embassy instead, in an apparent protest at Moscow's swift recognition of Ahmadinejad's election victory.

Iranian security officials have ordered the opposition not to hold demonstrations on that day.

"PEOPLE'S OPPONENTS"

The elite Revolutionary Guards and an allied Islamic militia quelled the huge opposition protests that erupted in the days after the June 12 vote and thousands of people were arrested.

Most of the detainees have since been released, but more than 100 senior reformers, activists, journalists and others have been put on trial, accused of fomenting street unrest. The opposition has denounced the court sessions as "show trials."

Several of the accused have received jail sentences and three have been sentenced to death, according to Iranian media. Under Iranian law, the verdicts can be appealed.

The authorities have portrayed the post-election street demonstrations as a foreign-backed bid to undermine the Islamic Republic. They reject charges of vote rigging, describing the election as the country's "healthiest" for three decades.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's top authority, said earlier this week that it was a crime to question the election and stressed the big turnout, and hardliners have called for Mousavi to be prosecuted.

Ahmadinejad has consolidated his position in recent months, winning parliament's backing for his government as well as for an economic reform plan. But Mousavi and pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi have continued to voice defiance.

"Sooner or later ... the people's opponents will be leaving the scene. But does it mean a devastated country will have to remain for the nation on that day?" Mousavi said on Saturday.

The opposition says more than 70 people were killed in the post-election violence. Officials say the death toll was half that and that members of the security forces were among the victims.

(Editing by Tim Pearce)
 

tharikiran

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Biggest balls in all of Iran---Mahmoud Vahidnia

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/05/mahmoud-vahidnia-student_n_347823.html

BEIRUT — An unassuming college math student has become an unlikely hero to many in Iran for daring to criticize the country's most powerful man to his face.
Mahmoud Vahidnia has received an outpouring of support from government opponents for the challenge – unprecedented in a country where insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a crime punishable by prison.
Perhaps most surprising, the young math whiz has so far suffered no repercussions from the confrontation at a question-and-answer session between Khamenei and students at Tehran's Sharif Technical University.
In fact, Iran's clerical leadership appears to be touting the incident as a sign of its tolerance – so much so that some Iranians at first believed the 20-minute exchange was staged by the government, though opposition commentators are now convinced Vahidnia was the real thing.
Details of the encounter were reported on the state news agency IRNA and in a pro-government newspaper, Keyhan, which gave its account with a headline reading, "The revolutionary leader's fatherly response to critical youth." Even Khamenei's official Web site mentioned the incident.
Still some of those in attendance at the Oct. 28 forum say Khamenei appeared taken aback by the questioning and left the meeting early, according to commentary posted on pro-reform Web sites.
The session began with a speech in which Khamenei told the students the "biggest crime" was to question the results of the June 12 presidential election that returned hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. Khamenei himself declared Ahmadinejad the victor despite opposition claims of widespread fraud.
After the speech, Vahidnia raised his hand, then for 20 minutes he criticized the Iranian leader over the fierce crackdown on postelection protests, in which the opposition says 69 people were killed and thousands were arrested.
 

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The Press Association: Three killed during Tehran protest

Three killed during Tehran protest

(UKPA) – 1 hour ago

Iranian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters in the capital Tehran, killing at least four people and injuring two others, opposition websites and witnesses said.

Authorities had warned of a harsh crackdown should opposition supporters hold rallies coinciding with Sunday's religious observances marking the 7th Century death in battle of one of Shiite Islam's most beloved saints.

The clashes marked the bloodiest confrontation between protesters and security forces since the height of the unrest in the weeks after June's disputed presidential election.

Reporters from foreign media organisations were barred from covering the demonstrations and the reports of deaths could not be independently confirmed.

Defying the warnings, thousands of protesters made their way to Tehran's central Engelab Street, or Revolution Street, chanting "death to the dictator," a reference to hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The opposition says Mr Ahmadinejad won the June election through massive vote fraud and that its leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, was the true winner.

After failing to disperse the crowds with tear gas, charges by baton-wielding officers and warning shots fired into the air, security forces opened fire directly at protesters, killing at least three people, said witnesses and the pro-reform website Rah-e-Sabz.

Witnesses said one of the victims was an elderly man who had a gunshot wound to the forehead. He was seen being carried away by opposition supporters with blood covering his face.

They also said angry protesters threw stones at security forces and set dozens of their motorbikes on fire. Police helicopters circled overhead and clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky over the capital.

Police had blocked streets leading to the centre of the capital to try to prevent thousands of people from joining the protest. Still, many opposition supporters managed to break the security wall.
 

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Mousavi's nephew killed during protest

Iran Kills 5 Protesters in Fierce Clashes in Tehran, Witnesses Say - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian security forces fired on stone-throwing protesters in the center of the capital Sunday in one of the bloodiest confrontations in months, opposition Web sites and witnesses said. At least five people were killed.

Some accounts of the violence in Tehran were vivid and detailed, but they could not be independently confirmed because of government restrictions on media coverage. Police, who denied using firearms, said dozens of officers were injured and more than 300 protesters were arrested.

The dead included a nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, according to Mousavi's Web site, Kaleme.ir. The clashes were sure to deepen antagonism between the government and a reform movement that has shown resilience in the face of repeated crackdowns.

The street chaos coincided with commemorations of Shiite Islam's most important observance, Ashoura, fueling protesters' defiance with its message of sacrifice and dignity in the face of coercion.

Still, many demonstrators had not anticipated such harsh tactics by the authorities, despite police warnings of tougher action against any protests on the sacred day.

Amateur video footage purportedly from the center of Tehran showed an enraged crowd carrying away one casualty, chanting, "I'll kill, I'll kill the one who killed my brother." In several locations, demonstrators confronted security forces, hurling stones and setting their motorcycles, cars and vans ablaze, according to video footage and pro-reform Web sites.

Protesters tried to cut off roads with burning barricades. One police officer was photographed with blood streaming down his face after he was set upon by the crowd.

There were unconfirmed reports that four people died in protests in Tabriz in northwest Iran, the pro-reform Rah-e-Sabz Web site said. Fierce clashes also broke out in Isfahan and Najafabad in central Iran and Shiraz in the south, it said.

Mousavi's Web site said the nephew, Ali Mousavi, was shot in the back on Azadi Street, or Freedom Street, during clashes in which security forces reportedly fired on demonstrators, and was taken to Ibn Sina Hospital. It said Mousavi and other family members rushed to the hospital.

A close aide to Mousavi, a presidential contender in a disputed June election, said Ali Mousavi died of injuries in the hospital. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisals from the government.

The protests began with thousands of opposition supporters chanting "Death to the dictator," a reference to hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as they marched in defiance of official warnings of a harsh crackdown on any demonstrations coinciding with Ashoura. The observance commemorates the seventh-century death in battle of one of Shiite Islam's most beloved saints.

Security forces tried but failed to disperse protesters on a central Tehran street with tear gas, baton charges and warning shots. They then opened fire on protesters, killing at least three people, said witnesses and the Rah-e-Sabz Web site. Another protester was shot dead on a nearby street, they said.

Witnesses said one victim was an elderly man who had a gunshot wound to the forehead. He was seen being carried away by opposition supporters with blood covering his face.

More than two dozen opposition supporters were injured, some of them seriously, with limbs broken from beatings, according to witnesses.

An Iranian police statement said five people were killed in the unrest. "Experts are seeking to identify the suspicious elements," the statement said.

Iran's deputy police chief, Ahmad Reza Radan, said one person died after falling from a bridge, two were killed in a car accident, and a fourth was fatally shot.

"Given the fact that police did not use firearms, this incident looks completely suspicious and the case is under investigation," Radan said.

He said dozens of injured police were treated in hospitals, and more than 300 "seditionists" were arrested.

The clashes marked the bloodiest confrontation since the height of unrest in the weeks after June's election. The opposition says Ahmadinejad won the election through massive vote fraud and that Mousavi was the true winner.

Reporters from foreign media organizations were barred from covering the demonstrations on Tehran's central Enghelab Street, or Revolution Street. Video footage circulating on the Web could also not be authenticated.

Ambulance sirens wailed near the site of the protests. Police helicopters circled as smoke billowed over the capital.

Cell phone services were unreliable and Internet connections were slowed to a crawl, as has happened during most other days of protest in an apparent government attempt to limit publicity and prevent protesters from organizing.

Opposition activists have held a series of anti-government protests since the death of a dissident cleric last week.

The Dec. 20 death of the 87-year-old Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a sharp critic of Iran's leaders, has given a new push to opposition protests.

His memorials have brought out not only the young, urban activists who filled the ranks of earlier protests, but also older, more religious Iranians who revered Montazeri on grounds of faith as much as politics. Tens of thousands marched in his funeral procession in the holy city of Qom on Monday, many chanting slogans against the government.

Opposition leaders have used holidays and other symbolic days in recent months to stage anti-government rallies.

Iran is under pressure both from its domestic opposition within the country and from the United States and its European allies, which are pushing Iran to suspend key parts of its nuclear program.

Foreign Minister Carl Bildt of Sweden, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, expressed concern about the "increased repression" in Iran.

"A regime secure in its own legitimacy has no reason to fear individuals' rights to express their opinions freely and peacefully," he wrote on his blog Sunday.
 

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The Press Association: Iran cracks down on reform movement

Iran cracks down on reform movement

(UKPA) – 56 minutes ago

Iranian security forces have stormed a series of opposition offices, rounding up at least seven prominent anti-government activists in a new crackdown against the country's reformist movement, opposition websites and activists reported.

The arrests came a day after at least eight protesters were killed during anti-government marches marking Shiite Islam's most important observance.

The bloodshed, some of the heaviest in months, drew an especially harsh condemnation from one opposition leader, who compared the government with the brutal regime that was ousted by the Islamic Revolution three decades ago.

Monday's developments were sure to deepen antagonism between the government and the reform movement, which has repeatedly shown resilience in the face of repeated crackdowns since June's disputed presidential election.

Mahdi Karroubi, an opposition leader who ran in the June election, posted a statement on an opposition website asking how the government could spill the blood of its people on the Shiite sacred day of Ashoura. He said even the former government of the hated shah respected the holy day.

Opposition websites reported at least seven arrests. The Parlemannews site said three top aides to opposition leader Mir Moussavi were arrested, including his top adviser, Ali Riza Beheshti.

Security forces also stormed a foundation run by reformist former president Mohammad Khatami and arrested two people, a foundation official said. The Baran Foundation works to promote dialogue between civilisations.

In another move, former foreign minister Ebrahim Yazdi and human rights activist Emad Baghi were arrested, according to the Rah-e-Sabz website. Yazdi, who served as foreign minister after the 1979 Islamic revolution, is now leader of the banned but tolerated Freedom Movement of Iran. The arrests could not be independently confirmed.

Sunday's violence erupted when security forces fired on stone-throwing protesters in the centre of Tehran. Opposition websites and witnesses said five people were killed, but Iran's state-run Press TV, quoting the Supreme National Security Council, said the death toll was eight. It gave no further details. The dead included a nephew of Mousavi, according to Mousavi's website, Kaleme.ir. Police denied using firearms.

The clashes marked the bloodiest confrontation since the height of unrest in the weeks after June's election. The opposition says Ahmadinejad won the election through massive vote fraud and that Mousavi was the true winner.
 

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AFP: Britain condemns 'disturbing' Iran crackdown

Britain condemns 'disturbing' Iran crackdown

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

LONDON — Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Monday hailed the "great courage" of Iranian pro-opposition supporters and said the security forces' crackdown on them was "disturbing".

Miliband said the deaths of at least eight people in fierce clashes in Tehran had taken place during the Shiite sacred day of Ashura, "a time of religious commemoration and reflection".

"It is therefore particularly disturbing to hear accounts of the lack of restraint by the security forces," he added in a statement.

Miliband said the deaths were "yet another reminder of how the Iranian regime deals with protest."

"Ordinary Iranian citizens are determined to exercise their right to have their voices heard. They are showing great courage.

"I call on the Iranian government to respect the human rights of its own citizens -- rights which Iran has promised to respect."

The latest demonstrations came on Sunday when thousands of opposition supporters poured onto the streets of Tehran and other major cities, making use of Ashura to stage fresh anti-government rallies.
 

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