Opposition supporters return to street protest

Police have clashed with opposition supporters during a rally in the Iranian capital, Tehran, reports say.

Police fired tear gas and have made many arrests, using batons to disperse protesters in Tehran's Haft-e-Tir square, according to witnesses. The crowd of several hundred chanted "death to the dictator" and refused to move.

Reformist leaders had urged supporters to turn out to peaceful rallies marking the 30th anniversary of the seizure of the US embassy in Iran by a group of students, attended by thousands of Iranians.

There have been unconfirmed reports that police opened fire on protesters. Eyewitnesses say rubbish has been set on fire to ease the effect of the teargas.

Today anti-regime protests are not confined to Tehran. It has also been reported that thousands are also gathering in the southern city of Shiraz and Isfahan in central Iran.

Opposition supporters, who claim that elections were rigged to ensure the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinjad, have been staging protests since the 12 June elections. In what has been the worst political crisis in the Islamic Republic's history, at least 30 protesters have been killed in clashes and thousands arrested. Some 200 opposition activists remain behind bars. Three have been sentenced to death.

 

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