Iranian security forces beat protesters in central Tehran today, a sign of mounting tensions ahead of planned opposition rallies to mark a religious festival and the death of a dissident cleric a week ago.

Tens of thousands of mourners turned the funeral of Iran’s leading dissident cleric into an anti-government protest today.

The family of Iran’s most senior dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, say he has died at the age of 87.