Clashes between Iranian police and tens of thousands of protesters wracked central Tehran today killing one person, as opposition supporters tried to evoke the spirit of Egypt's popular uprising.

Two prominent critics of the Iranian government have been arrested after clashes overnight in Tehran.

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.

Security forces clashed with crowds gathered for a memorial for Iran’s most dissident cleric today.

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

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran will now enrich its uranium to an even higher level, defying a UN call to halt the process due to fears over the country’s nuclear programme.

Thousands of Iranian anti-government protesters clashed with hard-liners on the streets of Tehran today as marches turned into running battles.

Iranian scientists have become the first in the Middle East to clone a cow as part of the country’s stem cell research, the leader of the project said today.

An Iranian official said today that the Islamic republic has increased its production to more than 300 tons of a gas used for uranium enrichment, a semi-official news agency reported.

Police in Iran detained a large number of mourners today for mutilating themselves with knives, the official IRNA news agency has reported.

With the threat of new UN sanctions looming over Iran, senior European officials met an envoy from Tehran, in what officials described as an attempt to defuse the crisis over the Islamic republic’s refusal to scrap uranium enrichment.

Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today warned Israel it would be uprooted if the Jewish state attacked Lebanon in the coming summer.

Two inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived in Iran tonight to inspect the Islamic republic’s nuclear facilities, the country’s official news agency said.

Iran’s nuclear chief today said his country had produced and stored 250 tonnes of the gas used as the feedstock for uranium enrichment, state-run television reported.

Iran’s second cloned lamb is still alive half a day after its birth - a record for the survival of an animal cloned by the country’s scientists, a research official said today.

Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today rejected a European plan to offer his country incentives, including a light-water nuclear reactor, in return for giving up uranium enrichment.

IRAN has started putting uranium feedstock gas into centrifuges, defying the West with actual enrichment work on making what can be nuclear reactor fuel or atom bomb material, diplomats said yesterday.

Iran broke UN seals on its nuclear enrichment facility, pledging only to conduct research, but the international nuclear watchdog said Tehran also planned small-scale enrichment of uranium – a process that can produce fuel for nuclear weapons.

Iran’s row with the West over its nuclear programme escalated today with America warning of international sanctions.

Iran’s hard-line president called for the Bush administration to be tried on war crimes charges related to Iraq and denounced the West for its stance on Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, state-run television reported today.

Defying the world, Iran revealed today it has begun converting a second batch of uranium into gas, a step that brings it closer to producing the enriched uranium used in either nuclear reactors or bombs.

IRAN’S novice President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad named an obscure figure as oil minister yesterday, risking a domestic political storm after already stirring one abroad with his call for Israel’s destruction.

Iran today reiterated that it is ready to reopen unconditional negotiations with Europeans over its controversial nuclear programme, which Washington says is aimed at producing a nuclear bomb.

Iran today insisted the resumption of its uranium enrichment programme is not on its agenda – but warned that it may change its mind if the International Atomic Energy Agency refers Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Iran said today it would not stop uranium conversion and warned of “certain consequences” if it was referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions over its controversial nuclear programme.

French President Jacques Chirac called on Iran yesterday to cooperate in nuclear talks or risk having the issue sent to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator has called for more countries to join the three European states engaged in talks about Tehran’s contentious nuclear program.

Hundreds of Iranian students demonstrated today at the British, French and Germany embassies, protesting the European call for Iran to permanently freze uranium enrichment.

IRAN’S hard-line president yesterday criticised nations that have economic ties with Tehran but oppose its nuclear programme, an apparent reference to pressure from European countries.

THE West cannot push Iran around as it has Libya and Iraq, a former Iranian president said yesterday.

THE UN nuclear watchdog agency said yesterday it was seriously concerned over Iran's resumption of uranium conversion but fell short of reporting it to the UN Security Council.

The UN nuclear watchdog agency’s 35-nation board adopted a resolution Thursday expressing “serious concern” over Iran’s decision this week to resume uranium conversion – a process that some fear could be used to help build a bomb.

Diplomats at the UN nuclear watchdog agency were debating a draft resolution today that expressed “serious concern” over Iran’s resumption of uranium conversion but left open the possibility of more talks on the crisis.

IRAN removed the final seals from equipment at a uranium conversion plant yesterday, as UN inspectors watched, paving the way for Tehran to fully open the facility.

The UN nuclear watchdog agency confirmed that its seals at an Iranian nuclear facility were broken today, as it postponed a meeting so diplomats could seek consensus over how to rebuke Iran for resuming activities that could lead to an atomic weapon.

UN nuclear inspectors were installing the last surveillance cameras and preparing to break their seals, enabling Iran to resume full uranium conversion at its nuclear facility today, Iran’s nuclear boss said.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog is scrambling for solutions to the Iran crisis as Tehran prepares to break agency seals today and resume further work at one of its atomic facilities.

THE UN nuclear watchdog agency held an emergency meeting yesterday to assess Iran's resumption of uranium conversion.

US President George Bush said today he’s deeply suspicious about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but that the country’s new leader has indicated a willingness to negotiate.

Iran has manufactured about 4,000 centrifuges capable of enriching uranium to weapons grade, an exiled Iranian dissident who helped uncover nearly two decades of covert nuclear activity in 2002 said today.

Pressure is mounting on the United Nations nuclear agency to report Iran to the Security Council as it prepares for an emergency meeting today to ease a stand-off with the Tehran regime.

Ali Akbar Dareini, Tehran

Iran resumed uranium conversion activities today at a nuclear facility – a step that Europeans and the US warned would prompt them to seek UN sanctions against Tehran.