Violent clashes in Tehran as police disperse protestors

Police beat protesters and fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands who rallied in Tehran today in open defiance of Iran’s clerical government, sharply escalating the most serious internal conflict since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Eyewitnesses described fierce clashes near Revolution Square after some 3,000 protesters, many wearing black, chanted “Death to the dictator” and “Death to dictatorship”.

English-language state TV confirmed that police had used batons and other non-lethal weapons against what it called unauthorised demonstrations.

Witnesses said between 50 and 60 protesters were seriously beaten by police and pro-government militia and taken to Imam Khomeini hospital in central Tehran. People could be seen dragging away those injured by baton strikes.

Some protesters appeared to be fighting back, setting fire to militia members’ motorcycles in streets near Freedom Square, witnesses said.

Helicopters hovered over central Tehran. Ambulance sirens echoed through the streets and black smoke rose over the city.

Tehran University was cordoned off by police and militia while students inside the university chanted “death to the dictator”, witnesses said. Police and militia barred people from entering Freedom Street, which runs from Freedom Square to Revolution Square, to prevent a massive gathering, the witnesses said.

Amateur video showed dozens of Iranians running down a street after police fired tear gas at them. Shouts of “Allahu Akbar” – “God is Great” – could be heard on the video, which could not be independently verified.

The English-language state channel said a blast at the Tehran shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had killed one person and wounded two, but the report could not be independently confirmed due to government restrictions on independent reporting. The shrine is about 12 miles (20km) south of central Tehran.

Hundreds of thousands of supporters of reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi took to the streets for four consecutive days this week demanding the government cancel and re-run June 12 elections that ended with a declaration of overwhelming victory for hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mr Mousavi says he won and that Mr Ahmadinejad stole the election through widespread fraud.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sided firmly with Mr Ahmadinejad yesterday, saying the vote reflected popular will, and ordering opposition leaders to end street protests or be held responsible for any “bloodshed and chaos” to come.

The statement effectively closed the door to Mr Mousavi’s demand for a new election, raising the possibility of a violent confrontation.

Police had clashed with protesters around Tehran immediately after the vote, and gunfire from a militia compound left at least seven dead, but the full force of the state remained in check until today.

Witnesses said protesters wore black as a symbol of mourning for the dead and the allegedly stolen election, with wristbands in green, the emblem of Mr Mousavi’s “Green Wave” movement.

Tehran province police chief Ahmad Reza Radan said that police would “crack down on any gathering or protest rally which are being planned by some people”. The head of the State Security Council also reiterated the warning to Mr Mousavi that he would be held responsible if he encouraged street protests.

Eyewitnesses said thousands of police and plain-clothes militia members filled the streets to prevent rallies. Fire engines took up positions in Revolution Square and riot police surrounded Tehran University, the site of recent clashes between protesters and security forces, one witness said.

Iranian authorities have placed strict limits on the ability of foreign media to cover recent events, banning reporting from the street and allowing only phone interviews and information from official sources such as state TV.

The government has blocked websites such as BBC Farsi, Facebook, Twitter and several pro-Mousavi sites that are conduits for Iranians to tell the world about protests and violence.

Text messaging has not been working in Iran since last week, and mobile phone service in Tehran is frequently down.

Mr Mousavi and the two other candidates who ran against Mr Ahmadinejad had been invited to meet Iran’s Guardian Council, an unelected body of 12 clerics and Islamic law experts close to Ayatollah Khamenei that oversees elections. Its spokesman told state TV that Mr Mousavi and the reformist candidate Mahdi Karroubi did not attend.

The council has said it was prepared to conduct a limited recount of ballots at sites where candidates claim irregularities but Mr Mousavi’s supporters did not withdraw his demands for a new election.

A spokesman for Mr Mousavi said yesterday the opposition leader was not under arrest but was not allowed to speak to journalists or stand at a microphone at rallies.

Both houses of the US Congress approved a resolution yesterday condemning “the ongoing violence” by the Iranian government and its suppression of the internet and mobile phones.

In an interview with CBS yesterday, US President Barack Obama said he was very concerned by the “tenor and tone” of Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments. He also said that how Iran’s leaders “approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard” will signal “what Iran is and is not”.