<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Signs of defiance in Teheran
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Reports say police fire tear gas and beat protesters as separate blast at shrine kills one </TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Teheran - Witnesses said police beat protesters and fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands who rallied in the Iranian capital yesterday in open defiance of the government, sharply escalating the most serious internal conflict since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The eyewitnesses described fierce clashes near Revolution Square in central Teheran after about 3,000 protesters chanted 'Death to the dictator!' and 'Death to dictatorship!' The police responded with tear gas and water cannons.
The protesters numbered far fewer than the hundreds of thousands involved in earlier rallies following the disputed June 12 presidential election.
Witnesses said that between 50 and 60 protesters were seriously beaten by police and pro-government militia and taken to Imam Khomeini hospital in central Teheran.
People could be seen dragging away their friends bloodied 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 Teheran. Ambulance sirens echoed through the streets and black smoke rose over the city.
English-language state TV said a blast at the Teheran shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had killed one person and wounded two.
There were also reports of supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi setting fire to a building in southern Teheran that was used by backers of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Neither report could be independently confirmed due to government restrictions on independent reporting.
Websites run by Mr Mousavi's supporters had called for street protests to begin yesterday at 4pm local time, but the candidate himself issued no public statement regarding the protests.
The Etemad-e Melli party of losing candidate Mehdi Karoubi said plans for a rally had been scrapped for lack of a permit.
At their last rally in Teheran last Thursday, Mr Mousavi's followers held banners saying they would gather again two days later. But an ally of Mr Mousavi said the moderate politician had not urged people to demonstrate during the weekend.
Still, eyewitnesses said thousands of police officers and plainclothes militia members had filled the streets yesterday to prevent rallies.
Fire trucks took up positions in Revolution Square and riot police surrounded Teheran University, the site of recent clashes between protesters and security forces, one witness said.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned opposition leaders last Friday to end their street protests or be held responsible for any 'bloodshed and chaos' to come.
A police commander also said earlier that his forces would deal firmly with any further street protests over the disputed vote.
The government statements were the most explicit warnings yet of force being taken against protesters. They had gathered in massive rallies last week to demand that the government cancel and re-run elections that ended with a declaration of overwhelming victory for hard- line President Ahmadinejad. Mr Mousavi claims he won and alleges that Mr Ahmadinejad stole the election through widespread fraud.
But Ayatollah Khamenei sided firmly with Mr Ahmadinejad last Friday, saying that the result reflected popular will. He also ordered opposition leaders to end street protests or face the consequences.
The statement seemingly closed the door on Mr Mousavi's demand for a new election.
But Mr Mousavi yesterday renewed his call to annul the elections in a letter to Iran's top legislative body claiming '(election rigging) was planned months ahead of the vote', his website said.
Meanwhile, the appointed 12-man Guardian Council, which must certify the result of the election, has announced plans for a partial recount.
'Although the Guardian Council is not legally obliged...we are ready to recount 10 per cent of the (ballot) boxes randomly in the presence of representatives of the three (defeated) candidates,' a council spokesman said. AP, Reuters
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Reports say police fire tear gas and beat protesters as separate blast at shrine kills one </TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Teheran - Witnesses said police beat protesters and fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands who rallied in the Iranian capital yesterday in open defiance of the government, sharply escalating the most serious internal conflict since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The eyewitnesses described fierce clashes near Revolution Square in central Teheran after about 3,000 protesters chanted 'Death to the dictator!' and 'Death to dictatorship!' The police responded with tear gas and water cannons.
The protesters numbered far fewer than the hundreds of thousands involved in earlier rallies following the disputed June 12 presidential election.
Witnesses said that between 50 and 60 protesters were seriously beaten by police and pro-government militia and taken to Imam Khomeini hospital in central Teheran.
People could be seen dragging away their friends bloodied 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 Teheran. Ambulance sirens echoed through the streets and black smoke rose over the city.
English-language state TV said a blast at the Teheran shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had killed one person and wounded two.
There were also reports of supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi setting fire to a building in southern Teheran that was used by backers of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Neither report could be independently confirmed due to government restrictions on independent reporting.
Websites run by Mr Mousavi's supporters had called for street protests to begin yesterday at 4pm local time, but the candidate himself issued no public statement regarding the protests.
The Etemad-e Melli party of losing candidate Mehdi Karoubi said plans for a rally had been scrapped for lack of a permit.
At their last rally in Teheran last Thursday, Mr Mousavi's followers held banners saying they would gather again two days later. But an ally of Mr Mousavi said the moderate politician had not urged people to demonstrate during the weekend.
Still, eyewitnesses said thousands of police officers and plainclothes militia members had filled the streets yesterday to prevent rallies.
Fire trucks took up positions in Revolution Square and riot police surrounded Teheran University, the site of recent clashes between protesters and security forces, one witness said.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned opposition leaders last Friday to end their street protests or be held responsible for any 'bloodshed and chaos' to come.
A police commander also said earlier that his forces would deal firmly with any further street protests over the disputed vote.
The government statements were the most explicit warnings yet of force being taken against protesters. They had gathered in massive rallies last week to demand that the government cancel and re-run elections that ended with a declaration of overwhelming victory for hard- line President Ahmadinejad. Mr Mousavi claims he won and alleges that Mr Ahmadinejad stole the election through widespread fraud.
But Ayatollah Khamenei sided firmly with Mr Ahmadinejad last Friday, saying that the result reflected popular will. He also ordered opposition leaders to end street protests or face the consequences.
The statement seemingly closed the door on Mr Mousavi's demand for a new election.
But Mr Mousavi yesterday renewed his call to annul the elections in a letter to Iran's top legislative body claiming '(election rigging) was planned months ahead of the vote', his website said.
Meanwhile, the appointed 12-man Guardian Council, which must certify the result of the election, has announced plans for a partial recount.
'Although the Guardian Council is not legally obliged...we are ready to recount 10 per cent of the (ballot) boxes randomly in the presence of representatives of the three (defeated) candidates,' a council spokesman said. AP, Reuters
