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Fierce Clashes Erupt in Iran, Sources Say

By WILLIAM J. KOLE

posted: 32 MINUTES AGO

comments: 759

filed under: Iran, World News

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

(June 28) - Several thousand protesters — some chanting "Where is my vote?" — clashed with riot police in Tehran on Sunday as Iran detained local employees of the British Embassy, escalating the regime's standoff with the West and earning it a stinging rebuke from the European Union.

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More Coverage: Iran Pledges 'Crushing' Response to US Critiques

Witnesses said riot police used tear gas and clubs to break up a crowd of up to 3,000 protesters who had gathered near north Tehran's Ghoba Mosque in the country's first major post-election unrest in four days.

Some described scenes of brutality, telling The Associated Press that some protesters suffered broken bones and alleging that police beat an elderly woman, prompting a screaming match with young demonstrators who then fought back.

The reports could not be independently verified because of tight restrictions imposed on journalists in Iran.

North Tehran is a base of support for opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has alleged massive fraud in Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election and insists he — not President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — is the rightful winner.

Sunday's clashes erupted at a rally that had been planned to coincide with a memorial held each year for Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, who came to be considered a martyr in the Islamic Republic after he was killed in a major anti-regime bombing in 1981.

Witnesses said the protesters also chanted, "Ya Hussein, Mir Hossein," linking Mousavi's first name with a highly revered Shiite saint, Imam Hussein — the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and a symbol of personal sacrifice for a cause.

Witnesses who spoke with the AP said they did not spot Mousavi at the rally. But one of his close assistants addressed the crowd through a loudspeaker and other opposition figures also appeared, including reformist presidential candidate Mahdi Karroubi.

Later, after the situation calmed, police set up patrols and cordons.

It was Iran's first election-related unrest since Wednesday, when a small group of rock-throwing protesters who had gathered near parliament was quickly overwhelmed by police forces using tear gas and clubs.

Iranian authorities say 17 protesters and eight members of the volunteer Basij militia have been killed in two weeks of unrest, and that hundreds of people have been arrested.

The Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights said its information suggests at least 2,000 arrests have been made — "not just (people) arrested and later released, but who are locked up in prison," the group's vice president, Abdol Karim Lahidji, told the AP.

He said his information came from members of human rights groups in Iran and other contacts inside the country.

Iran's diplomatic battles also intensified Sunday after authorities detained several local employees of the British Embassy in Tehran — a move that Britain's foreign secretary called "harassment and intimidation." The EU condemned the arrests.

Iranian media said eight local embassy staff were detained for alleged roles in post-election protests, but gave no further details. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said "about nine" employees were detained Saturday and that four had been released.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Corfu, Greece, issued a statement condemning the arrests and calling for the immediate release of all those still detained. The 27-nation bloc also denounced Iran's continuing restrictions on journalists.

"They make clear to the Iranian authorities that harassment or intimidation of foreign or Iranian staff working in embassies will be met with a strong and collective EU response," the statement said.

Iran has accused the West of stoking unrest, singling out Britain and the U.S. for alleged meddling and for expressing concern about the ferocity of the regime's crackdown on protesters. Last week, Iran expelled two British diplomats, and Britain responded in kind. Iran has also said it's considering downgrading diplomatic ties with Britain.

On Sunday, Iranian Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseini Ejehi accused some British embassy staff of mingling with protest crowds to encourage unrest.

The British Foreign Office says the embassy has a staff of more than 100, including at least 70 locally hired Iranians. Last week, Britain sent home 12 dependents of embassy staff because the protests had disrupted their lives.

Miliband, in Corfu for the EU meeting, said Britain lodged a protest with the Iranian authorities over the detentions, which he called "quite unacceptable."

"The idea that the British Embassy is somehow behind the demonstrations and protests that have been taking place in Tehran. ... is wholly without foundation," he said.

A senior Iranian cleric, Ahmed Khatami, had lashed out at Britain on Friday in a nationally televised sermon. "In this unrest, Britons have behaved very mischievously and it is fair to add the slogan of 'Down with England' to the slogan of 'Down with USA,'" he said.

Iran's sharpening anti-Western rhetoric threatened to dash hopes for the new dialogue President Barack Obama initially envisioned when he took office.

Obama wants to engage Iranian leaders in talks over the country's suspect nuclear program which the U.S. and other western countries worry is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran defends its nuclear program as civilian in nature. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Sunday the bloc would "like very much" to restart nuclear talks with Tehran despite the rising tensions.

Senior White House adviser David Axelrod played down Ahmadinejad's accusations against the U.S., saying they aren't credible and are meant for domestic consumption. "This is political theater," he said on ABC's "This Week."

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for national unity, appealing to both sides in the dispute, even though he has come down firmly on the side of Ahmadinejad.

"I admonish both sides not to stoke the emotions of the young or pit the people against each other," he said Sunday. "Our people are made of one fabric."

Mousavi, meanwhile, signaled anew he won't drop his political challenge.

In a new statement, he insisted on a repeat of the election and rejected a partial recount being proposed by the government. However, Mousavi's challenge seemed largely aimed at maintaining some role as an opposition figure.

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The latest statement by Mousavi, who has been increasingly isolated, appeared Sunday on Ghalamnews, a Web site run by supporters. Mousavi-related Web sites have frequently been blocked by the government, and one was shut down by hackers last week.

For the first time since the election, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani spoke publicly about the unrest, claiming that "suspicious hands" were trying to open rifts between the people and the Islamic system.

He also praised Khamenei for giving the Guardian Council, Iran's top electoral body, more time to evaluate charges of vote-rigging. That was significant because there had been growing speculation that Rafsanjani could be at odds with the supreme leader — setting the stage for a possible high-level power struggle.

Kole reported from Cairo. Associated Press Writers Shaya Tayefe Mohajer in Cairo, Jamey Keaten in Paris, Shawn Pogatchnik in London and Elena Becatoros in Corfu, Greece, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2009-06-28 06:42:52

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Casagolda

05:12 PMJun 28 2009

Iran's election, Acorn, Obama???!!!!

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Eugpenn

05:11 PMJun 28 2009

OBAMA WHERE ARE YOU????!!!!! COME OUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, YOU COWARD AND BE A MAN AND AN AMERICAN INSTEAD OF A COWARDLY NITWIT WHO JUMPS EVERY TIME ONE OF OUR ENEMIES SPEAKS!!!!!! THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING TO GAIN FREEDOM AND HOSET ELECTIONS AND OBAMA HIDES UNDER HIS DESK AND COWERSI IN FEAR!!! HE IS WORSE THAN WORTHLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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obamaizamarxist

05:09 PMJun 28 2009

Where's Hillary's big pant suited ass? Why is that worthless leftist skank collecting a paycheck?

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Herbahater

05:07 PMJun 28 2009

We need leaders in Iran, Vanezuela and North Korea to speak out about how horrible our dictator is. Please help us !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Free2opine

04:59 PMJun 28 2009

they say that no reporters are allowed to see whats going on in Iran, but don't we have satellites that can read a license plate from miles above? They shouldn't be able to hide mass amounts of demonstraters from them. our government can see the actions.

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Pretender9763

04:59 PMJun 28 2009

Len9mm 04:43 PMJun 28 2009 I thought the issue was Iran???----it won't be and issue if OBAMA DIDN'T OPEN GOD DMN MOUTH.HE KEEPS GETTING HIS FOOT STUCK IN IT!!!!!!!!!!

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Govindabliss

04:58 PMJun 28 2009

FEMA HAS YOUR [OUR] COFFINS READY TOO! GO TO YOU TUBE AND TYPE ' FEMA COFFINS' AND ' FEMA CONCENTRATION CAMPS' !!!!! IF YOU ARE STILL A STUPID FLAG WAVING AMERICAN ,,YOU WONT BE AFTER SEEING THIS! OR WILL YOU BE ONE OF THE MANY GULLABLE/STUPID AMERICANS THAT STILL TRUSTS YOUR DEGRADED GOVERNMENT ?..

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MiMiMus

04:57 PMJun 28 2009

BCCPAN whines, "Now tell me some real world accomplishments"****He destroyed the GOP. The true axis of evil was brought down What else matters?

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MCASTRO118

04:56 PMJun 28 2009

Barry is an AFRICAN witch Dr.....he will be in charge of HELL CARE ,and we are all going to turn green....we are all going to be healthy like in Kenya,and do not worry about economy or N Korea and Iran ,the prophet will make it all perfect...Have faith!

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Sn6hi10

04:55 PMJun 28 2009

JELUN: VERY WELL SAID!!!!

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