Iranian opposition websites report new anti-government clashes

Dec 31, 2009, 17:42 GMT

Tehran/Washington - Iranian opposition websites Thursday reported new outbreaks of protests against the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and clashes with security forces.

The protests were reported to have started at the graveside of Ali Moussavi, the 35-year-old nephew of defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi, who was killed in clashes with government forces on Sunday.

The ongoing tension in Iran started last June, after Ahmadenijad claimed victory over Mir Hossein Moussavi in presidential elections that many observers and Iranians believe were rigged.

Hundreds of people gathered at the graveside in southern Teheran under heavy police surveillance, which included a helicopter. Opposition website Jaras reported some scuffling between demonstrators and authorities.

Separately, there were reports of clashes between police and demonstrators at the University of Tehran, reported Jaras. Police reportedly fired tear gas at the demonstrators and dozens of the protesters were arrested, reported the website.

Witnesses confirmed the clashes, but not the arrests. There was no official comment to the reports.

Jaras reported that the demonstrators had organized into small groups so that they could react more quickly to government forces. It was impossible to say if there were any injuries, as international media has largely been banned from reporting on the clashes.

By late Thursday, the clashes were reported to have spread to the city's Vali-Asr Square.

Amid the turmoil, conflicting reports were aired on Iranian state media about the whereabouts of Mir Hossein Moussavi and dissident cleric Mehdi Karroubi, another opposition leader.

The IRNA news agency reported Thursday evening that the two men had fled Tehran, fearing for their lives, and had been sighted in the northern Iranian city of Salman.

But the Fars news agency, quoted by broadcaster PressTV, and opposition websites contested the IRNA report.

Separately, Iran's government said that a video circulated by Western media of a police vehicle slamming into protesters was 'probably fake' and part of a scheme to harm Iran's image.

According to official Iranian accounts, 500 people were arrested after the protests last weekend. Opposition websites have reported the arrest of up to 800 people, 300 of them in Tehran. Additionally, 18 people close to Moussavi have also been apprehended.