Iran Protest Met With Tear Gas, Threats

"Revolutionary Confrontation" Promised If Demonstrations Persist; Mousavi Calls For Another March

(CBS/AP)  Last updated 6:50 p.m. EDT

Riot police cracked down anew on demonstrators in Iran's capital on Monday hours after the feared Revolutionary Guard threatened to crush any further post-election protests. A witness described an "air of sadness" marked by people wailing prayers into the night.

Security forces used tear gas and fired live bullets in the air to break up a group of about 200 protesters paying tribute to a young woman whose apparent shooting death was captured on video and circulated around the world.

Despite the crackdown, opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi is calling for another peaceful demonstration on Thursday.

The show of force came as the country's highest electoral authority, the Guardian Council, acknowledged some irregularities in 50 districts - including more votes being cast than registered voters. But the council insisted the result of the June 12 presidential election was not affected.

The council said it would announce its final decision on the elections that have caused the unrest Wednesday, June 24, according to Iranian news agency Mehr.

The Guards' threat of "revolutionary confrontation" if the protests persist was another signal the regime is taking a zero-tolerance approach to Iran's worst civil unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

IranWatch: Track the latest on the Iran election upheaval.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered opposition supporters on Friday to halt their marches and respect the election outcome, saying President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won a resounding victory.

Iran says at least 17 protesters have died in a week of unrest, including at least 10 killed in confrontations the day after Khamenei's speech.

Mousavi, who has alleged widespread and systematic fraud, issued his own challenge Sunday, telling supporters: "The country belongs to you ... Protesting against lies and fraud is your right."

Since the election, the defeated candidates have been searching for proof of fraud - and, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports, so have political scientists in Scotland, whose number crunching reveals improbable vote swings in parts of the country and more people voted in some areas than there were voters.

President Ahmadinejad won by a huge margin in areas that had in the past been solidly against him.

"The numbers say Ahmadinejad was universally supported across the board which really flies in the face of former trends," says Thomas Rintoul of the University of St Andrews.

Severe restrictions on reporters have made it almost impossible to independently verify reports on demonstrations, clashes and casualties. Iran has ordered reporters for international news agencies to stay in their offices, barring them from reporting on the streets.

In a statement on its Web site Monday, the Revolutionary Guard ordered demonstrators to "end the sabotage and rioting," calling the protests a "conspiracy" against Iran. It told demonstrators to "be prepared for ... revolutionary confrontation with the Guards, Basij and other security forces and disciplinary forces" if rallies continue. The Basij, a plainclothes militia under the Guard's command, has been blamed for some of the protesters' deaths.

Despite the warnings, some 200 people heeded a call on Persian-language blogs and Twitter feeds to rally Monday at Tehran's Haft-e-tir Square in memory of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman shown on video as she apparently bled to death, and other "martyrs."

An acquaintance of Neda's family said the government is barring Neda's family from holding a public funeral today. Roger Cohen of the New York Times told CNN that there was a moving ceremony for Neda but it was broken up by Basiji, who came in with batons and waved people away. Some uniformed police joined in the prayer for the woman who was shot dead, Cohen reported.

Witnesses told The Associated Press that helicopters hovered overhead as riot police fired live rounds and lobbed tear gas to break up the gathering.

Security forces ordered people to keep walking and prevented even small groups from gathering - at one point taking the extraordinary step of separating couples who emerged from a subway station, the witnesses said. They asked not to be identified for fear of government reprisals.

An Iranian woman who lives in Tehran said there was a heavy police and security presence.

"There is a massive, massive, massive police presence," she told the AP in Cairo by telephone, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was worried about government reprisals. "Their presence was really intimidating."

"What you see is nothing (compared) to what is really happening," said the woman. "People are very, very despondent. There is an air of sadness around."

At night, she added, cries of "Allahu Akbar!" or "God is great!" echo through Tehran, saying that was "the only way that they are able to express themselves."

The government has intensified a crackdown on independent media - expelling a BBC correspondent, suspending the Dubai-based network Al-Arabiya and detaining at least two local journalists for U.S. magazines.

Britain, accused by Iran of fomenting post-election unrest, said Monday it was evacuating the families of diplomats and other officials based in Iran - the first country to do so.

President Barack Obama defended his cautious approach with Iran's leadership, and the White House said he was "moved" by televised images of the protests. But Republicans continued pressing him for a stronger response.

An analysis of Iran's official election results released by the Chatham House think tank in London revealed anomalies that it said cast doubt on Ahmadinejad's victory.

Compared with the 2005 election, the outcome in a third of Iran's provinces would require that Ahmadinejad received support from all former centrist voters, all new voters and almost half of all former reformist voters. Chatham House called that an unlikely scenario.

A previously untouchable figure - the daughter of Grand Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani - was arrested briefly over the weekend, reports Palmer. Rafsanjani is the most powerful backer of the opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousaiv.

Mousavi, who wants the election results annulled and a new vote held, vowed to keep up the rallies in defiance of Khamenei, who holds ultimate power in Iran. On his Web site Monday, he called on supporters to turn on their car lights as a sign of protest and warned of danger ahead.

Although Mousavi pledged to stand by the protesters "at all times," he said he would "never allow anybody's life to be endangered because of my actions" and called for pursuing fraud claims through an independent board.

Mousavi's ally, ex-president Mohammad Khatami, meanwhile, said in a statement that "protest in a civil manner and avoiding disturbances in the definite right of the people and all must respect that."

Mousavi, a former prime minister, is a longtime supporter of the Islamic government and was himself labeled a hard-liner during the 1979 revolution. Reflecting his divided loyalties, he called the Basij and security forces "our brothers" and "protectors of our revolution and regime" - a possible attempt to make sure his supporters don't go overboard and challenge the essence of Iran's system of limited democracy constrained by Shiite clerics.

For nearly every Iranian - even those who were not yet born in 1979 - the Islamic Revolution is a watershed moment for the nation's psyche. Its supporters see it as Iran's break from foreign dominance and the dawn of its self-declared role as the world's champion of Islam. Yet others, including the many who fled the country, see it ushering in an era of clerical rule that brought international isolation and stifled freedoms at home.

Mousavi represents a middle ground. He supports the Islamic system but claims the early aspirations of the revolution - for elected officials to set the tone and clerics in a more advisory capacity - have been hijacked by leaders who put their will over the people's.

"Mousavi wants to change the system, but he doesn't want to overthrow the system. He wants to make it more flexible and more responsive to the people," said Ali Nader, an Iran specialist for the RAND Corp. think tank.

He said the Guard's crackdown threat was no surprise.

"They won't let these protests grow - this was the way the shah was brought down" in 1979, Nader said. But, he added: "Even if the protests peter out, you can expect a strong opposition movement in Iran."

The Guard, too, may be treading cautiously, Nader said. "If they do crack down too harshly, they risk their legitimacy and popular support," he said.

[taylorsucram]

Does anyone remember the Iran-Contra affair during Ronald Reagans' tenure? Well if you don't then listen up and do some research. The gentleman that lost the election in Iran, the man behind the demonstrations, Mr. Mir-Hossein Mousavi was prime minister and major go-between for the HAWK misiles sent to Iran from America via Israel during the "Arms for Hostages" deal. He's an American asset when the wind blows in his direction. Oh, and did anyone think it rather odd that many of the signs held by the protesters were printed in "ENGLISH". The CIA and Israels fingerprints are all over this one, all you have to do is "think about it" !!! President Obama is doing the right thing. Let this one play out by itself, we still have to deal with whoever is in charge, and no matter who it is, there will be changes.

[hungry1968-15]

by darthcheney123 June 22, 2009 6:16 PM PDT
by hungry1968-15 June 22, 2009 12:14 PM PDT
I hate conservatives.

***************************
---------------------------

THANK YOU hungry, for finally admitting what we've all known all along.

You are driven by HATE, pure and simple. You and the rest of you partisan trolls are filled with hate.

You never have anything to say other than expressing your pure hatred.

Democrats - the party of hate.

Who said "Bush is Hitler?"

Let this remind us who is really causing the political divisions and lack of cooperation in this country.







I'm not a democrat. I'm an Independent that wouldn't and couldn't vote for a republican right now, because there aren't any good ones.

And yes, I hate conservatives, because conservatives and their policies harm America - consistently - every time they're in charge.

And Bush isn't like Hitler. Bush is like Ahmadinejhad. A religion fueled, election stealing, civil rights denying, conservative, ideologue.

[lambor59]

If CNN aired 1% of the anti Bush demonstration,this thug would have been long gone before his term ended. CNN is a big propaganda machine which control by Bush.

[wdh3007]

What is happening in Iran is something their Supreme Leader and the Mullas thought they would never see. They have become unimportant and unpopular with the youth of the country that does not share the same beliefs as the old religious hardliners of the cold war days. If Iran wants democracy and freedom they will have to fight for it and do more than protest they will have to eventually kill Khamenei and his little Hitler Ahmadinejad.

[wyodutch]

The protesters have "Twitter" and "Facebook... The Iranian government has tanks.
.
My money is on the government.

[thusspokezara]

Dear Supreme Leader of North Korean. Please rest assured that President Obama has no intention of boarding your ship. 1. He has asked the US media to stop covering the story so as to avoid a High Noon (see excellent movie staring Grace Kelly), 2. During his press conference tomorrow, he will say that there is no evidence that the boat is carrying illegal material. 3. Nancy Pelosi will again question the value of American intelligence the next day. So sail on . Sail on . Sail on oh Ship of State. However, please do not even think of shooting a rocket in the direction of Hawaii. He likes to vacation there. Can you reach Alaska?

[prometheus21]

This from http://www.youtube.com/user/AllazeeraEnglish:

'Disturbing images of a teenager dying on the streets of Tehran have appeared on the internet. It is not possible to confirm what happened to the girl "Neda".'

This from CBSNews.com report '"Who is Neda?" Brings Different Answers":

'In the wake of her death, Makan reported problems retrieving her body and holding a memorial. He said she was taken to a coroner outside of Tehran, who pressed the family to allow the removal of several organs, including part of her thigh bone, though no reason was given. The family assented in order to speed the return of the body.

Makan also said a planned memorial Sunday was derailed by officials at a Shariati Street mosque for fear that a gathering would cause further clashes. '

From this CBSNews.com report, "Iran Protest Met With Tear Gas, Threats":

"Despite the warnings, some 200 people heeded a call on Persian-language blogs and Twitter feeds to rally Monday at Tehran's Haft-e-tir Square in memory of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman shown on video as she apparently bled to death, and other "martyrs."

An acquaintance of Neda's family said the government is barring Neda's family from holding a public funeral today."

So, the press knows who she is and they apparently have a number of reports all leading to the conclusion that the body cannot or will not be seen in any ceremony or memorial service because the government has barred this, but not before the body was rushed to a coroner OUTSIDE of Tehran, Iran's most industrialized and developed area, to perform a quick autopsy and authorized removal of donor organs and returned to the family, who was then told they could not allow a public service.

Considering the footage that I've seen which doesn't show the shooting actually having occurred, how hard would it be for the press to follow up on a coroner's report OUTSIDE of Tehran, for someone like this who's death has become so iconic?

Why does EVERYTHING have to have the feeling of a press that's not really motivated to follow through on the detail as much as the sensational? Why do we have to keep hearing "apparently", "conflicting reports", etc. when you are now claiming to know here identity and that she was taken to a coroner outside of Tehran?

Can't we at least verify that she was shot and from what trajectory -- simple to determine from autopsy?

[voxpopulus]

Republicans constantly reveal how naive they are about anything that goes on outside their borders.

While it might make US feel good if we expressed support for the protesters, the FIRST thing the Iranian government would do is say that this just proved the demonstrators were shills for the United States acting against the country's interests. They'd bank on the people's wariness of us short circuiting the desire for democracy. It makes sense not to give Ahmedinajad that weapon.

[wyodutch]

Hmmmm... All you folks thumping your chests and opining as to what Iran should or shouldn't do.

Too bad you weren't that interested in what was going on here in the states for the past 8 years... You were evidently playing with your navel when Bush took the country into two wars and used the United States Constitution as toilet paper.

[YrSoWrong]

They use the right hand where you come from.

[ibsteve2u]

Wonder when we'll hear about the righties who post comments on CBS demanding intervention in Iran packing up and flying off to the Middle East and putting their lives on the line by joining the Iranian democracy movement, assuming such exists?

Or contributing serious bucks to such a movement?

lollll...I'd say when hell freezes over, but that might happen.

[hungry1968-15]

by credibility2 June 22, 2009 1:32 PM PDT
Did the protesters and rioters really think nothing would happen to them, especially since they were warned of the continuing consequences? And where is the brave leader these protests and riots are all about? He's cowering behind the four walls and periodic statements. If he really cared about the cause of those who continue to support him and protest in his name, even in the face of death, then he should stand with them and lead them through the streets.







The last time I saw him was yesterday, standing on a car, speaking to his protesters through a microphone.

Don't they show "actual events" on Fox News?

[credibility2]

Did the protesters and rioters really think nothing would happen to them, especially since they were warned of the continuing consequences? And where is the brave leader these protests and riots are all about? He's cowering behind the four walls and periodic statements. If he really cared about the cause of those who continue to support him and protest in his name, even in the face of death, then he should stand with them and lead them through the streets.

[hungry1968-15]

by notblue June 22, 2009 12:34 PM PDT
wrong wrong wrong, just baseless false accusations. By the way conservative Americans are Americans, anybody with the attitude you have is truly UNAMERICAN!!!!!!!!






"baseless false accusations"?

January 20, 2009: Our economy is destroyed, our auto industry is almost eliminated, soaring health care costs have put America's industries and companies on the verge of bankruptcy, while millions STILL have no coverage.

We're mired in two wars, with no way out. The defense contractors are becoming engorged beyond recognition because of "no bid contracts" awarded to politically connected and favored companies, regardless if they charge many times what their competitors would do for the same job.

Our crumbling infrastructure was ignored, while our regulatory agencies, (FDA, USDA, CPSC, etc, etc), had their budgets slashed by BILLIONS, and even with those drastic reductions in federal government spending, our taxes STILL went up. (Unless of course you're one of the top 15% of wealthiest Americans in which case your taxes went down.)

Crumbling infrastructure, depleted government services, higher government spending, unbelievable amounts of cronyism, tens of thousands killed for no apparent reason, TRILLIONS wasted overseas, and it's ALL in the history books!

Your denial means NOTHING, except proof positive that you are an easily brainwashed clown. Honk your nose for us, boy!!

[hungry1968-15]

by notblue June 22, 2009 11:58 AM PDT
Hungry, the fact that libs like you can ignore reality and make it up as you indicates any logical rebuttle grounded in truth and fact is not worth the effort.

Again there ghas been no super majority in congress for decades, in fact the Dems have enjoyed a simple majority for two years and now enjoy an unprecedented super majority. Why do libs like you ignore this reality? How have tthis unrivaled power the Dems now enjoy changed policy? It must be great to allow yourself a fantasy world based on hate for fellow Americans, I bet you evenm beleive what you state makes sense based on that fantasy world! LOL! you are still the biggest moron at these posts, keep up the good work!






I don't hate "fellow Americans". I hate conservatives. Conservatives stand for NOTHING that America was founded on, or the principles or morals of our founding fathers.

Their stance is always, "Me first, then the party, then my family, then my friends, then Israel, then our other allies. Oh yeah, our country too. (But not the liberals, independents, moderates, gays, blacks, latinos, women.....)"

You republicans / conservatives had your chance, and you nearly ruined our country in the process. And now you clowns oppose EVERYTHING that is being done to fix the mess that you clowns caused, and fix the problems that you clowns ignored. And all that you clowns do, is oppose EVERYTHING that is being done, whether good or bad, whether you agree with the policy or not.

You're nothing but a bunch of pouting, spoiled children, because you given a chance, and you blew it, and the "inexperienced" guy coming in, is fixing so many problems, he makes you idiots look like a kindergarten class.

[notblue]

wrong wrong wrong, just baseless false accusations. By the way conservative Americans are Americans, anybody with the attitude you have is truly UNAMERICAN!!!!!!!!

[voxpopulus]

We voted Democrat. So, Republicans, it's time for YOU to heed the cry: "My country, love it or leave it."

[YrSoWrong]

Your interpretive dance has been given a 4.0. Nice costume.

[notblue]

Hungry, the fact that libs like you can ignore reality and make it up as you indicates any logical rebuttle grounded in truth and fact is not worth the effort.

Again there ghas been no super majority in congress for decades, in fact the Dems have enjoyed a simple majority for two years and now enjoy an unprecedented super majority. Why do libs like you ignore this reality? How have tthis unrivaled power the Dems now enjoy changed policy? It must be great to allow yourself a fantasy world based on hate for fellow Americans, I bet you evenm beleive what you state makes sense based on that fantasy world! LOL! you are still the biggest moron at these posts, keep up the good work!

[thusspokezara]

Obama's planned comments for tomorrow's press conference leaked. According to Deep Pharynx, Mr. Obama will say: "I will not allow the United States to have any influence on the outcome of the Iranian uprising. I don't want to be a foil. In addition, our country has a long track record of meddling in other countries political processes. I could mention Chile. I cried when Mr. Allende died. I could also mention Nicaragua. I could also mention Cuba and Grenada. I could also mention our meddling in Iran during the reign of the Shah. I could mention our meddling in Eastern Europe, Korea, Iraq. I could mention our meddling in South America. I don't want us to be perceived any longer as Yankee Imperialists. I have therefore instructed Mr. Pannetta to close the CIA's Iranian unit and to put the agents to work in Michelle's garden."

[hermitdave]

Anyone have any idea of what the world would be like today if America had enough citizens in 1999 who were smart enough to understand what the Cheney crime family did to them to got into the streets and stop the criminals from taking over. Silly story as anyone can see it is obvious by the events for the next 8 years, that the combination of cleverly managed news and lazy minds, the days of real American protest died when they shut down the Vietnam war.

[hungry1968-15]

by thusspokezara June 22, 2009 10:59 AM PDT
Israel you are on your own. Expect no help from our own version of the Golden Calf.






It's about time!!!!

[hungry1968-15]

by notblue June 22, 2009 8:11 AM PDT
all you libs who think the republicans start wars ignore the fact it took both sides of the isle to wage and fund war. Secondly you ignore the fact Radical Islamic extremism and the terrorist followers are truly the ones who start wars in this modern world. How are you people able to ignore these facts? Blind indifferance? Greater hatred for fellow Americans than for Islamic radicals?







Republicans start wars based on religious bigotry and self righteousness.

JUST LIKE the terrorists do.

[YrSoWrong]

Ah hahahaha. So ignorant it makes people laugh.

[connunism]

RepubliCon-artists here still trying to accuse we progressives of blaming all the USA's woes on their fellow fascist's Bush/Cheney. Last year President Obama described these RepubliCon-artists as accurately as anyone has when he so eloquently described RepubliCon-artists as those "bitter American's clinging to their guns and their phony religion." The fact remains that all conservatives, both Republicon and Blue Dog Democrats are at the root of all that now ails the US economy, and remain the number one cause of the USA's diminished reputation in the new world order.

[YrSoWrong]

You forgot about the Rand Corporation, in conjunction with the saucer people, under the supervision of the reverse vampires, who really control everything ...

[YrSoWrong]

Obsessives have help from a new drug. Volunteer for clinical trials.