Tension Building in Tehran

James Phillips / June 21, 2009

Demonstrations and violent police actions on the streets of Tehran continued late into Saturday night and state television reported at least 10 people were killed and more than 100 wounded when police clashed with “terrorists.” Witnesses reported that the police used live ammunition, batons, tear gas and water cannons to disrupt demonstrations and prevent protesters from assembling in large crowds. The official reports, which cannot be confirmed, accused “rioters” of setting two gas stations and a mosque ablaze in protest at a disputed poll result. Meanwhile, Iran’s most senior dissident, cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, called for three days of national mourning for those killed in street protests. If Montazeri, who lost out in a power struggle to Ayatollah Khamenei two decades ago, becomes active in support of the opposition, the regime could face an even more dangerous challenge to its religious legitimacy. (more…)