Tehran: Iran will "show no mercy" toward opposition protesters seen as threatening national security, a judiciary official said on Tuesday, a day after thousands of students staged anti-government rallies.
A nationwide rally on Monday to mark the killing of three students under the Shah turned violent when students clashed with security forces armed with batons and tear gas in the largest anti-government protests in months.
"From now on, we will show no mercy toward anyone who acts against national security. They will be confronted firmly," said prosecutor Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Witnesses said scuffles occurred between students loyal to opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi and others who support hardline President Ahmadinejad in Tehran universities on Tuesday.
Reuters could not confirm the report independently because journalists working for foreign media have been banned from leaving their offices from December 7 to December 9.
Mousavi's website, Kaleme, said security forces had a heavy presence around Tehran universities. It said Mousavi was harassed outside his office on Tuesday.
"If you want to beat me, threaten me or kill me, go ahead and do your job," Mousavi told a group of 30 masked, plainclothes men, Kaleme reported. "The men left after a few hours."
The protests were a renewed show of force following demonstrations that erupted after the June re-election of President Ahamdinejad, which the opposition says he won by rigging the vote.
Monday's protests in Tehran were smaller than the post- election rallies but the mood seemed more radical with protesters chanting slogans against the clerical establishment and not just criticizing Ahmadinejad's re-election.
Analysts say students have formed a bastion of support for opposition leader Mousavi.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 09, 2009, 10:14