Iran police clash with protesters

Tehran: Iranian security forces beat anti-government protesters with batons and fired tear gas on Wednesday on the sidelines of state-sanctioned rallies to mark the 30th anniversary of the US Embassy takeover, witnesses and state media reported.

The counter-demonstrations were the opposition's first major show of force since mid-September rallies that coincided with state-backed protests against Israel.

Many marchers wore green scarves or wristbands that symbolised the campaign of opposition leader Mir Hussain Mousavi, who claims President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the June election from him through fraud.

Start contrast

Mousavi and his allies, including former President Mohammad Khatami, appeared to encourage opposition protesters to stay on the streets.

The contrasts in the latest protest wave were stark: people chanting "Death to America" outside the former embassy while opposition marchers nearby cried "Death to the Dictator."

Witnesses said that security forces — mainly paramilitary units from the elite Revolutionary Guard — swept through several hundred demonstrators at Haft-e-Tir Square in the city centre, clubbing, kicking and slapping protesters.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from authorities.

Pro-reform websites said police fired into the air to try to clear the square — about half a mile from the annual anti-American gathering outside the former US Embassy. The report could not immediately be independently verified.

In Washington, President Barack Obama noted the anniversary of the takeover of the US Embassy and urged the two countries to move beyond the "path of sustained suspicion, mistrust and confrontation."

The hostage crisis "deeply affected the lives of courageous Americans who were unjustly held hostage, and we owe these Americans and their families our gratitude for their extraordinary service and sacrifice," Obama said in a statement.

The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported police also used tear gas to disperse protesters in other parts of the city.

There was no independent information on injuries or arrests, but state-run Press TV said no one was hurt.

Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days in a crisis that began a three-decade diplomatic freeze between the two nations.

Security forces fanned out around Tehran at daybreak yesterday after opposition leaders refused to call off their appeals for counter demonstrations.