Iranian protesters, police clash at embassy rally

UPDATED:

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Opposition protesters on Wednesday returned to the streets of Tehran for the first time in nearly two months, clashing with security forces just blocks from a government rally to mark the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover.

The scenes of defiant chants, tear gas and baton-wielding police recalled the unrest that followed the disputed presidential elections in June. But the latest marches drew far fewer demonstrators and suggested the relentless pressure by authorities could be taking a toll on the opposition.

It also displayed the pinpoint counter strategy of opposition groups: staging rival marches during key state-backed events to gain maximum exposure as they try to reassert their voice.

The contrasts were vivid on a day of major symbolic importance to the Iran’s leadership.

People chanted “Death to America” and walked over U.S. flags outside Washington’s former embassy. Meanwhile, hundreds of opposition marchers in nearby Haft-e-Tir Square denounced President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with cries of “Death to the Dictator” and trampled a poster of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, witnesses said.

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Marchers also called on President Barack Obama to pick a side, as his administration pursues talks with the government.

“Obama, Obama, you are either with them or with us,” they chanted in Farsi in an amateur video clip widely circulated on the Internet.

In Washington, the White House called for an end to the violence against anti-government protesters. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama administration leaders are following reports of the unrest and “hope greatly that violence will not spread.”

Several thousand protesters joined the marches — crowds far smaller than the height of the outrage after claims that Ahmadinejad stole the election by fraud.

But authorities were ready with the same sweeping measures: dispatching paramilitary units to key locations and disrupting mobile phones, text messaging and Internet access to frustrate protest organizers.

The main marches were quickly dispersed by security forces — including paramilitary forces and militiamen linked to the powerful Revolutionary Guard — who used clubs and tear gas, said witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from authorities.

Pro-reform Web sites said police fired into the air to try to clear the square — about half a mile from the former U.S. Embassy. The report could not immediately be independently verified.

Groups of protesters were chased within a few blocks of the former U.S. Embassy as security forces fanned out through Tehran’s center.

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