People gather at Tehran’s Azadi square

Thousands of pro-government Iranians are rallying to mark the 31st anniversary of the nation’s revolution.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used the rally to attack the West, and said Iran had produced its first stock of 20% enriched uranium.

Opposition leaders are trying to mount counter-demonstrations, but are facing a huge security crackdown.

It is the most important day in Iran’s political calendar. The government has warned protests will be dealt with.

We are closely watching the sedition movement, and several people preparing to disrupt the rallies were arrested

Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam
Police chief

US expands Iran Guards sanctions
More sanctions on way for Iran?
The new cyber battlefield in Iran
In pictures: Iran revolution rallies
Iranians: revolution anniversary
BBC Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne says it could be the largest confrontation since the disputed election last June, and the government and opposition have chosen to make the day a huge trial of strength.

Official events are being held across Iran, but the main gathering is at Tehran’s Azadi Square. State TV showed tens of thousands of people filling the streets.

Mr Ahmadinejad told the crowds Iran was now a “nuclear state” and would soon treble output of 20% enriched uranium.

He added that Western countries were hampering genuine reform in Iran.

Our correspondent says the government is very nervous about the opposition demonstrations, but it is also very confident of its own support and has drawn a good crowd.

‘Tear gas and shots’

Meanwhile, reports from the micro-blogging site Twitter and pro-opposition websites said opposition supporters were holding rallies, one of them in the city’s Saddeqiya Street.

Amateur footage purportedly showing opposition protests has been appearing on the video-sharing website YouTube, including at least one rally in the Tehran underground.

Opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi had been intending to attend the Saddeqiya street rally, reports say, but his bodyguards were attacked by members of the government’s Basij militia as he emerged from his car. His son was arrested as he tried to intervene.

The reformist former President Mohammad Khatami was also reportedly attacked.

His brother Mohammed Reza Khatami and his wife Zahra Eshraghi, the granddaughter of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, were arrested but later released.

Other opposition sources said security forces had fired shots and tear gas at supporters of Mir-Hossein Moussavi, Mr Ahmadinejad’s main rival in last June’s elections.

Advertisement
Protesters thought to be near Saddeqiya Square in Tehran – This video, posted on YouTube, has not been verified by the BBC

There are also reports of opposition protests in the cities of Tabriz, Shiraz and Isfahan.

Anti-government websites urged marchers to display green emblems or clothes – the colour adopted by the opposition movement after the disputed election on 12 June last year.

‘Ready for trouble’

Deadly clashes erupted after the poll, and have taken place sporadically since then.

Ahead of the commemorations, police chief Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam said the Revolutionary Guards and Basij Islamic militia were ready for any trouble.

“We are fully prepared for holding a safe and glorious rally,” he told the semi-official Fars news agency, according to Reuters news agency.

“We are closely watching the activities of the sedition movement, and several people who were preparing to disrupt the 11 February rallies were arrested,” he said.

Our correspondent says the situation is now a stalemate, with the opposition showing it is still around and cannot be kept off the streets.

The government is not used to such protests and is infuriated by this, he adds, although opposition support appears not to be enough to overthrow the government.

There are reports that internet access has been restricted.

Web giant Google says its e-mail traffic in Iran has dropped sharply, even though its networks were working properly.

Google said users of its Gmail service had experienced difficulties following a newspaper report about official restrictions.

“Whenever we encounter blocks in our services we try to resolve them as quickly as possible,” the California-based company said in a statement.

“Sadly, sometimes it is not within our control.”

Twitter and other social networking sites were used extensively during the post-election protests.

Related Links:

• No Related Links