Top Ayatollah Appeals for Calm in Iran

Witness describe chaos at a protest near Tehran mosque

(AP) - Riot police clashed with up to 3,000 protesters near a mosque in north Tehran today, using tear gas and truncheons to break up Iran's first post-election demonstration in 5 days. Witnesses told the AP that some protesters fought back, chanting: "Where is my vote?" They said others described scenes of brutality—including the alleged police beating of an elderly woman—in the clashes around the Ghoba Mosque. More»

(NEWSER) - A potentially big development on the Iran elections tonight: The nation's most prominent clerical group demanded that the results be thrown out and called the new government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad illegitimate, the New York Times reports. The decision may yet collapse under state pressure, but it's a defiant rebuke of the nation's supreme leader and the clearest sign yet of a serious split in the country's leadership. More»

(AP) - Iran's government threatened harsh action today if opposition supporters take to the streets again to demand a new election in open defiance of the country's supreme leader. Web sites run by supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi called for street protests, but the candidate himself issued no public statement. It was not clear if Mousavi has the power to halt street demonstrations even if he orders his supporters to stay inside. The government appeared to be preparing for a confrontation. More»

(NEWSER) - Iran's supreme leader has ordered presidential challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi to stand by his side at morning prayers tomorrow in a show of national unity, the Times of London reports. It's not clear if Mousavi will do so, or what consequences he'll face if he defies Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's demand. Mousavi may have more clout to work with, however, after yet another massive gathering in Tehran. More»

Government cracks down on communications, arrests reformists

(NEWSER) - Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are planning more rallies today, despite an appeal for calm by the country's supreme religious leader. Iran has banned international journalists from the protests after Monday's violence at a Mousavi demonstration, where seven people died. But state television, which showed rallies in Ahmadinejad's favor, is being allowed to operate. Reporters in the country working for international news outlets are not being allowed to leave their offices or hotel rooms, reports CNN. More»