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Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran in a fifth day of protests as the government intensified its crackdown on opposition figures with the arrest of hundreds of leading critics.
Mainly dressed in black and wearing green wristbands and headbands to show their support for the defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, crowds gathered in Tir square and streets around it. Most of the protesters were silent and made victory signs, according to Reuters news agency.
Witnesses estimated that as many as half a million people joined the march, with one street leading to the square packed for several kilometres. A young woman held a picture of one of those killed during the recent violence.
The protests pose a further challenge to a regime that has tried to quash all signs of opposition. On Monday, similar numbers congregated in the same square to voice their anger over last week's elections, which saw the incumbent hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad win by a landslide.
Another potential flashpoint looms tomorrow after Mousavi urged supporters to stage peaceful protests or gather in mosques to mourn victims of the mass demonstrations. At least seven people have been reported killed, and there are fears the number could be higher.
"A number of our countrymen were wounded or martyred," Mousavi said in a statement on his website. "I ask the people to express their solidarity with the families … by coming together in mosques or taking part in peaceful demonstrations."
He repeated his call for "a new presidential election that will not repeat the shameful fraud from the previous election".
The protests spread as far as South Korea, where Iranian football fans denounced their government during a World Cup qualifying match. Dozens of Iranians unfurled a banner that read "Go To Hell Dictator" and chanted: "Compatriots, we will be with you to the end with the same heart."
The Iranian authorities have attempted to decapitate the protest movement, arresting at least 500 activists, opposition figures, journalists and students. The round-up has included individuals once closely associated with the 1979 Islamic revolution who have been critical of Ahmadinejad's government. Saeed Laylaz, a leading economist and a critic of government policy often quoted by foreign media, was among the latest to be detained.
"Iranian intelligence and security forces are using the public protests to engage in what appears to be a major purge of reform-oriented individuals whose situations in detention could be life-threatening," said Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
There is concern for the health of Saeed Hajarian, a former adviser to Mohammad Khatami and a supporter of Mousavi, who was arrested yesterday. Hajarian, who is badly impaired in mobility and speech from an assassination attempt nine years ago, needs constant medical attention.
There were further signs of a crackdown today as the powerful Revolutionary Guards warned Iranian websites and blogs to remove content that might "create tension" or face legal action, according to the Associated Press.
Much information about the protests has come from blogs and websites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The government yesterday barred foreign media from leaving their offices to report on the demonstrations, and reporters' visas have not been renewed.
In a sign of the divisions in Iran's leadership, the interior ministry today ordered an investigation into an attack on university students allegedly carried out by militia and police. A day earlier, Iran's influential speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, condemned the assault on the dormitory of Tehran University.
Gordon Brown urged Iran to listen to its people. "The elections are a matter for the Iranian people, but if there are serious questions that are now being asked about the conduct of the elections, they have got to be answered," he said. "There must be no violence in response to peaceful protests."
Iran's foreign ministry summoned the British ambassador and his European counterparts to criticise their "interventionist and impudent" responses to the election. The ministry also called in the Swiss ambassador, who represents US interests in Tehran, to protest at American statements.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor general of the central province of Isfahan warned that those behind post-election unrest could face the death penalty under Islamic law. Mohammadreza Habibi alleged that anti-government protesters were being controlled from outside Iran and urged them to stop what he described as "criminal activities", the Fars news agency reported.
There were unconfirmed reports that Mohammad Asgari, who was responsible for the security of the IT network in Iran's interior ministry, was killed yesterday in a suspicious car accident in Tehran. Asgari had reportedly leaked evidence that the elections were rigged to alter the votes from the provinces. Asgari was said to have leaked information that showed Mousavi had won almost 19m votes, and should therefore be president.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last night appeared to rule out any change to the outcome of last week's poll by referring to Ahmadinejad as the "elected president". He dismissed the protests as the work of "tension seekers".
Khamenei's appeal for calm came after the regime promised to recount some votes cast on Friday, in an apparent concession to critics. The authorities rejected demands by Mousavi to annul the election.
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