Iranian officials closed ranks yesterday to criticize the US for backing a series of pro-democracy demonstrations after thousands staged a fifth night of protests in Tehran.
There were reports of smaller demonstrations in at least two other cities, a sign that the momentum of the protests, which Washington has hailed as a cry for freedom, may be gathering pace.
Iran's Foreign Ministry accused the US of "flagrant interference in Iran's internal affairs" and said the significance of the protests was being deliberately overstated by US officials.
"The Americans ignore the presence of millions of people to welcome the Supreme Leader and President, but they call the protests of a few individuals the voice of the people," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said in a statement.
Sandwiched between Afghanistan and Iraq, Iran's clerical establishment is unnerved by mounting US pressure since the end of the war in Iraq. Washington accuses Iran of seeking nuclear arms, sponsoring terrorism and fomenting unrest in Iraq.
But Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi, a leading figure in Iran's pro-reform movement, which has struggled to make headway against powerful conservatives, said Iran was united in its rejection of US pressure.
"All the differences and discussions among the children of the [Islamic] revolution are differences of taste but they are all united against the enemy," he said in a speech to parliament. "They stand up to the enemy and won't accept any change."
While venting most of their anger at unelected clerics who wield ultimate power in Iran, protesters have also lambasted moderate President Mohammad Khatami. They accuse him of failing to deliver promised improvements in democracy, justice and social freedoms after six years in power.
The White House on Saturday voiced concern over the violent suppression of the protests after a spate of attacks on students and demonstrators by hardline Islamic vigilantes brandishing clubs and chains.
"The United States views with great concern the use of violence against Iranian students peacefully expressing their political views," it said in a statement. "Iranians, like all people, have a right to determine their own destiny and the United States supports their aspirations to live in freedom."
Karroubi praised police for arresting scores of the hardline vigilantes who had terrorized demonstrators in the early hours of Saturday, storming three university dormitories and leaving a trail of smashed furniture and blood on the walls.
He called on families to prevent their children from taking part in the protests and "being tricked by some people abroad."
"We have our own democracy and we will remove the faults in our country," he said. Addressing the US he said: "You poor people don't have democracy. Our president wins votes and your president wins an election through judicial pressure."
The Iranian Students' News Agency reported clashes in the southern cities of Shiraz and Ahvaz on Saturday in which one person was stabbed to death.
But in Tehran early yesterday there was no repeat of the violent scenes of the previous night when hardline Islamic vigilantes took control of the streets in central Tehran.
Riot police formed a ring around Tehran University to protect students from the vigilantes who are fiercely loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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