No argument from me there. It'd be a proper and fitting end to the
Mullahocracy. It'll be interesting when we get to find out how many mad
mullahs one can hang from a power pole.....Or how many 105 rounds from an
M-60 or 120 rounds from a Chieftain can blast a Rev Guard HQ before it
starts burning.
"David E. Powell" <David_Powell3
...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:a330d457-16bd-406a-84aa-200b1c4d84c6@l35g2000vba.googlegroups.com...
The best possible future in Iran would be for the whackos to go at the
hand of their own people, who are still unhappy with them,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33614787/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33614787/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/>
Iranian opposition supporters clash with police
Violence mars rally marking 30th anniversary of U.S. Embassy storming
AP
This photo, taken by an individual not employed by the Associated
Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, shows anti-government
protestors chanting slogans on the sidelines of state-sanctioned
rallies Wednesday.
View related photos Video
Clashes
Nov. 4: Violence erupts in Iran as security forces use tear gas and
batons to break up anti-government marches. NBC’s Ali Arouzi reports.
Today show
Turmoil in Iran
NBC News and news services
updated 31 minutes ago
TEHRAN - Iranian security forces beat anti-government protesters with
batons and fired tear gas Wednesday on the sidelines of state-
sanctioned rallies to mark the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy
takeover, witnesses and state media reported.
The counter-demonstrations were the opposition's first major show of
force on the streets of Tehran since the mid-September rallies that
coincided with state-backed protests against Israel.
Many marchers wore green scarves or wristbands that symbolized the
campaign of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the June election from him through
fraud. Mousavi and his allies, including former President Mohammad
Khatami, appeared to encourage opposition protesters to stay on the
streets.
The contrasts in the latest protest wave were stark: people chanting
"Death to America" outside the former embassy while opposition
marchers nearby cried "Death to the Dictator."
At the Embassy, security force personnel outnumbered pro-government
supporters, while opposition supporters lined the streets in the area,
NBC News reported. Large numbers of basij militia patrolled the
protest area on motorbikes to maintain order.
Witnesses told The Associated Press that security forces — mainly
paramilitary units from the elite Revolutionary Guard — swept through
several hundred demonstrators at Haft-e-Tir Square in the city center,
clubbing, kicking and slapping protesters. The witnesses 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 annual anti-American gathering
outside the former U.S. Embassy. The report could not immediately be
independently verified.
The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported police also used
tear gas to disperse protesters in other parts of the city.
There was no independent information on injuries or arrests, but state-
run Press TV said no one was hurt.
Phones blocked
The size of the protests were difficult to determine, but they
appeared significantly smaller than the hundreds of thousands who
streamed into the streets in the weeks after the disputed re-election
of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Media restrictions now limit journalists to covering state media and
government-approved events, such as the rally outside the former
embassy. Mobile phones and Internet access were apparently blocked in
a repeat of tactics used by authorities after the election.
Authorities appeared determined to avoid opposition rallies
overshadowing the anniversary of the embassy takeover. They had warned
protesters days in advance against attempts to disrupt or overshadow
the annual gathering outside the former embassy, which was stormed by
militants in 1979 in the turbulent months after the Islamic
Revolution.
Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days in a crisis that
began a three-decade diplomatic freeze between the two nations.
Security forces fanned out around Tehran at daybreak on Wednesday
after opposition leaders refused to call off their appeals for counter
demonstrations.
Click for related content
U.N. asks Iran for quick response on nukes
Volunteer militiamen linked to the Revolutionary Guard patrolled the
streets on motorcycles — a familiar sight during the unrest touched
off by the claims of election fraud.
Archival video
1979 takeover of the embassy
Nov. 4, 1979: Spurned on by a speech from Ayatollah Khomeini, the
students stormed the embassy, overpowered the Marine guards, and took
dozens of Americans hostage. NBC's Steve Mallory reports.
NBC News
The full extent of the opposition marches was not immediately clear.
Hundreds were seen in Haft-e-Tir Square, some chanting "Death to the
Dictator" or marching silently and flashing the V-for-victory sign.
Reformist Web sites also said one of the leading opposition figures,
Mahdi Karroubi, was beaten by security forces before being led away by
his bodyguards. Neither Karroubi nor his aides could be immediately
contacted.
Other witnesses — also speaking on condition of anonymity — said about
2,000 students at Tehran University faced off against security forces,
but there were no immediate reports of violence.
Obama marks anniversary
Outside the former U.S. Embassy, meanwhile, thousands of people waved
anti-American banners and signs praising the Islamic Revolution.
The main speaker, hard-line lawmaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, denounced
the United States as the main enemy of Iran. He did not mention the
talks with the West, including the United States, on Iran's nuclear
program.
But he labeled opposition leaders as dangerous for the country, saying
they claim to support the ideals of the Islamic Revolution but aid
Iran's perceived enemies.
In Washington, President Barack Obama noted the anniversary of the
takeover of the U.S. Embassy and urged the two countries to move
beyond the "path of sustained suspicion, mistrust and confrontation."
The hostage crisis "deeply affected the lives of courageous Americans
who were unjustly held hostage, and we owe these Americans and their
families our gratitude for their extraordinary service and sacrifice,"
Obama said in a statement.
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