The Presence of a Large Number of Police and Basij Forces Silenced the Protesters

On the fifth consecutive night of protests, thousands of people took to the streets in Tehran last night, but the presence of a large number of police and Basij forces silenced the voices of the demonstrators. Protests in at least three other cities in Iran indicate that this movement may gain momentum. A report from the Middle East office of Voice of America in Cairo informs you about this. A large number of cars moved late last night around Tehran University, which has been the scene of student protests in recent days. However, the police, equipped with riot gear, and Basij members armed with clubs and chains, surrounded them. Several individuals who had arrived by car dared to honk their horns in solidarity and support for the protesters. Last night's events were markedly different from previous nights when demonstrators chanted slogans against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Revolution. Several people have been injured or imprisoned in recent days, and many car and shop windows have been broken. Today, the police arrested several Basij members who had reached the student dormitories and beaten students. Organizers of the student movement claim that protests have also taken place in Shiraz, Ahvaz, and Isfahan. Reformists accuse hardline fundamentalists of igniting unrest, while the Iranian Foreign Ministry states that the United States is clearly interfering in Iran's internal affairs and has accused Washington of exaggerating the significance of the protests. On the other hand, Mehdi Karroubi, the reformist head of the Iranian Parliament, claims that all of Iran is united in firmly rejecting U.S. pressures. The aim of these protests in Iran, which Washington has praised as a sign of the people's desire for freedom, is to challenge Mohammad Khatami, the reformist president, and the fundamentalist clerics who obstruct his efforts for social and political changes.