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| 'Mass opposition rally' in Tehran | 'Mass opposition rally' in Tehran |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Supporters of Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi have held another big rally in northern Tehran, witnesses say. | |
| The protest came hours after Mr Mousavi urged them not to march in the centre of the city where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's supporters were rallying. | |
| Tough new restrictions on the foreign media mean the BBC is unable to confirm the scale of the opposition protest. | |
| It came despite an offer to recount votes the opposition disputes. | |
| The new media restrictions have been imposed amid apparent surprise and concern among the authorities at the scale of popular defiance over Friday's official election results, correspondents say. | |
| LATEST NEWS Jon LeyneReporting from Tehran Eyewitnesses, including a reporter for the state run Press TV station, say a huge opposition rally has gathered in north Tehran. | |
| New restrictions imposed by the government mean that foreign reporters are not allowed to attend opposition rallies. But one eyewitness told me that he believed there were more people even than yesterday's huge rally, which was attended by hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of opposition supporters. | New restrictions imposed by the government mean that foreign reporters are not allowed to attend opposition rallies. But one eyewitness told me that he believed there were more people even than yesterday's huge rally, which was attended by hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of opposition supporters. |
| Another rally of government supporters was held in central Tehran. From the television pictures, the size was not clear, but it does not appear to have been on the scale of the opposition gatherings. | Another rally of government supporters was held in central Tehran. From the television pictures, the size was not clear, but it does not appear to have been on the scale of the opposition gatherings. |
| Q&A: Latest from Tehran | Q&A: Latest from Tehran |
| President Ahmadinejad was declared the easy victor of the presidential poll on Saturday, with results giving him 63% of votes against 34% for Mr Mousavi. | |
| But the opposition alleged widespread irregularities. | |
| The powerful Guardian Council says it is ready to recount some votes from the poll, in a move backed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. | |
| But opposition candidates have demanded a full re-run of the election. | |
| Anger at the official result saw hundreds of thousands of Mr Mousavi's supporters take to the streets on Monday - in a rally the size of which correspondents said not been seen in Tehran since the 1979 revolution. | |
| 'Bussed in' | 'Bussed in' |
| A witness told the BBC that Tuesday's rally was even bigger than Monday's - though this cannot be independently confirmed. | A witness told the BBC that Tuesday's rally was even bigger than Monday's - though this cannot be independently confirmed. |
| It is being held in northern Tehran - an opposition stronghold quite close to state TV headquarters. | It is being held in northern Tehran - an opposition stronghold quite close to state TV headquarters. |
| GUARDIAN COUNCIL Iran's most powerful body, currently controlled by conservativesIncludes six theologians picked by Supreme Leader and six jurists approved by parliamentHalf the members change every three yearsApproves bills passed by parliament and can veto them if deemed inconsistent with the constitution or Islamic lawThe council can also bar candidates from standing in elections Q&A: Who's who in Iran How Iran is ruled Profile: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Iranians use video to tell story | GUARDIAN COUNCIL Iran's most powerful body, currently controlled by conservativesIncludes six theologians picked by Supreme Leader and six jurists approved by parliamentHalf the members change every three yearsApproves bills passed by parliament and can veto them if deemed inconsistent with the constitution or Islamic lawThe council can also bar candidates from standing in elections Q&A: Who's who in Iran How Iran is ruled Profile: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Iranians use video to tell story |
| Thousands of supporters of President Ahmadinejad staged their own rally in Vali Asr Square in central Tehran - some bussed in from the provinces, correspondents say. | Thousands of supporters of President Ahmadinejad staged their own rally in Vali Asr Square in central Tehran - some bussed in from the provinces, correspondents say. |
| The latest opposition rally comes despite a Mousavi spokesman urging supporters not to take part in another demonstration on Tuesday, amid fears of new violence. | The latest opposition rally comes despite a Mousavi spokesman urging supporters not to take part in another demonstration on Tuesday, amid fears of new violence. |
| Hospital officials say eight people died in violence which erupted at the end of the rally - which authorities blamed on "thugs". | |
| Since that rally, the authorities have imposed tough new restrictions on foreign journalists operating in Tehran - the most sweeping restrictions our correspondent in Tehran, Jon Leyne, says he has ever faced. | Since that rally, the authorities have imposed tough new restrictions on foreign journalists operating in Tehran - the most sweeping restrictions our correspondent in Tehran, Jon Leyne, says he has ever faced. |
| They must now obtain explicit permission before leaving the office to cover any story. | They must now obtain explicit permission before leaving the office to cover any story. |
| Journalists have also been banned from attending or reporting on any "unauthorised" demonstration - and it is unclear which if any of the protests are formally authorised. | Journalists have also been banned from attending or reporting on any "unauthorised" demonstration - and it is unclear which if any of the protests are formally authorised. |
| Press cards have been declared invalid. | Press cards have been declared invalid. |
| Arrests | |
| Some telephone, SMS and internet services have also been restricted, prompting some protesters to turn to the internet messaging service Twitter to communicate. | |
| The importance of such new means of communication was highlighted by a US official on Tuesday. | |
| The official said the state department contacted Twitter over the weekend to urge it to delay a planned upgrade that could have cut daytime service to Iranians. | |
| Dozens of people have been arrested since the protests began - including Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a close aide of ex-President Mohammad Khatami, and journalist and academic Ahmad Zeidabadi. | |
| On Tuesday, lawyer Abdolfatah Soltani of the Human Rights Defenders' Centre was arrested, a colleague told AFP news agency. The centre is led by Iranian Nobel peace prizewinner Shirin Ebadi. | |
| Unrest has also been reported in other Iranian cities including Mashhad, Isfahan and Shiraz. | |
| Iranian state television said the "main agents" behind the unrest had been detained, and guns and explosives seized. | |
| The powerful Speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, has condemned an attack by police and militia on a student dormitory at Tehran University on Sunday. | |
| Iranian media quoted him as saying: "The interior minister is responsible in this regard." | |
| Foreign concern | |
| In Washington, President Barack Obama again expressed "deep concern" at events in Iran, but said it would not be helpful if the US was seen to be "meddling". | |
| Earlier, EU foreign ministers expressed "serious concern" and called for an inquiry into the conduct of the election. | |
| But the Iranian authorities have bristled over the criticism. On Tuesday the Iranian foreign ministry summoned the Czech charge' d'affaires in Tehran to complain over the EU's "rude and interfering" remarks. | |
| Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad arrived in Russia on Tuesday. | |
| He told a regional summit that the "age of empires" had ended, but made no mention of the protests. | |
| Are you in Iran? What do you think of the current situation? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: | Are you in Iran? What do you think of the current situation? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: |
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