Witnesses in Tehran say gunshots have been fired at a massive
pro-opposition rally in the Iranian capital, panicking a crowd of at
least 100-thousand who were protesting against the results of a
disputed presidential election.
Reports say armed men opened fire on the crowd late Monday. It was not
immediately clear who was shooting, or whether there were casualties.
Tens of thousands of Iranians flocked to central Tehran to see
reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi address the rally
in defiance of an official ban.
Mr. Mousavi stood on top of a car to talk through a loudspeaker to the
massive crowd of his supporters. The rally flooded the streets of the
capital Monday despite a government warning that the gathering would be
illegal.
The protesters chanted for Mr. Mousavi to retrieve their votes from
Friday's election. The reformist candidate has accused the government
of voter fraud. Official results gave a landslide victory to President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with Mr. Mousavi a distant second.
Riot police were on the scene but did not stop the rally.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has asked the powerful Guardian
Council of Islamic clerics Monday to investigate allegations of voter
fraud. Mr. Mousavi appealed to the Council Sunday to cancel the
election results.
President Ahmadinejad says the election was free and fair.
Ayatollah Khamenei initially cheered Mr. Ahmadinejad's apparent
landslide victory and urged Iranians to unite behind the president.
Iranian state media say Ayatollah Khamenei urged Mr. Mousavi on Sunday to pursue election complaints through legal means.
Official election results show Mr. Ahmadinejad won 63 percent of the
vote, compared to 34 percent for Mr. Mousavi, his main rival.