Iranian govt prevents protests in Tehran

NYT: "Anti-government protesters gathered in Tehran, Iran for a rally on Sunday to mark the deaths of two men killed in clashes one week earlier, but the police mounted a stultifying security presence in the city, arresting protesters and using tear gas in an attempt to prevent the unrest from escalating

Despite a steady rain, large crowds of protesters gathered throughout Tehran, the capital, from the main thoroughfare to city squares, according to opposition Web sites and witnesses. Those sites and witnesses reported that ambulances were being driven into crowds and officers were making arrests. Security forces, some on motorcycles, deployed tear gas to disperse crowds near Valiasr Square. A hazy cloud of tear gas hung over Vanak Square.

Plainclothes officers randomly stopped and frisked people on the streets and removed people from vehicles, witnesses said. There were reports of police officers firing on the crowds, although that could not be immediately verified because foreign journalists were largely not allowed to report in Iran..

Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, reported that the police had arrested the daughter of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the central figures among traditional conservatives, for taking part in a banned opposition rally and shouting anti-government slogans, according to The Associated Press and Reuters. She was later released, The AP reported."