Iran's protest plans backfire
Updated on 18 September 2009
A protest against Israel in Tehran turns into an anti-protest demonstration against the President. International editor Lindsey Hilsum reports.
It was always supposed to be a day of protest in Tehran, but an official one against Israel, not the President.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad played his part saying the pretext for the creation of Israel was a "lie".
But weeks after the post-election protests subsided in Iran supporters of Mirhossein Mousavi came onto the streets again, this time clashing with security police.
The opposition leader himself left amid an attack on his car.
Videos posted on YouTube appear to show supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, wearing green wristbands and shawls, chanting "death to the dictators" as they marched with the annual Quds Day rallies in Tehran.
However, the date the videos were filmed cannot be verified.
Mousavi's supporters claim Iran's presidential election in June was rigged to allow the incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to win.
Witnesses claimed security forces pushed and beat protesters, arresting at least ten people.
Timeline: Iran's election protests
President Ahmadinjad's denial of the holocaust has prompted the usual condemnation by international politicans - here the foreign secretary called it "abhorrent and ignorant". And the west is also trying to step up pressure over the nuclear issue.
The US secretary of state Hilary Clinton warned Iran of the consequences if the regime did not change course:
"There will be accompanying costs for Iran's continued defiance - more isolation and economic pressure, less possibility of progress for the people of Iran"
But isolating Iran depends on international support for fresh sanctions. So far Russia has been an obstacle to such a move - a postion the West hopes will change following President Obama's decision to scrap the missile defence system planned for Eastern Europe.
And today there were warm words from the Kremlin about the need to respond positively to President Obama's move.
Interview with Russia's ambassador to London, Yury Fedotov
