While no specific plan was announced for Sunday’s march, people gathered in different parts of Tehran and sporadic clashes occurred between them and the police and security forces.  A member of the Majlis (Iran’s parliament) told Rooz that the security-military forces’ violent measures in breaking up Saturday’s protests had unleashed a wave of opposition within the Basij and Passdaran Revolutionary Guards.

In a statement released to the public, Mir Hossein Mousavi declared to Iranians, “Protesting dishonesty and deception is your right. Be hopeful in retrieving your rights and do not let those who seek to disappoint, frustrate and intimidate you to frustrate and enrage you. Continue to abide to non-violence in your protests and react to the unacceptable actions of your children in the security forces as heartbroken fathers and mothers. Meanwhile, I ask the police and armed forces not to let the memories of these days leave an irremovable stain on their reputation and their relationship with the citizens.” 

Clashes Continue

Meanwhile, the mood was tense across the country on Saturday.  A large number of youth marched around Azadi (Freedom) Square dressed in Kafans (death shrouds).  Similar protests were held at the Shahrake Gharb and Ariashahr districts of the capital.  Protesters chanted slogans mostly about Neda Soltan, the young Iranian woman whose death captured on video shook the world and continues to be watched repeatedly. 

Saturday’s clashes lasted into late night and once darkness set in people went to their rooftops for the eighth straight night, chanting Allah Akbar, to inform government supporters of their opposition to the electoral coup. 

According to a number of reports, Saturday’s protests also led to clashes and bullets were shot into the air, even though no information was available about the number of dead or wounded people. 

And similar to the events of the preceeding days, Tehran’s streets were not their usual on Saturday due to the presence of thousands of anti-riot and plain-clothed Basiji forces, which appeared more tired than ever to the eyes of protesters.

Khatami’s Statement

As protests continued into another day, former president seyed Mohammad Khatami who has also challenged the results of the June 12 elections  released a statement on Saturday, sympathizing with the families of the “martyrs” and again called for the cancellation of the election’s results. 

In his statement, Khatami warned, “Opportunities are passing quickly and are turning into threats, while I believe that the path out of this chaos is not yet shut, and it is not necessary to impose a military or security atmosphere.” 

In the beginning of his statement, Khatami noted, “An election was held in Iran whose results are disputed by a large section of the public and who is protesting against it. Public trust has been damaged and to close the doors of such a civic protest means opening dangerous paths that could lead to event that only God knows.” 

A senior cleric seems to have joined the ranks of the opposition, at least in words by publicly calling the authorities to respect people’s demands.

Another senior member of the ruling establishment, Majlis Speaker Larijani who has a history of deep differences with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also, admitted that a “large section of the Iranian populace has not accepted the results of this election,” which he said in an interview with the Iranian state television hours after the bloody crackdown on Saturday’s protests.