Iranian security forces intensify crackdown

There was no serious violence reported Tuesday, but the Greenroad Web site said students and security forces clashed at the Azad University's science department in Tehran.

It cited witnesses as saying the students were later "locked down" inside the building while pro-government Basij militiamen threatened to arrest those who dared to leave the premises.

Sunday's clashes were the worst since the aftermath of June's disputed presidential election. In outbursts of fury rarely seen in past street confrontations, protesters burned squad cars and motorcycles belonging to security forces who had opened fire on the crowds, according to witness accounts, opposition Web sites and amateur videos posted on the Web.

The exact death toll from Sunday's violence remains unclear. The government had said eight people were killed, but on Tuesday, Tehran's chief prosecutor said he was investigating only seven deaths.

One reason for the confusion is that the government has taken the bodies of five slain protesters, including Mousavi's nephew, in what appears to be an attempt to prevent activists from using their funerals as a platform for more demonstrations. The bodies remained at a coroner's office Tuesday while the government said it was still conducting autopsies.

Independent confirmation of the casualties has been virtually impossible because of state restrictions on media coverage.

At a news conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the deadly clashes in Tehran were the work of a tiny minority, and he accused outside countries, including the U.S. and Britain, of "miscalculating" by siding with the protesters.

"Some Western countries are supporting these sort of activities. This is intervention in our internal affairs. We strongly condemn it," he said.

He gave no further details, but Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki threatened unspecified retaliation against Britain.

"If this country does not stop its prattling, it will receive a slap in its face," he said during a news conference with his Somali counterpart. The quote was posted on the Web site of state TV.

Britain, France, Germany and the U.S. have criticized Iran's violent response to the protests. On Monday, President Barack Obama praised "the courage and the conviction of the Iranian people" while condemning Iran's Islamic government for attacking demonstrators with "the iron fist of brutality."

Traveling with Obama in Hawaii, U.S. National Security Council chief of staff Denis McDonough also said the White House was reaching out to international partners to build support for a new round of sanctions against Iran.

The sanctions are to punish Iran for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment and accept a U.S.-backed plan to curb its nuclear program. The West suspects Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb — a charge Tehran denies.

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