A week after Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei hailed popular revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, he found himself facing an uprising closer to home "Mubarak, Bin Ali! Now it's time for Sayed Ali!" tens of thousands of Iranians chanted Monday. The fierce protests have left two dead and dozens injured. According to the BBC, there are reports of banned demonstrations in other Iranian cities, including Isfahan, Mashhad and Shiraz. Inspired by developments in the Arab world, last week Iranian opposition leaders issued a call for a peaceful rally in support of the Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings to be held in Azadi Square, the site of mass protests by Iran's opposition movement after the disputed 2009 presidential elections. For nearly eight months, supporters of Iran's "Green Movement" chose major calendar days to protest in cities throughout Iran. Many of the movement's grievances were identical to those expressed in the streets of Cairo and Tunis. Protesters condemned what they called an "oppressive regime", demanded political and social freedoms, and called for a more representative government. The Islamic Republic eventually quelled the demonstrations with a brutal crackdown, including the arrest of hundreds of activists, reformists and opposition figures, some of who remain behind bars. The opposition says that more than 80 of its supporters were killed over the following six months, a figure the government disputes. Since the disputed 2009 elections and the uprising that followed, Iranian authorities have rejected all requests by Iran's opposition movement for peaceful demonstrations. Monday's protests represented a struggle of will after the Iranian regime and the opposition both claimed that the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions were reminiscent of theirs. Khamenei dubbed the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings as a sign of Islamic awakening, linking them to the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Marking the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian Revolution on Friday, 11 February, which ironically coincided with the day Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, the Iranian regime backed by tens of thousands of Iranians also celebrated the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. For reformist politicians and leaders of Iran's Green Movement, the protests in Tunisia and Egypt were a continuation of the Green Revolution. Thus they scheduled Monday for their own celebrations. Iranian authorities expectedly refused to grant a permit for the rally and opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and fellow leaders of the pro-democracy Green Movement -- including Mehdi Karroubi -- were placed under house arrest. Crowds, however, defied the ban in an attempt to show that their movement is still alive. They endured tear gas, police batons and paintball attacks from plain clothed police backed by Republican Guards. According to reports hundreds were detained. Meanwhile, members of Iran's parliament have called for opposition leaders Mousavi and Karroubi to be tried and executed. According to reports, some 50 conservative MPs marched through parliament's main hall Tuesday, chanting "Death to Mousavi, death to Karroubi," as shown on state television. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington "very clearly and directly" supported the protesters. She said they deserved to have "the same rights that they saw being played out in Egypt," and that Iran had to "open up" its political system. Clinton said the US had the same message for the Iranian authorities as it did for those in Egypt. As Khamenei and other conservative figures offered full support for the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, their refusal to grant permission for Monday's rally was seen by many inside and outside Iran as hypocritical. Fatemah Rajabi, a hard line Ahmadinejad supporter who controls the website Raja News wrote that "those who protested Iran's presidential election were Westernised and their leaders have close and friendly relations with Western countries ... What has provoked the rage and uprising of Arab people is that their leaders are Westernised." Iranian protesters have been quoted as wondering why revolutions succeed in Arab countries and not in their country. According to analysts, one reason is the heavy hand of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The powerful Revolutionary Guard has a major financial stake in the country, one far greater than the Egyptian military, including in petroleum development, construction, weapons manufacturing and communications systems. As the Revolutionary Guard cut off electricity in Tehran and dispersed demonstrators Monday night, it was unclear if the demonstrations would succeed in reigniting the Green Revolution movement.
