Iran's regime subdues violence after seven days of unrest

NICOSIA - Leading Iranian pro-reformists have urged students to remain calm, after seven days of violent clashes with hard-line vigilantes many of whom were members of the Revolutionary Guard in civilian clothing, sources told World Tribune.com.

The sources said the regime required seven days and more than 1300 arrests to subdue the unrest. As many as 500 were reported injured

Members of Parliament of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, led by MP Mohammad Reza Khatami, the brother of President Mohammad Khatami, have criticized the ongoing violence against the students perpetrated by hard-line vigilantes and some security forces but have urged the students not to organize mass demonstrations, Middle East Newsline reported.

Two police officers were killed and scores of students and police injured after hard-line vigilantes attacked a student conference in the western Iranian city of Khoramabad last week.

Violence broke out again on Tuesday when rioters hurled pipe bombs in the streets leaving eight people wounded and 20 arrested.

Violent confrontations began earlier, following several days of demonstrations protesting the banning of two prominent reformists -- Abdolkarim Soroush and Mohsen Kadivar of Teheran University -- from addressing the student conference.

At least 20 students and policemen were seriously injured during the rioting that ensued. Stores, banks and municipal buildings were also damaged in the clashes. Several rioters were arrested.

''Police officer Ardeshir Karami was killed Sunday evening during clashes with opportunists and rioters who smashed windows of shops causing damages to public and private properties,'' Teheran Radio said.

The students aborted the meeting but the bus carrying them back to Teheran was attacked in city of Boroujerd. Assailants who hurled bricks and stones as it was passing through, injuring several students.

On Tuesday, the OCU held a press conference in Teheran.

"Avoiding anarchism is the continuation of active peace policy and the students would respond to even armed attacks of the violent seekers with a smile," the students said. They pledged to remain calm but to continue the fight for more social and political reforms.

On Sunday, a police officer was killed and two others wounded in a grenade attack in Teheran.

Early Monday, five mortar shells were fired at the Heshmatieh army barracks in east Teheran. No casualties or damage was reported. The barracks were once used as a jail for captured Iraqi soldiers.

In other developments, Iranian troops killed dozens of fighters from the Iraq-based opposition People's Mujahedeen in operations overnight Saturday, military sources said.

The sources said the Mujahedeen forces had been trying to cross into Iran near the city of Meymeh in the border province of Ilam but were stopped by Iranian ground troops.

Three Iranian soldiers were also killed in the clashes.

In another development, Iranian MP Maurice Motamed in New York for the Conference of the Inter Parliamentary Union met with representatives of U.S. Jewish groups Wednesday. He said that Iranian Jews benefit from improved conditions of educational and religious insitutions. Referring to the trial of the 13 Iranian Jews convicted of spying for Israel, Motamed said Iran's Jewsih minority benefits from existing facilities in the country.