Iran's leaders put to the test as protests continue

NICOSIA -- Iranian police and students clashed on Monday in the fifth straight day of protests against the Islamic regime as the nation's spiritual leader condemned the killing of demonstrators.

Reports from Teheran said at least 12 people were wounded in the clashes and dozens were arrested. They said students hurled stones at police, who responded with tear gas.

The violence began when a firecracker exploded outside the university gate around which about 5,000 people were gathered. The explosion sparked a charge by Iranian security forces who used clubs and tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

President Mohammed Khatami appealed for calm. "There are those who want to create provocations and clashes," the official IRNA news agency quoted Khatami as saying. "We must be the first to oppose tensions and violence."

Protests were reported in other Iranian cities as well. In Tabriz, at least one student was reported killed.

On Monday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned police brutality against student demonstrators. "This bitter incident hurt my heart," Khamenei said in reference to the police raid on Teheran University overnight Thursday. "I have a lot to say but the most important thing that has preoccupied my mind is the attack on the dormitories of the youth and students."

"The youth of this country, whether students or not, are my children and it is very difficult and bitter for me to see them embarassed and upset," Khamenei said. "The issue becomes more difficult when the sacred name of the law enforcement forces is involved in a wrongdoing which would cause their disgrace."

Khameini's remarks, published in the official Islamic Republic News Agency, were his first public reaction to last week's student protests. A police raid on Tehran University student dormitories left one person dead and three injured, according to an official toll.

Iranian newspapers said up to five people were killed. Iranian student leaders planned additional demonstrations on Tuesday and Wednesday.