Iran’s regime sought to regain the initiative in the face of growing opposition protests yesterday by thwarting plans for another mass rally against election-rigging, arresting alleged ringleaders and cracking down on the international media.

One day after up to eight protesters were shot dead during a huge demonstration against President Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election, the regime barred all foreign journalists from the streets of Tehran in a move that gives the security forces much more freedom to crush dissent with overwhelming force.

It ruled that those foreign journalists remaining in the capital, and the Iranians employed by them, could work only in their offices and conduct interviews by telephone. Many have already had to leave because the Government would not renew the ten-day visas that they were given to cover last Friday’s vote.

The regime foiled an attempt to repeat Monday’s demonstration in support of the former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims that he was cheated of victory last Friday by widespread vote-rigging.

It organised a big rally of Ahmadinejad supporters in Vali Asr Square in Tehran barely an hour before tens of thousands of Mousavi supporters were due to gather there. With passions so inflamed, Mr Mousavi cancelled his rally “to protect lives” and to avoid further confrontation with the security forces and Mr Ahmadinejad’s followers. A much smaller march took place elsewhere in Tehran.

The Government also arrested what the state media described as the “main agents” of the unrest. Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the Intelligence Minister, said that about 50 people with weapons and explosives were detained, and claimed that they were supported by foreign powers. Two dozen “counter-revolutionaries” were also arrested, as were two leading reformists, including Ali Abtahi, a former Vice-President.

The state-controlled media are portraying the demonstrators as subversive criminals. They reported Monday’s deaths, but said that the victims were attending an “unauthorised gathering” and were shot as they “tried to attack a military location”.

The Council of Guardians, the powerful body of 12 senior conservative clerics, refused Mr Mousavi’s demand that the election be annulled, but did make one apparent concession to his supporters by offering a recount of Friday’s votes from stations where specific fraud was alleged.

The offer was echoed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, who met last night representatives of the four top candidates. He denounced the protesters as “tension seekers” and called for calm.

Hojatoleslam Ali-Akbar Mohtashamipour, one of Mr Mousavi’s senior campaign aides, flatly rejected the Guardian Council’s offer. He called it a ruse to buy time while public anger subsided, and argued that the vote rigging went far beyond individual polling stations.

Representatives of Mr Mousavi and the two other defeated candidates, Mehdi Karoubi and Mohsen Rezai, urged the council to set up an independent fact-finding committee and listed 15 ways in which they alleged that the election had been rigged.

These included the buying of votes; intimidation of voters; shortages of ballot papers in opposition strongholds; the barring of candidates’ representatives from election planning meetings, polling stations and counts; intervention by the Basij volunteer militia; the improper use of government resources; the speed with which the results were announced; and the bias of the state media.

The regime is facing its most serious challenge since the Revolution of 1979, with Mr Mousavi and two former presidents, Mohammed Khatami and Hojatoleslam Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, ranged against Mr Ahmadinejad, the Supreme Leader and the military.

Ali Larijani, the parliamentary Speaker and a conservative rival to Mr Ahmadinejad, also voiced criticism, blaming the Interior Minister for attacks on civilians and students.

Ignoring the turmoil on the streets of Tehran, Mr Ahmadinejad attended a summit in Russia yesterday, where both President Medvedev of Russia and Hu Jintao, his Chinese counterpart, congratulated him.

No Western nation has recognised Mr Ahmadinejad’s re-election, and Japan and Australia joined the growing international criticism of Iran’s brutal repression yesterday.

President Obama said that “people’s voices should be heard and not suppressed” in the Islamic Republic, and President Sarkozy of France called the election a “fraud”.

In Tehran the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Simon Gass, the British Ambassador, to complain about Gordon Brown’s “unconventional and impolite” remarks challenging the election’s legitimacy.

Mousavi supporters are planning another mass demonstration in Tehran today, and protests have been reported in the cities of Shiraz, Tabriz, Isfahan, Meshad and Qom. Teargas was reportedly used at Kharazmi university in Shiraz, with students beaten up and 100 arrests. The head of the university resigned. Riot police also stormed the university in Isfahan.

Iranian tweets and blogs

Reliable source Isfahan hospital — many injured from last 24 hours Persiankiwi 11.30

Stay the hell out of our affairs!! We don’t need your help to have an election!!! Iranian Facebook user 14.15

Basij is after us. Slept in the streets last night. Internet is down in most of the city Change_for_Iran 14.30

I want a president like Obama to protect my people and I think so far Karoubi and Mousavi are better than the rest of those jackasses Iranian Facebook user 16.30

They are now arresting human rights activists in large scale. where is UN watchdog?! Change_for_Iran 16.40

Rally is on. Silent, calm, and peaceful. This is what we all want! Thanks for everyone who’s there, and who’s watching! parhamdoustdar 17.30

Not only that they attacked us, now they are hiding the bodies of those we lost! I will kill Ahmadinejad myself! Change_for_Iran 19.45

The Persian Empire will come back! The new age has come! Iranian Facebook user 21.15

“University Alley, University Alley, murder scene, murder scene” was the written message held aloft on a makeshift paper banner. Rather than ring out in the air, the rhythmic message reverberated inside the minds of all who read it Tehranbureaublog

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