Iran warns of crackdown on any student demos

Iran authorities, still reeling from the massive public protests over last month's election, warned yesterday of a harsh crackdown against any demonstration to mark the anniversary of student unrest which rocked the Islamic republic on this day in 1999.The warning was issued after the G8 world powers expressed "serious concern" over the violence unleashed after the hotly-disputed re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which left at least 20 people dead.
Iranian authorities have banned all gatherings amid a fierce crackdown on protestors, reformists, journalists and political activists after the election crisis, which rattled the pillars of the 30-year-old Islamic republic.
Witnesses said leaflets were being distributed in several Tehran squares urging people to join a march on Thursday to mark the 10th anniversary of student protests which were violently suppressed by the authorities.
"No permission for a gathering or march has been requested or issued," Tehran governor Morteza Tamadon said in a strongly worded statement to the official news agency IRNA.
"But if some people make moves that are contrary to security initiatives under the influence of anti-revolutionary networks, they will be trampled under the feet of our alert people."
Meanwhile, a top aide to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that Britain and France were "worse" than the United States when it comes to interfering in Iran's internal issues.
Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Khamenei on international affairs, accused Britain and France in particular of wanting to stop Iran's nuclear drive.