President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed Thursday that Iran has produced its first batch of uranium enriched to a higher level, saying his country will not be bullied by the West into curtailing its nuclear program a day after the U.S. imposed new sanctions.
DailyMail "Iran is now a 'nuclear state' says Ahmadinejad as thousands take to the streets."
Iran is now a 'nuclear state', President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced this morning.
As Gordon Brown warned that the world's patience is wearing thin, Ahmadinejad told scores of cheering Iranians that the Islamic Republic is capable of producing weapons-grade uranium.
He spoke as tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Tehran to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
Despite fears of violence, opposition supporters found themselves largely overwhelmed by the clerical regime and pro-government demonstrators.
The massive security clampdown appeared to succeed in preventing protesters from converging into a cohesive demonstrations.
Large numbers of riot police, members of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij militiamen, some on motorcycles, deployed in back streets near key squares and major avenues in the capital to move against protesters.
The Guardian "Iran protests: live blog."
Protesters have clashed again with the Iranian security forces amid official celebrations to mark the 31st anniversary of the revolution.
Follow their updates.
NIAC "Bearing Witness: 22 Bahman"
CNN "Clashes in Tehran as Iran marks revolution anniversary." (Initially headlined with "Ahmadinejad: Iran produces first 20 percent-enriched uranium")
Security forces clashed with demonstrators Thursday as Iran marked the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, while thousands blanketed a Tehran square to hear their president announce the expansion of Iran's nuclear program.
Plainclothes and uniformed security assaulted vehicles carrying Mehdi Karrubi, a reformist leader who ran for president in the disputed June presidential elections, and former President Mohammad Khatami as their opposition supporters poured onto the streets, opposition sources said.
The forces were preventing opposition leaders and their followers -- the so-called Green Movement -- from reaching Azadi, or Freedom, Square in central Tehran, where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered an anniversary address that extolled the country's nuclear program.
They fired on crowds in some areas and pepper-spraying demonstrators in others, opposition groups said.
Iran News Now "Live-blog: 22 Bahman – 31st Anniversary of Islamic Revolution – February 11, 2010."
Wall Street Journal "Iran Mobilizes to Stifle Opposition Protests."
Hat Tip Memeorandum
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