Thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran June 16 in rival demonstrations over the country's disputed presidential election, pushing the crisis into its fourth day despite a government offer to recount a limited number of ballots. With a harsh media crackdown in place, word has been slow to get out of protests outside Tehran—but at least two are reported dead in Tabriz, capital of Azerbaijan province.

As Iran's embattled President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Russia June 16, Iranian state radio reported that seven people were killed in clashes overnight, escalating tensions after days of unprecedented demonstrations that have forced a formal review of elections results. The reports said the deaths came after "thugs" attacked a military post. (NYT, BBC News, June 17) Our correspondent in Tehran says: "At the end of non-violent rally which is called illegal by officials (in spite of lots of attempts to get permission from competent authorities), Basij started to shoot at people from northwestern corner of Azadi square."

At least one person was killed and several wounded in Tehran's Azadi Square when armed men opened fire on a rally by tens of thousands protesting Iran's election results June 15. The rally was held in defiance of a ban imposed by the Interior Ministry. The shooting occurred in front of a local base of the Basij, Iran's volunteer paramilitary force, which had been set ablaze. Police fired tear gas as protesters set several police motorbikes on fire. (AlJazeera, June 15)

Iran is bracing for a third day of protests after defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi called for the election results to be annulled. On June 14, tens of thousands rallied in Tehran to celebrate President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory—as riot police and anti-Ahmadinejad protesters again clashed in several parts of the city. Police used baton and motorbike charges as well as tear gas. Streets were littered with broken glass and fires set by protesters, while more riot police patrolled Mousavi strongholds. Mousavi supporters cried "death to the dictator" into the evening. Scores have been reported arrested. "I urge you, Iranian nation, to continue your nationwide protests in a peaceful and legal way," Mousavi told his supporters, while calling on Iran's Guardian Council to annul the election. (BBC, June 15)

As Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hailed election results that show him winning by more than 62%, supporters of his opponent Mir Hossein Moussavi flooded the streets and clashed with riot police in Tehran June 13, saying the vote was rigged. Protesters in Tehran's Moseni Square smashed store fronts and started fires. Moussavi and his supporters said before the votes were counted that the process was tainted, and urged a halt to the counting because of what he called "blatant violations."

Three men convicted of involvement in a May 28 bomb attack that killed 25 and injured over 100 at the Amir al-Momenin mosque in Iran's eastern city of Zahedan, Sistan-Baluchistan province, were hanged May 30. The Jundallah militant group claimed responsibility for the blast, with a spokesman confirming the attack to Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV. Iranian officials say the attack aimed at provoking disorder before the presidential elections. US State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly denounced the attack and rejected the notion that the White House had a hand in it. (Press TV, Iran, May 30)

Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report obtained May 25 by the AP. "There are reports that Venezuela supplies Iran with uranium for its nuclear program," the Foreign Ministry document states, referring to previous Israeli intelligence conclusions. It added, "Bolivia also supplies uranium to Iran."

US journalist Roxana Saberi was released from prison May 11 after an Iranian appeals court reduced her eight-year term for espionage to two years and then suspended the sentence. According to statements from Saberi's lawyer, the court determined that the espionage charge was not valid since the US is not an enemy government, but could not ignore that the nature of Saberi's actions had posed a threat to Iranian national security. Saberi had appealed her conviction for espionage in late April, and she had been on a hunger strike in protest of her imprisonment. (Jurist, May 11)