Arrests in new Iran football clashes

Celebrations turned to violence after Iran's victory

		By Jim Muir BBC Tehran correspondent

Thousands of football fans have clashed with riot police in the Iranian capital, Tehran, following the national team's latest World Cup qualifying match.

Shots were fired and tear gas was discharged to try to break up crowds after celebrations degenerated into anti-government protests.

There is clearly a strong strand of social and political protest involved

Even before the match with the United Arab Emirates was over, bus loads of security forces and riot police were waiting near some of the potential trouble spots.

In many areas, thousands of football supporters and others were content to drive around blowing horns and waving flags, jamming streets and making lot of noise as the police looked on.

But trouble erupted after thousands of others gathered in several squares in west, north-central and east Tehran.

Some of them chanted anti-regime slogans and exploded small home-made bombs.

Women beaten

In at least three places baton-wielding riot police and other security forces moved in, and violently broke up the crowds, savagely beating many people, including women and journalists.

Tear gas was used in at least one area, and in eastern Tehran shots were fired, apparently in the air.

The Iranian Government has been the focus of recent public protests

Many arrests were made, with some police stations said to be overflowing.

Earlier, the authorities admitted that well over a thousand people were being detained from previous similar disturbances, also ostensibly triggered by football over the past week.

There is clearly a strong strand of social and political protest involved, despite the fact that the disturbances followed football matches.

But opposition groups based abroad had used their television and radio stations to call on Iranians to come out in their millions to demonstrate their hostility to the clerical regime.

With their enemies abroad, openly inciting people to revolt, the authorities have the problem of trying to distinguish between good-natured celebration, football hooliganism and hard-core opposition.

And the more harshly they react, the more resentment and grudges they are bound to create.