ABC’s Jim Sciutto: Thousand Take to Streets in Iran

ABC's Senior Foreign Correspondent Jim Sciutto covered the recent Iranian election protests from the streets of Tehran: Today, Iranian opposition supporters defied an enormous security presence on the streets of Tehran to gather, by some estimates, in the thousands. In an attempt to bypass the security forces, they first gathered in smaller groups at several locations and then converged outside Tehran University and on Vali Asr Square, the site of several recent demonstrations. Many shouted ‘death to the dictator’. Others carried copies of the Koran, daring security forces to attack them while carrying the Muslim holy book.   With cell-phone networks shut down, witnesses shared accounts via email and websites such as Twitter and Facebook. One witness said police fired tear gas into buses. Another said she had seen paramilitary basij fighters tossing protesters from pedestrian bridges onto the road below. There were several accounts of beatings.   This morning, witnesses described one of the biggest deployments of security forces since the start of the demonstrations after Iran’s disputed June 12 election. One protester said there were ‘ten times’ as many basiji on the streets as this person had ever seen. ‘The tension was so high,’ said another, ‘you could cut it with a knife.’ Opposition supporters had made ambitious plans for protests today to mark the 10th anniversary of a student uprising on July 9, 1999. Known as ’18th of Tyr’ on the Persian calendar, the anniversary is often marked by student demonstrations. Leading up to today, opposition groups had encouraged supporters to protest, spreading the word with fliers, internet notices and friends calling friends. UPDATE 12:55pm EST: One witness reports hearing gunshots at Enghelab Square, and saw people fall after the shots. No confirmation of injuries so far.