Ahmadinejad's supporters attack Western embassies
Hundreds of students protest Western 'interference' in Iranian internal affairs in Tehran, call 'death to' Britain, France and throw eggs, tomatoes at embassies. Italian FM: Protesters are Besij militia members
While the West continued to criticize Iran for its decision to enrich uranium Tuesday, supporters of the Ayatollah regime took to the streets to protest before Western embassies.
The demonstrators threw objects at the embassies in Tehran and shouted slogans against Western leaders. Italy claimed that the demonstrators were not regular citizens, but people associated with the regime.
State-owned news agencies in the Islamic Republic reported that students supporting the regime demonstrated in front of the French and Italian embassies in the capital, against what they called the "interference of the West in Iran's internal affairs", including its support for the Iranian Opposition.
Fars news agency reported the students waved Iranian flags and held pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his predecessor, Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini.
They shouted "Death to America" and "Death to Britain," and called for the death of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. IRNA reported that protesters also threw tomatoes and eggs at the Italian embassy.
In a statement published by students, they called on the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to cut back diplomatic ties with Italy, France and the Netherlands. They also stated that they had planned to protest in front of the Dutch embassy but were not granted permission to do so by the authorities.
They claimed that the governments of these three countries are interfering in Iran's affairs, especially France, which is seen as supporting the Opposition in exile.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini condemned the protesters and claimed that they were not regular citizens but members of the government-backed Besij militia, linked to Ahmadinejad's Revolutionary Guard.
"About 100 Besij members, dressed as ordinary people, tried to attack the embassy and called 'Death to Italy' and 'Death to Britain'," Frattini told Italy's prime minister.
Iran enriches as world protests
Many states condemned Iran's decision to enrich uranium to a level of 20% for what it claims is a reactor producing medical isotopes, including Russia.
Secretary of Russia's National Security Council, Nicolai Patrushev, called on Iran to cooperate with the international community and noted that Iran's decision undermined stability in the region.
Elements in Washington, which have already noted that new sanctions were inevitable, said that they will ask the UN's Security Council to approve a decision which will lay the foundations for an additional round of sanctions within "weeks and not months".
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters Tuesday that US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates "clearly thinks time is of the essence." However, China, whose support is crucial, has announced that it still believes in diplomacy.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added his voice to the condemnations. "Iran is pushing forwards with its nuclear arming race while slighting the wishes of the international community which needs to protect peace and impose sanctions on Iran," he said Tuesday while addressing ambassadors of European Union countries.
"Not just partial and moderate sanctions," he added. "The duty is to impose paralyzing sanctions on Iran now."
