Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Fresh clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in Tehran on Sunday as large crowds gathered for Ashura, a major religious observance.
An opposition Web site said three people were killed in the fighting. But, with tight restrictions on international media, CNN could not independently verify the casualties.
Tehran Police Chief Azizollah Rajabzadeh denied that any protesters were killed by security forces.
Police did not fire any shots in Tehran, "and security forces were not in possession of firearms," Rajabzadeh told the semi-official news agency ISNA.
Since the disputed presidential elections in June, protesters have turned public gatherings into rallies against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was declared the overwhelming winner of the race.
Police, wary of the potential that Ashura gatherings could present, were out in full force Sunday to quell disruptions, but did not stop demonstrators holding widespread protests.
Protesters seized a motorcycle belonging to a security force member and set it on fire.
Elsewhere in the city, witnesses reported seeing protesters being beaten with batons. Demonstrators chanted "death to the dictator" and some ripped down a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Deaths reported in Iran clashes - CNN.com
An opposition Web site said three people were killed in the fighting. But, with tight restrictions on international media, CNN could not independently verify the casualties.
Tehran Police Chief Azizollah Rajabzadeh denied that any protesters were killed by security forces.
Police did not fire any shots in Tehran, "and security forces were not in possession of firearms," Rajabzadeh told the semi-official news agency ISNA.
Since the disputed presidential elections in June, protesters have turned public gatherings into rallies against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was declared the overwhelming winner of the race.
Police, wary of the potential that Ashura gatherings could present, were out in full force Sunday to quell disruptions, but did not stop demonstrators holding widespread protests.
Protesters seized a motorcycle belonging to a security force member and set it on fire.
Elsewhere in the city, witnesses reported seeing protesters being beaten with batons. Demonstrators chanted "death to the dictator" and some ripped down a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Deaths reported in Iran clashes - CNN.com
