Demonstrators clash with Iranian police

TEHRAN, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Demonstrators clashed with police in Tehran as protesters used the 30th anniversary of the U.S Embassy takeover as an opportunity for dissent.

Tehran had warned opposition supporters against staging demonstrations during nationally organized anti-American protests in the capital city.

Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, during the Islamic Revolution, holding embassy staffers hostage for 444 days.

Supporters of opposition leaders Mir Hossien Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi used the anniversary to rally against the conservative government in Tehran, reports Radio Zamaneh, an independent Persian broadcaster in the Netherlands.

Opposition leaders are still upset over the disputed victory for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June elections. Mousavi supporters took to the streets in the wake of the June election in some of the most violent demonstrations since 1979.

The report says police used tear gas and fired warning shots into the area in an effort to disperse opposition demonstrations in downtown Tehran.

Karroubi was reportedly attacked by government forces that allegedly fired tear gas at the Reformist leader and former presidential candidate.

Police in Tehran announced heavy traffic restrictions and shut down most cellular service in preparation for the demonstrations.