Iran supporters blunt protesters' effect

TEHRAN, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- The Iranian regime demonstrated a sometimes violent show of force against its opposition during the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution, experts said.

Tens of thousands of pro-regime marchers disrupted Thursday's protests called to express dissatisfaction with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, declared the winner in the June 12 election opposition leaders say was rigged, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Opposition Web sites reported violence against anti-government protesters, including attacks on several presidential candidates in the June 12 elections, but the accounts could not be verified independently.

Protesters said they had hoped to use Thursday's rallies to demonstrate the depth of sentiment against the republic's leaders, the Journal said. However, witnesses and media reports indicated security forces and government supporters seemed to outnumber protesters.

"The regime does repression very well," said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.

Because the government was able to minimize the opposition Thursday, anti-government forces may have to look for new ways to demonstrate their strength, he said.

"They have to go beyond street protests," Sadjadpour said.