TEHRAN, Iran — Thousands of protesters defied Iran’s highest authority Saturday and marched on security forces that fought back with baton charges, tear gas and water cannons as the crisis over disputed elections lurched into volatile new ground.
In a separate incident, a state-run television channel reported that a suicide bombing at the shrine of the Islamic Revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini killed at least two people and wounded eight. If proven true, the reports could enrage conservatives and bring strains among backers of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
In Washington, President Barack Obama urged Iranian authorities to halt "all violent and unjust actions against its own people.” He said the U.S. "stands by all who seek to exercise” the rights to assembly and free speech.
The rallies left questions about Mousavi’s ability to hold together his protest movement, which claims widespread fraud in the June 12 elections kept President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in office.
Gen. Esmaeil Ahmadi Moghadam said Saturday that more than a week of unrest and marches had become "intolerable.” He threatened a more "serious confrontation” if protesters return.
by the associated press
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