Iran's president said Friday that Egypt's popular uprising shows a new Islamic Middle East is emerging, one that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims will have no signs of Israel and U.S. "interference."
He also urged Egyptian protesters to persevere until there is a regime change. "It's your right to be free. It's your right to exercise your will and sovereignty ... and choose the type of government and the rulers."
| Iranian authorities say they fear a repeat of protests that broke out in 2009 following a disputed election [EPA] (Click for larger image)  |
Iranian lawmakers condemn protests; call for execution of leaders
Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday in defiance of the government.
Members of the Iranian parliament issued fiery chants against opposition leaders and former presidential candidates Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein MoussavPress TV aired video Tuesday of lawmakers chanting "Moussavi, Karroubi ... execute them."
Lawmakers also named former President Mohammad Khatami in some of the death chants.
Iranian leaders have praised Egypt's revolution, but Monday when protesters in Iran took to the streets the government cracked down hard.
Last week, the Iranian government rounded up activists after Karrubi and Moussavi called for supporters to gather at Azadi Square -- the site of mass protests by Iran's opposition movement after the disputed 2009 presidential elections.
Despite the security crackdown, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Tehran Monday.
Patrolling security forces battled protesters with batons and tear gas for much of the day.
The large crowd was largely cleared from the city's streets by nightfall and the main squares near Tehran University remained free of police, security forces or protesters
Dozens of demonstrators were detained during Monday's protests while internet videos showed others had been chased and beaten.
One person was shot and killed during the protests, according to Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency. Several others were injured and listed in serious condition as a result of the shooting, which the Iranian government blamed on "agitators and seditionists."
Video uploaded to YouTube showed throngs of demonstrators marching, burning posters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and in one instance beating a man who appeared to try to remove a poster from the hands of protesters.
Other YouTube video showed police in riot gear pursuing dozens of people running away from the baton-wielding officers.
Other videos show similar protests going on in other cities in Iran such as Shiraz and Isfahan.
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the videos and witnesses declined to be named for fear of retribution.
Reporting from Iran proved extremely difficult Monday -- foreign journalists were denied visas, accredited journalists living in the country were restricted from covering the demonstrations and internet speeds slowed to a crawl in an apparent attempt to both limit protest organizing and restrict information from being transmitted out of the country.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief, released a statement Tuesday urging Iranian officials to "fully respect and protect the rights of their citizens, including freedom of expression and the right to assemble peacefully."
CNN's Reza Sayah and Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report
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