UNUSUAL SCENES

"Iran, Iran, we are proud of you," groups of young boys and girls chanted as they leaned out of car windows blaring loud Iranian and Western pop music.

In one traffic-clogged street two cars were involved in a small collision. But the drivers who came out to inspect the damage, instead of arguing over blame, embraced and began celebrating together.

Spontaneous public celebrations are unusual in Iran where mingling between members of the opposite sex and playing pop music are officially banned, though enforcement of such rules has become more lax in recent years.

With presidential elections looming on June 17, candidates were quick to exploit the outpouring of national emotion.

Front-runner Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a pragmatic conservative who says he favors improved relations with the West, sent a congratulatory message to the team even before the match had finished.

Campaign aides for many candidates handed out promotional flyers to celebrating fans. Cars were plastered with campaign stickers.

But the soccer win vastly overshadowed what has so far been a lacklustre election campaign.

"No election in the world can bring so many people out into the streets," said Mahyar, 27, his face painted with Iran's national colors of green, red and white.

One woman, in tears, said the celebrations were premature.

"These people don't realize. They're allowing these celebrations just before the elections, but after that things will go back to the way they were," she said.

Even Reuters is reporting the unrest. But these international media reporters tend to have minders with them and thus they do not go to where the unrest is.

Free Thoughts in Sardinia provides a littany of events erupting in Iran:

Several clashes have been reported from several areas of the Greater Tehran and cities, such as, Esfahan, Mashad and Shiraz.

Plainclothes agents or paramilitary Bassij members have tried at several occasions to attack and end some of the celebration gatherings turned into massive shows of popular defiance and rejection of all symbols of the Islamic regime especially its upcoming sham Presidential elections.

Some female demonstrators who had pulled off their veils were beaten and injured in Madar and Tajrish areas.

Several demonstrators identified of having destroyed regime's advertisements were also beaten up or arrested in Esfahan's Enghelab square and in Darvaze Shiraz.

In Shiraz clashes have happened near Darvaze Ghoran as groups of demonstrators were shouting slogans against the regime and its supreme leader.

In Mashad, clashes have taken place around the university.

Several plainclothes agents have been injured in Ray and Narmak areas.

It's believed that the regime forces are waiting that most residents get back to their homes in order to crackdown on demonstrators.

Clashes or sporadic riot style protests are taking place in several provincial cities, such as, Hamedan, Tabriz, Mahabad, Keramshah, Mashad, Rasht, Mian-do-Ab, Abadan, Yazd, Kerman, Ghazvin and Oroomiah (former Rezai-e).

Groups of young people are retaliating against small groups of plainclothes men and Bassij paramilitary force.

Slogans calling for overthrow of the regime and even execution of clerics are shouted, such as, "Toop, Tank, Feshfeshe, Akhoond bayad koshte she" (Guns, Tanks, Cleric must be killed).

Some avenues are looking like war zones as many windows and public materials have been damaged along with regime's symbols, such as, propaganda materials destroyed.

Several injured have been reported so far and the night is expected to be long.

Most likely, security forces are waiting for later in order to start their massive crackdown but groups of young have planned to defend themselves with Molotov Cocktails and incendiary devices.

A militia motorbike carrying a club welding passenger was caught by a group of young demonstrators in Eslamshar a poor suburb of Tehran and scene of various riots.

The two regime agents who had beaten up several celebrators were caught few meters away and injured in their fall.

Their light transmission materials and pistols were taken by those demonstrators who vanished in the crowd which is shouting slogans against the leaders of the regime or dancing and chanting.

More on the clashes and demonstations - here.

Regime Change Iran has some images.


MUCH MORE HERE ...