The protesters, mostly supporters of defeated presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi
, set fire to trashcans and rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud against the government. This is while the opposition had asked for permission to hold a public "in support of the people in Tunisia and Egypt." The Iranian government, however, refused to give permission and declared all such rallies illegal.
Meanwhile,
...back at the ranch...
counter-demonstrations were held to denounce the move by the opposition to disrupt public order, and condemn the riots by the supporters of Mousavi and Karroubi.
Iran says American NGOs and organizations have provided financial support for post-election unrest in order to topple the Islamic establishment.
"There are confessions confirming that the US intelligence agency, CIA, has provided some influential figures at the sedition trend headquarters with money," Iran's Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi said in September 2010.
Moslehi said that Americans had provided the "leaders of sedition" with one billion dollars through Saudi channels.