Iranian students volunteer for martyrdom operations in Gaza, launch recruitment website

PHOTOS of the student protests in Iran
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TEHRAN (FNA)- A number of almost 20,000 people in different Iranian cities on Monday started enrolling their names in the list of volunteers to fight against Israel while thousands more are joining the campaign today.

Some 7,000 Iranian students in the central city of Isfahan have volunteered to fight for Palestine against Israel while more students are signing up in Tehran.

"On the first day of registration to fight Zionist regime and to help Palestinians, 7,000 students from the universities of Isfahan have claimed readiness," Mohammad Zarifi, member of Iran's Students Islamic Association told FNA.

Also in the day, another Iranian students group, Basij (Volunteer) Students of Tehran Universities, announced it is registering volunteers to fight Israel.

The registration came a day after Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree saying whoever dies in fight with Israel and in defense of Gaza would be a martyr.

Ayatollah Khamenei's religious decree was not considered a government decision and did not oblige the government to launch attacks against Israel.

"In response to the Supreme Leader's decree of Jihad (holy defense),Basij students from all the universities of Iran have registered and the registration will be kept tomorrow," said Alireza Zahedi, a member of Basij Students of Tehran Universities, without disclosing how many students have already registered.

"In the near future, the registered students will hold a meeting to claim their readiness to the Supreme Leader to go to fight in the occupied (Palestinian) territories," he added.

In a similar move, a group of influential conservative Iranian clerics also launched an online registration drive on Monday seeking volunteers to fight against Israel in response to its air assault on the Gaza Strip.

About 3,550 people registered Monday with the Combatant Clergy Society's Web site. The weeklong online campaign gives volunteers three options on ways they can fight Israel: military, financial and propaganda.

The group, which has considerable power in Iran, did not provide further details on the program including how it would contact the volunteers or implement the program.

Figures show that a number of approximately 20,000 people have so far registered their names in similar lists in different cities across the country.

Israel on Saturday morning launched massive air raids on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 380 and wounding over 1750 people.

The attacks have led to numerous public protests in Iranian cities and other countries across the world.

Thousands of Iranians, including university students, staged a rally in Tehran on Monday morning to condemn the Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip, carrying banners on which anti-US and anti-Israel slogans were written.

Some of banners held by protesters in Tehran read, "Death to Israel," "Death to America" and "Muslims unite."

Israel said its large-scale air offensive on Gaza was an "all-out war" on Hamas and Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon said on Monday, "The goal of the operation is to topple Hamas."

In response to Israeli airstrikes, Palestinian militants launched over 80 rockets and mortar shells on southern Israel killing three people with over 35 others injured, some of them seriously.

Tel Aviv has mobilized up to 6,500 reservists and deployed tanks along Gaza's border in preparation for a possible ground offensive on the coastal enclave of 1.5 million Palestinians.

Also Monday, the Iranian Red Crescent sent a ship carrying 2,000 tons of food to Palestinians living in Gaza to be delivered via Egypt. An Iranian military plane also landed at Cairo International Airport carrying 24 tons of food and medicine destined for Gaza.

The head of Iran's Red Crescent, Masoud Khatami, said three more ships were waiting to be loaded with humanitarian aid, and Iranian hospitals were ready to receive injured Gazans.


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Iranian students storm British compound
Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:39:33 GMT


Iranian students broke into a British embassy compound during the night.
Iranian students, incensed over British support for the Israeli military attack on the Gaza Strip, have broken into a British embassy compound in Tehran.

“A large number of people and students entered the Gholhak garden, which is occupied by the British embassy, to protest against the British government's support for the Israeli attacks on Gaza,” IRNA reported.

“They lowered the British flag and hoisted the Palestinian flag in the garden,” the report said.

Police arrived at the scene shortly afterwards to control the protesters.

A later IRNA report said the people had begun to leave the garden and were heading toward the Egyptian Interests Section in Tehran to protest over the Egyptian government's support for the siege of Gaza.

MGH/HGL
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=79977&sectionid=351020101

Iranian anti-riot police stop protestors demonstrating against the Israeli attacks on Gaza, from entering the British embassy in northern Tehran December 30, 2008.
REUTERS/Stringer (IRAN)
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By Chris Dolmetsch

Dec. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Iranian demonstrators stormed the U.K. diplomatic compound in Tehran to protest policies supporting Israel, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the state-run news agency IRNA.

The protesters set fire to U.S., U.K. and Israeli flags outside the Gholhak gardens, a compound in northern Tehran that houses British diplomats and their families, and later chanted slogans against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, AFP said.

Police drove the protesters out of the embassy, AFP reported, citing Mitra Behnam, an embassy media officer. The U.K. has called for a cease-fire by both sides on the conflict in Gaza.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in New York at cdolmetsch [at] bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 30, 2008 16:11 EST

An Iranian protestor holds the Palestinian flag near the Interests Section of the Arab Republic of Egypt in northern Tehran, December 30, 2008, during a protest against the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN)