Iranian opposition websites say more than 200 people were arrested March 1 while attempting to protest in Tehran, with another 40 detained in Isfahan. Opposition groups had called for rallies over the reported imprisonment of their leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. The two men had been placed under house arrest several weeks ago as authorities cracked down on protests staged in solidarity with the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere. Their families say that on Feb. 28 they were taken to prison, although the government denies this. (BBC News [2], March 2)
The two Iranian warships that passed through the Suez Canal last month en route to Syria for joint military exercises are due to return this week. Israel branded the maneuvers a "political provocation" and placed its navy on alert in response. It was the first time Iranian military vessels passed into the Mediterranean since the 1979 Islamic revolution. (AFP [3], March 2)
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