But the powerful Council rejected reformist calls to annul Friday's election that set off swift-moving political turmoil, riveting attention on the world's fifth biggest oil exporter which is locked in a nuclear dispute with the West. Supporters of Mirhossein Mousavi, outraged at his defeat in what they viewed as a stolen election, planned another rally on Tuesday, even though seven people were killed on Monday on the fringes of a huge march through the streets of Tehran.
Mousavi urged people not to attend the banned rally at Vali-ye Asr Square in Tehran "to protect lives" saying it was cancelled, but it was not clear if the call was heeded. Supporters posted defiant messages on Twitter, calling for the demonstration to go ahead and offering security updates.
State television showed live pictures of what it said were Ahmadinejad supporters gathering at the Vali-ye Asr Square, showing thousands of people, some waving Iranian flags, possibly setting the scene for more confrontation. Iranian state television said on Tuesday the "main agents" in post-election unrest had been arrested with explosives and guns. It gave no further details in a breaking news headline.
Further protests, especially if they are maintained on the same scale, would be a direct challenge to the authorities who have kept a tight grip on dissent since the 1979 overthrow of the US-backed shah after months of demonstrations. Illustrating Iran's sensitivity to how the world views the heightened tensions, authorities on Tuesday banned foreign media journalists from leaving their offices to cover street protests.
While Iranian authority banned foreign media journalists from leaving their offices to cover protests on the streets of Tehran following the country's disputed presidential elections. The Culture Ministry said journalists could continue to work from their offices but that it was cancelling press accreditation for all foreign media.
"No journalist has permission to report or film or take pictures in the city," a Culture Ministry official told Reuters. The announcement came after three days of streets protests against Iran's election results, during which at least seven people were reported to have been killed. The United States and its European allies have been trying to persuade Iran to halt nuclear work that could be used to make an atomic bomb. Iran denies it seeks atomic weapons and says it wants nuclear energy only to generate electricity.
US President Barack Obama, who has sought to reach out to Iran asking its leadership to "unclench its fist", said he was deeply troubled by the post-election violence and that protesters who had taken to the streets had inspired the world.