Protests Continue, Leaders Threaten

Ruling Cleric Warns Iranian Protesters
New York Times
By Nazila Fathi and Alan Cowell
Published: June 19, 2009

"In his first public response to days of mass protests, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sternly warned opposition supporters on Friday to stay off the streets and raised the prospect of violence if their defiant, vast demonstrations continued.

"Sharply increasing the level of confrontation, he said that opposition leaders would be “responsible for bloodshed and chaos” if they did not stop further rallies in protest of last week’s disputed presidential election. He called for all sides to halt any violence." Read More...