Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Feb. 15 / Trend T.Jafarov /
The Iranian people's aspiration for democracy and freedom can not be stopped. Sooner or later Iran will be forced to undertake reforms, as Egypt and Tunisia, Professor at the University of Glasgow, a member of the Trend Expert Council Rza Taghizadeh told Trend.
Taghizadeh said statements voiced at yesterday's rallies show the Iranian people's aspiration for democracy and freedom.
"The Iranian people's demonstrations are a continuation of the movement burst earlier. This movement sometimes calmed down and sometimes took an active form. A desire to establish democracy in the country has not been exhausted and the people really want freedom," he said.
A rally in support of the peoples of Egypt and Tunisia was launched in Tehran on Monday at 11:30 GMT. Rallies also spread to cities Kirmanshah, Isfahan and Shiraz. The Iranian opposition's official website Kaleme.com reported that more than thousands demonstrators went on the streets in the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan. The police tried to disperse the protesters.
Iran's National Security Forces used tear gas against protesters gathered in the squares Azadi and Ingilab in Tehran.
Access to mobile communications has been closed in many Iranian cities, particularly in Tehran.
At least one person was killed and several dozen demonstrators were injured as a result of the mass protests, more than 100 protesters were arrested.
The demonstrations occurred on the backdrop of a wave of forestall arrests of political figures and other activists in the past few days.
Taghizadeh said the events in Iran, Egypt, and Tunisia will influence the situation in the Middle East.
Large-scale anti-governmental protests are ongoing in Egypt. Thousands of people in different cities across the country have taken to the streets, demanding President Hosni Mubarak's resignation and the dissolution of parliament. The unrests in the country have killed at least 300 people and have injured over 4,000.
One million people marched at the Tahrir Square in Cairo and demanded the resignation of President Mubarak. As a result, on Friday, Mubarak announced his retirement, and transferred the country's leadership to the Supreme Military Council.
A Jasmine Revolution occurred in Tunisia on Jan.14. The change of power was achieved as a result of people's unrest that engulfed the entire country for a month. President Zine al-Abadine Bin Ali was forced to flee the country.
Taghizadeh believes reforms carried out in Egypt and Tunisia will cover other countries in the region.
"The holding of such reforms are expected in most countries of the Middle East. It is difficult to say in which country next conversion will take place, but Iran today is one of the main contenders," Taghizadeh said.