Washington Post: Iran's national police commander said demonstrators will face a fierce crackdown if their "illegal" activities continue, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Wednesday, following several days of anti-government protests and officials calling for the arrest of the political leaders of the opposition.

AFP: The United States said Wednesday it is ready to arrange for a representative of the Iranian government to visit an Iranian man who was jailed for trafficking weapons to Tehran.

AP: Security forces and hard-line militiamen assaulted opposition protesters, beating men and woman and firing tear gas, as thousands gathered in a central Iranian city for a memorial commemorating the country's most senior dissident cleric, who died this week.

Reuters: The trial of a French teaching assistant accused of espionage in Iran resumed on Wednesday but there was no verdict and the court indicated she would be summoned again, France's Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

AFP: Iranian police waded into a crowd of mourners at a memorial service for dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri in Isfahan Wednesday, beating women and children and firing tear gas, an opposition website reported.

Reuters: Iranian security forces clashed with supporters of the opposition in the central city of Isfahan and "many" demonstrators were injured, the pro-reform Jaras website reported.

The Times: Osama bin Laden’s closest relatives are living in a secret compound in Iran, members of the family said last night. They include a wife and children who disappeared from his Afghan camp at the time of the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

Reuters: Iranian police shot dead two gunmen among a group of attackers who tried to rescue two convicted bank robbers from imminent execution in a southeastern Iranian town, a news agency reported on Wednesday.

The Times: Iran has emerged as the victor in secret war games that simulated an Israeli attack on one of its nuclear facilities.