Clashes between the Iranian authorities and the reformist movement continued today following yesterday’s crackdown which that left at least nine dead, including the nephew of the main opposition leader.

Police fired teargas on crowds mourning Ali Mousavi, a nephew of Mir Hossein Mousavi, and arrested a further seven reformist activists, including Ali Riza Beheshti, the opposition leader’s closest aide, and Ebrahim Yazdi, a former foreign minister, according to Iranian opposition websites.

Early reports put the death toll from yesterday’s riots at five, but the state-controlled Press TV website reported that the number of dead had risen to eight while another report put the number of dead as high as 15. The real figure is likely to be much higher as the authorities have previously seized the bodies of protesters and hidden them. People have also taken the injured home rather than to hospital, which could also conceal the true extent of the casualties.

By using lethal force on a day meant to honour one of Shia Islam’s holiest figures, Imam Hossein – seen as a martyr in the fight against oppression – the regime may have undermined its claim to uphold Iran’s religious traditions. The violent response of the protesters to the security forces was also unprecedented and suggested that many are becoming fearless in the face of state repression. While many demonstrators in the post-election protests covered their faces, footage from videos shown yesterday on YouTube showed most people with their faces exposed.

There were unconfirmed reports that four people died in protests in Tabriz in north-west Iran, the Rah-e-Sabz website said. Clashes were also reported in several other cities, including Isfahan, Shiraz, Arak, Mashhad, Babol and Najafabad.