U.S. President Barack Obama criticized Iran on Tuesday for using violence against peaceful protesters, and urged the nation to follow the example of Egypt.
On Monday, thousands of peaceful demonstrators came out in Tehran and other Iranian cities in a show of support for successful pro-democracy rallies in Egypt. The protesters soon clashed with police and security personnel. One person was killed and dozens were injured.
Obama said such a heavy-handed response against peaceful protesters is unacceptable.
"We have sent a strong message to our allies in the region saying let's look at Egypt's example as opposed to Iran's example," Obama said.
"I find it ironic that you have the Iranian regime pretending to celebrate what happened in Egypt when in fact they have acted in direct contrast to what happened in Egypt, by gunning down and beating people who were trying to express themselves peacefully."
Meanwhile, earlier Tuesday Iranian lawmakers called for the death penalty for opposition leaders they accused of starting Monday's protests.
At an open session of parliament Tuesday, pro-government legislators chanted "death to Mousavi, Karroubi and Kahatami," referring to opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi and former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
A statement signed by 220 lawmakers said "we believe the people have lost their patience and demand capital punishment" for the opposition leaders.
While hardline leaders have previously accused the opposition leaders of fomenting dissent, Tuesday marks a sharp escalation, with lawmakers actually calling for the death penalty for the men.
The statement said the opposition leaders were "corrupts on earth," according to the official IRNA news agency.
In Iran, an Islamic state, the charge of being "corrupt on earth" carries with it the death penalty.
Karroubi and Mousavi have strenuously denied accusations they are plotting to overthrow the government.
Alireza Nourizadeh, of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies, said the Iranian government has maintained for months that earlier protests were nothing more than a blip on the country's political radar, and that they were long over with.
Monday's demonstrations proved the desire for regime change is still strong in Iran, he said.
"Yesterday the Iranian people showed they are there, the movement is still alive," he told CTV's Canada AM.
"Thousands and thousands of people came to the streets of Tehran and 11 other cities...and there were clashes, one demonstrator was killed by security forces and 60 to 70 were injured, and there were hundreds of arrests. But I think the determination is there and we're going to see more and more of these kinds of demonstrations."
Nourizadeh said the recent protests in Iran stand out from those in the past because they aren't about election fraud or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Rather, protesters have been calling for widespread change, similar to demands made in Egypt in recent weeks.
However, Nourizadeh said Iran's status as an Islamic state makes it difficult for demonstrators to stage effective protests and to make their voices heard.
"In Iran you are dealing with a government of Allah, therefore they can justify anything: 'You said no to Amhmadinejad, therefore you are against god.' So they can justify your execution, or putting you in prison," he said.
On Tuesday parliament speaker Ali Larijani accused the U.S. and its allies of meddling in Iranian affairs and supporting the opposition protests.
In December 2009, eight people were killed in large anti-government protests. Government and religious leaders are expected to maintain the pressure Tuesday on opposition party leaders to prevent similar large-scale break-out demonstrations.
