CAIRO AND TEHRAN — The power struggle inside Iran's political class appeared to be intensifying, with reformist and conservative leaders exchanging sharp statements Sunday that blamed each other for last week's deadly street violence, while authorities arrested five family members of one of the nation's most prominent politicians.
The divide between Iran's senior clerics over the direction of the country took on a harsh public tone on a day when an uneasy calm settled over the streets of Tehran. There was no repetition of Saturday's bloody battles between state security forces and demonstrators protesting what they say was a fixed presidential election that kept hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.
But state-owned Press TV reported that the authorities had detained five relatives of former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani -- a senior cleric and an architect of the 1979 Islamic Revolution who is a key backer of reformist opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Among those in custody was Faezeh Hashemi, Rafsanjani's eldest daughter, who was picked up Saturday after she addressed a rally of Mousavi supporters.
All five were later released, according to Press TV and the Associated Press.
The arrests signaled the persistence of rivalries and disputes among Iran's senior clerics. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei supports Ahmadinejad, while reformers such as Rafsanjani back the opposition.
Mousavi appeared unwilling to bend, issuing a statement Sunday on his website telling supporters that "protesting against lies and fraud is your right." His words, however, also cautioned against using violence, urging those who have taken to the streets to "continue to show restraint."
His statement came as tension seemed to ease between security forces and protesters after clashes Saturday in which at least 13 people were killed.
Western officials believe the death toll nationwide has reached 100 since the protests began.
Some news agencies reported sporadic gunshots in Tehran neighborhoods Sunday evening. There were no reports of casualties.
A source inside Tehran's Evin Prison said nearly 1,000 people were detained Saturday. Many were released by the morning.
