tonight on "worldfocus" -- after three straight days of anti-government protests, iran tells the demonstrators to stay off the streets or face a harsh crackdown. we will have the latest. u.s. marines in afghanistan offer a blunt assessment of the very forces that are s. supposed to replace them when they're gone. >> they're not very intelligent. in our segment "beyond the headlines," we'll update you on global fight against the h1n1 virus. and on this christmas eve, how the seas spirit is being celebrated around the world. sometimes in the most unusual of ways. from the world's leading reporters and analysts, here's what's happening from around the world. this is "worldfocus." major support has been provided by rosalind p. walter and the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america'future. and additional funding is provided by the following supporters -- good evening. welcome to "worldfocus." i'm daljit dhaliwal in new york. for anyone who thought iran's opposition movement was losing steam, the past several days have been nothing less than a wake-up call. opposition protesters reinvigorated by the death of the dissident cleric hossein ali montazeri have taken to the streets all across iran. with iran on edge today, the authorities took the extraordinary step of banning memorials for the cleric, once one of its most revered figures. iranian officials also warned any new protests would be dealt with harshly. iran is also making news in washington today with word of a possible last-ditch diplomatic trip by a u.s. emissary. but first, the protests. itn's jonathan rugman filed this report late last night when the demonstrations had moved to the city of isfahan 200 miles southeast of tehran. our "lead focus" contained images from the internet said to be of that demonstration. the authenticity of which cannot be independently confirmed. >> reporter: these photographs of iranian riot police in isfahan appeared on the facebook website as opposition groups claimed many protesters were injured and arrested during clashes involving batons and tear gas. while iran's police chief warned of fierce confrontation unless the protests stop. in isfahan, one protester dared to film this rally using a mobile phone. "death to russia" the crowd shouted, a reverse of the usual "death to america" in a round-about way of shouting down the iranian regime itself. in tehran, the students were much more blunt. "death to the dictator" was their rallying cry, in pictures posted on youtube. as iran's president confronts the biggest domestic challenge in 30 years, he seems to do so by seeking blame elsewhere. this is ahmadinejad telling a crowd in shiraz that britains should pay compensation for first world war occupation. he was defiantly dismissive of america's call for iran to halt its nuclear program. >> translator: the iranian nation will resist until the complete disarmament of america and all the arrogant powers of the world. >> reporter: in october, the west tried persuading iran to ship its uranium overseas. the regime claims the deal was iran's idea, but it still walked away from it anyway. earlier this month, iran tested more long-range missiles, and the americans and europeans are taing about mo sanctions next year. whether the russians and chinese join them is far from clear. ahmadinejad is now talking about building another ten nuclear plants, claiming the issue isn't up for discussion, despite u.n. resolutions ordering iran to stop. and as the u.s. president's end of year deadline for compliance approaches, obama's words back in january now seem a distant memory. >> it is important for us to be willing to talk to iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress. as i said during my inauguration speech, if countries like iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us. >> reporter: so what has changed since then? well, ahmadinejad's disputed re-election leading to waves of internal unrest. and scenes like these on the streets of isfahan today. >> that was jonathan rugman for itn. today there was news of a possible high level visit to iran by a u.s. emissary. senator john kerry, the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee said that he is willing to go to tehran in a