Iran’s police chief today warned the opposition movement that their emails and text messages are being monitored and that those who use SMS, emails or other web tools to organise protests will be severely punished.

General Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam said the police would show no mercy. He was quoted by the state-run Iranian Students News Agency as saying “Attending illegal gatherings, rioting and insulting the sacred are reason for police reaction,” but “those who organize the gathering commit a bigger crime.”

Ahmadi-Moghaddam also warned the opposition supporters using proxy servers to disguise their location that it was mistake to believe proxies could prevent the government from identifying them.