Following renewed street protests ensuing the Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran's police department puts the number of those arrested in the demonstrations at 40.

"Weeks after peace was restored in Tehran following the disputed June 12 presidential election, the Friday prayers sermons turned into a scene of conflict between police forces and supporters of candidates," police said in a statement.

"Police tried to warn protestors against gathering in the streets, but was later forced to disperse them," the statement added.

Hundreds of thousands of people attended the Friday Prayers led by influential cleric and politician Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani on July 17.

Leading opposition figures Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who claim that the vote was rigged and refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the incoming administration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, were also present at the Prayer service.

While Hashemi-Rafsanjani criticized authorities for their handling of the country's presidential election and the post-vote unrest, opposition supporters staged rallies and chanted slogans against the incoming administration from outside.

Clashes erupted outside the Tehran University campus as security forces reacted by again using violence and tear gas to disperse protesters.

The official announcement of the number of those arrested after Friday's prayers come as Iranian authorities had previously announced that more than 2,500 people were arrested over the course of the unrest following the June 12 vote.

Iran's Prosecutor-General Qorban-Ali Dorri Najafabadi said earlier that from among approximately 2,500 detainees, 2,000 people had been released, adding that the remaining 500 individuals would be subject to court action.

SF/SC/CS