Shoes,eggs hurled at Iran leader upon arrival in Tehran

Iranian media said hundreds of Rouhani supporters keen to see him make good on pledges of constructive interaction with the world to ease Irans international isolation and get punitive sanctions lifted turned up to hail his UN visit.

But about 100 conservative hardliners also appeared and,shouting the Death to America slogan common since the 1979 Islamic Revolution,pelted his official car with eggs and stones in protest at Rouhanis diplomatic opening towards Washington,according to witness reports posted on Twitter.

The semi-official Mehr news agency ran pictures of groups of protesters holding up a Death to America placard and banging the sides of Rouhanis limousine as it began to depart the airport. Mehr said one protester threw his shoes at the car,a gesture of deep insult in the Islamic faith.

There has been little reaction so far from Irans political leaders but one senior parliamentarian tentatively welcomed Rouhanis conversation with Obama as a sign of the Islamic Republics position of authority.

This (phone call) shows that Irans place in the world is of critical importance. That the president of America insists on a telephone call is a sign of sincerity, Mehr quoted the head of parliaments committee for national security and foreign affairs,Alaeddin Boroujerdi,as saying on Saturday.

The Iranian currency,the rial,climbed against the dollar on the open market by around two percent following the landmark phone call.