TEHRAN, Dec 6: Iran's beleaguered President Mohammad Khatami was given a turbulent reception from university students in Tehran on Monday, bombarded with jeers and insults over his failure to deliver on promised reforms.

In a difficult appearance marking national students day, the embattled and isolated pro-reform leader even complained to students - who he could once count on as his main supporters - of being "humiliated and destroyed".

As Presient Khatami joined the gathering in the downtown Tehran University conference hall, some 300 out of the 1,500 students present shouted slogans including "Khatami shame on you", "Khatami we detest you" and "Khatami, our votes were wasted on you" - a reflection of widespread frustration with his perceived weakness in office.

The president also had to sit through a series of speeches from student activists, some heavily critical of his failure to push through his reform agenda and others from angry hard liners deeply opposed to his moderate tendencies. -AFP