A group of hardliners surrounded the home of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi in Tehran, shouting death slogans and calling for him to be put on trial, reports said on Monday.

The Fars news agency identified the small crowd which gathered on Sunday outside the building where Karroubi lives as "students and families of martyrs" of the Iran-Iraq war.

Pictures carried by the pro-government Borna news agency showed the building had been defaced with red coloring, and slogans pronouncing "Death to Karroubi" had been scribbled on the walls.

The walls had also been plastered with death slogans against main opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and former president Mohammad Khatami.

"We want the judiciary to put the leaders of sedition on trial as soon as possible," Fars quoted the protesters as saying. They also denounced Karroubi as a "hypocrite" –the term used by Iranian officials for the enemies of state.

One of Karroubi’s relatives confirmed the incident to AFP and said the cleric would soon make a statement.

-AFP/NOW Lebanon