Javad Qadimi, a spokesman for the Electoral Commission,told the Iran newspaper that returns to date showed pro-Khatami candidates sweeping at least 12 of the 15 city council seats.

Led by former interior minister Abdollah Nouri, the reformers had shut out their rivals from the conservative clerical establishment in Friday's landmark polls, Qadimi said. Other newspapers carried similar results.However, officials said it was unclear when final results of the balloting, which featured 4,000 candidates in Tehran and some 300,000 nationwide, would be released.

Tehran -- the intellectual, commercial and political centre of the country is seen as a focus in the fierce struggle between hard-liners and moderates within the Islamic government.

Women were front-runners in at least 20cities, the results showed. Nearly all of them are supporters of Khatami, who has encouraged women to play a larger role in Iran's political life.