TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian student protesters responded defiantly yesterday to the government's arrest of four of their leaders, announcing they would conduct a referendum in at least 14 universities in Tehran as early as next week.

If carried out, the referendum will measure the popularity of the clerical government among students at the universities, according to a statement released by an umbrella student organization, the Office For Consolidating Unity.

The crackdown against the students has intensified since Iran's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said last week that the protests were the work of the enemy and that they would be suppressed. His call was heeded by thousands of hard-line militia forces, who staged rallies this week and clashed with pro-democracy protesters.

The nationwide student protests erupted two weeks ago in support of a history lecturer, Hashem Aghajari, who was sentenced to death for criticizing the government in a speech.