Correspondents in Tehran | August 04
IRAN's Supreme Leader officially endorsed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election yesterday, saying it reflected the people's support for a fight against arrogance and for justice.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved Mr Ahmadinejad's second term during a televised ceremony in Tehran attended by other regime leaders.
"Iranian people have voted in favour of a fight against arrogance, to confront destitution and spread justice," state-owned al-Alam television quoted Ayatollah Khamenei as saying.
Mr Ahmadinejad will take the oath of office before Iran's parliament tomorrow.
There were no immediate calls for protests to coincide with yesterday's ceremony, but authorities strengthened security patrols in Tehran.
In a sign of the high-level discord over the election, the powerful former president Hashemi Rafsanjani did not attend the ceremony.
Mr Rafsanjani has become a bitter political foe of Mr Ahmadinejad and is believed to have raised questions about the election results among the ruling clerics.
Meanwhile, criticism of Iran's mass prosecution of activists widened yesterday with the main conservative challenger to Mr Ahmadinejad demanding authorities also seek punishment for those accused of killing protesters.
The sharp rebuke by Mohsen Rezaei also showed the broad scope of opposition to the crackdowns after the disputed June 12 elections.
Conservatives such as Mr Rezaei have increasingly joined ranks with liberal factions to denounce the harsh actions taken by Iran's leadership including sweeping arrests, media blackouts and attacks blamed for at least 30 deaths.
Source: The Australian
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