Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has rejected a government
proposal to conduct a partial recount of presidential election votes --
again insisting that the results be annulled.
In a statement on his Web site, Mr. Mousavi questioned the impartiality
and fairness of the proposed panel that would conduct the recount.
Iran's Guardian Council had offered to randomly recount 10 percent of
the ballots from the June 12 vote that members of the opposition allege
was rigged.
The massive street demonstrations that took place following the
disputed election have mostly subsided after hundreds of arrests and a
continuing heavy police presence.
Also Saturday, election-winner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated
his criticism of U.S. President Barack Obama and said the United States
is interfering in Iran's affairs.
On Friday, President Obama called post-election violence against
protesters in Iran "outrageous." He also said any direct dialogue or
diplomacy with Iran will be affected by recent events.
Iran's foreign ministry also denounced a statement from the Group of
Eight industrialized countries. The group deplored the violence in Iran
and urged Iran to respect human rights and free speech. A spokesman for
the ministry (Hasan Qashqavi) was quoted by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency as accusing the G8 of intervening, and making "hasty remarks."
The official death toll from violence since the disputed vote is 17, but witnesses say it is much higher.
Iran's crackdown has included heavy restrictions on reporting and the
arrest of dozens of university professors, dissidents, journalists and
ordinary citizens.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch says Iranian paramilitary forces,
known as Basijis, have been carrying out nighttime raids on private
homes to stop protest chants.
Since the election, many supporters have taken to their rooftops in a
nightly ritual to shout "Allahu akbar" -- God is Greatest, a tactic
also used during Iran's Islamic Revolution 30 years ago.
A report published Saturday by the pro-government Fars news agency says
police in Tehran seized a building that was operating as a campaign
center for an unnamed presidential candidate. According to the report,
police claim the building was being used as a "command center for
psychological warfare against Iran's national security."
On Friday, in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, angry protesters threw
stones and rushed the gates of the Iranian embassy. The official IRNA
news agency reported Saturday that Iran summoned Swedish Ambassador
Magnus Werndstedt in response to what it called a "terrorist attack"
that injured an embassy employee.