Iran wags accusing finger at West

Tehran : Iran yesterday accused Western countries of fomenting deadly anti-government protests in the capital this week and said it was summoning Britain's ambassador to file a complaint.

The comments by Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mahmanparast added to growing tensions between Iran and the West, which is threatening to impose tough new sanctions over Iran's suspect nuclear programme.

As many as eight people were killed in clashes in Tehran on Sunday. There was no serious violence reported yesterday, but opposition websites said several activists were arrested, including a prominent journalist and the sister of Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi.

Speaking to reporters, Mehmanparast said the deadly clashes in Tehran were the work of a tiny minority, and he accused outside countries, including the US and Britain, of "miscalculating" by siding with the protesters.

"Some Western countries are supporting this sort of activity. This is intervention in our internal affairs. We strongly condemn it," he said.

Meanwhile, Tehran summoned British envoy Simon Gass over his government's criticism of an Iranian crackdown on an opposition protest.

"The British ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry and the Islamic republic's protest was submitted regarding this country's interference in our internal affairs," Fars news agency reported without elaborating.

US building case for curbs

Britain, France, Germany and the US have all criticised Iran's violent response to the protests, the bloodiest confrontations between the government and reformist activists since June's disputed presidential election.

On Monday, President Barack Obama praised "the courage and the conviction of the Iranian people" while condemning the Tehran regime for attacking demonstrators with "the iron fist of brutality."

Travelling with Obama in Hawaii, US National Security Council chief of staff Denis McDonough also said the White House is reaching out to international partners to build support for a new round of sanctions against Iran. He said the US was exploring both unilateral or UN sanctions.

The sanctions are to punish Iran for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment and accept a US-backed plan to curb its nuclear programme. The West suspects Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb — a charge Tehran denies.

Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, said the US support for the protesters would only harm their cause. "The praise ... will damage your reputation and clarifies the motives of this anti-religious group," he told state radio.

The exact death toll from Sunday's violence is still not clear. The government had said eight people were killed, but yesterday, Tehran's chief prosecutor said he was investigating only seven deaths.

One reason for the confusion is that the government has taken the bodies of five slain protesters, including the nephew of opposition leader Mir Hussain Mousavi, in what appears to be an attempt to prevent activists from using their funerals as a platform for more demonstrations. The government says it is conducting autopsies.

Police vehicles burnt

In Sunday's protests, groups of emboldened demonstrators chanted slogans against ruling clerical establishment, casting aside a traditional taboo in the country.

In outbursts of fury rarely seen in past street confrontations, they burned squad cars and motorcycles belonging to security forces who had opened fire on the crowds, according to witness accounts, opposition websites and amateur videos posted on the Web.

State-run television reported eight deaths and 60 people injured.

Iranian authorities said 300 people were arrested in the protests, but did not specify where they were detained. Since then, authorities have restricted internet access and SMS services, and arrested at least ten prominent opposition activists, including a former foreign minister and a top aide to Mousavi.

The opposition website Greenroad reported seven more arrests on Monday night: Among them were Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, a journalist who frequently criticises the government, and university professor Noushin Ebadi, the sister of the Nobel winner.

Others included the son of a prominent cleric, a reporter for the opposition ILNA news agency, and several activists.

Shirin Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her human-rights efforts in Iran, said in a phone interview from London that she had called her sister on Monday and that the conversation had led to the punishment.

"She was warned not to contact me," she said. "She is detained for the sake of me. She was neither politically active nor had a role in any rally."

A Dubai television company said on Monday that it had not heard from its correspondent in Iran since he disappeared near his Tehran house on Sunday.