Mousavi: Iranians have right to protest lies, fraud in elections
Human rights advocates reporting Iranian security forces beating demonstrators as youths return to streets in continued defiance of regime's demands, crowds said to be chanting 'Death to Khamenei.' Meanwhile PM Netanyahu says world is 'sympathetic to Iranians' desire for freedom'
Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi said on Sunday protests against election rigging were the right of Iranians, his website reported.
"Protesting against lies and fraud (in the election) is your (Iranians) right. Today the country mourns for ... those killed in the protests. I call on you to remain calm," Mousavi said in a statement, published on his website.
Mousavi's supporters have planned a peaceful protest for Monday, which will include a candlelit procession honoring the victims of the deadly clashes. Among these victims is Neda, the young Iranian woman shot and killed Saturday in Tehran, who has become a symbol of the reformist battle. An online video recording her final moments show her standing beside her father among fellow protestors, who were crying out: "Death to the dictator".
Human rights activists in Iran reported earlier Sunday that demonstrators had struck up more protests on the streets of Tehran, after the riots had died down. Protestors were reported to have been chanting: "Death to Khamenei" and "Death to the dictator".
Officers belonging to the Revolutionary Guard's special forces, some dressed in civilian clothing, reportedly shut down a main road in Tehran on which the protest was taking place. Security vehicles and helicopters were also seen to circle the area, and reports said officers were beating protestors with clubs.
Tehran Police announced Sunday evening that more than 450 people were arrested during the violent protests of the previous day. The police statement said protestors "destroyed public property, injured civilians, torched civilian cars and motorcycles, and broke the windows of banks and restaurants".
So far the casualty toll in Iran remains unclear. According to unofficial reports, 50 people have been killed altogether, 19 of them on Saturday. Iran's news networks claim 10 are dead.
'Keep US fingerprints off elections'
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the United States and Britain earlier Sunday to stop interfering in the Islamic Republic's internal affairs after its June 12 presidential election, the ISNA news agency said.
"Definitely by hasty remarks you will not be placed in the circle of friendship with the Iranian nation. Therefore I advise you to correct your interfering stances," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying in a meeting with clerics and scholars.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement, "I reject categorically the idea that the protesters in Iran are manipulated or motivated by foreign countries."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN earlier that she didn't think US spies have meddled in the disputed presidential election.
She said it was important for the US to allow Iran to determine its own election results, and that US fingerprints shouldn't taint the vote tallies.
PM: World sympathetic to Iranians
Meanwhile Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the world supported Iran's reformists. "I have no doubt everybody in the world is sympathetic to the Iranians' desire for freedom," Netanyahu said on NBC's "Meet the Press" when asked about the street demonstrations.He added that he wasn't going to second-guess US President Barack Obama's approach on Iran after the Tehran government's political crackdown. Obama has been criticized by Republicans and others for not saying more in defense of Iranians protesting the outcome of the presidential election.
Netanyahu says he knows Obama wants the Iranian people to be free, and that free people everywhere are amazed by the willingness of the Iranian people to stand up for their rights.
"I think it's too early to say what will transpire in Iran and on the international stage," said Netanyahu, who spoke from Israel. He reiterated Israel's position that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
Also on Sunday the BBC confirmed Iranian authorities have decided to expel its permanent correspondent in Tehran, Jon Leyne. The semi-official Fars News Agency, which said Leyne must leave within 24 hours, also said he was accused of "dispatching fabricated news and reports" and "ignoring neutrality in news.."
He was also accused of "supporting rioters and trampling the Iranian nation's rights," Fars said.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
