Khamenei reached beyond Iran to criticise the “media belonging to Zionists, evil media” for seeking to portray Iran as divided and accused what he called arrogant Western powers, particularly Britain and the US, of hostile comments, saying they failed to understand Iranian society. He singled out Britain as the “most treacherous” of the Western powers, prompting the British Foreign Office to swiftly summon Iran’s ambassador in London to complain.

At a news conference after a European Union summit in Brussels, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: “We are with others, including the whole of the European Union unanimously today, in condemning the use of violence, in condemning media suppression.”

In Washington, a Republican-backed initiative to condemn the Iran’s crackdown on the Opposition passed the House.

Khamenei instructed dissenters to pursue their complaints about the June 12 ballot through legal channels, insisting that the turnout, put at 85 per cent, proved that it was a reflection of the national will.

“Sometimes the difference between two candidates, he said, “is 100,000, 500,000, 1 million, so at that time there may be some doubts about cheating. But how can 11 million votes be replaced or changed?... This is a sign of God’s mercy for this nation. The fate of the country should be decided in ballot boxes, not on the streets.”

He refused to give in to what he called “illegal pressure” to annul the election. “If we break the law, we will have to do it in every election and no election would be immune,” he said.

... contd.