TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday called for the leaders of the opposition to be prosecuted over Iran’s post-election turmoil, stepping up pressure against the pro-reform movement that says he won the election by fraud.

It was the first time Ahmadinejad has made such a call, publicly siding with politicians, clerics and commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard who have demanded in recent weeks that opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and his top allies be arrested.

Ahmadinejad took an even tougher line than his top ally, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who earlier this week said he saw no evidence that opposition leaders were tools of Iran’s foreign enemies, a claim that hard-liners have made.

The government has already put on trial more than 100 senior figures and activists from the pro-reform opposition, accusing them of being part of a foreign-backed plot to overthrow the government through a “velvet revolution.” Prosecutors allege that the wave of mass protests that erupted after the election claiming fraud were instigated by the opposition to spark that revolution.

But so far, despite hard-liners’ calls, there has been no move to arrest the very top rung of the opposition — Mousavi and his allies Mahdi Karroubi and former President Mohammad Khatami.

In a harshly worded statement, Khatami lashed out at hard-liners, saying they were accused of “treason” in the public’s eyes because of the fraudulent vote. He said the claims that the opposition protests were part of a foreign plot were a “very big mistake” and aimed to “justify violent, illegal and monopolistic behavior” by the government.

Ahmadinejad’s comments came in a speech to thousands ahead of the weekly Friday prayers in Tehran. He said those on trial were “deceived” into participating in the alleged plot and that the leaders should be punished.

“These deceived and second-tier elements have to be dealt with Islamic mercy. Don’t give immunity and protection to the main elements and punish the deceived and second-tier elements,” he said. “Serious confrontation has to be against the leaders and key elements, against those who organized and provoked (the riots) and carried out the enemy’s plan. They have to be dealt with seriously,” he said.