TEHRAN: Iran on Tuesday 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 program and has criticized the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in Tehran. Iran has said as many as eight people were killed in Sunday’s clashes in Tehran.
There was no serious violence reported Tuesday, but opposition websites said several activists were arrested, including a prominent journalist and the sister of Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi. Mahmanparast told reporters 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 activities. This is intervention in our internal affairs. We strongly condemn it,” he said. “In this regard, the British ambassador will be summoned today.” He gave no further details, and there was no immediate reaction from Britain. Britain, France, Germany and the US have all criticized 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 Iranian government for attacking demonstrators with “the iron fist of brutality.”
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 opposition website Greenroad reported seven more arrests overnight Tuesday: Among them were Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, a journalist who criticizes the government, and university professor Noushin Ebadi, the sister of the Nobel winner.
Others included the son of a prominent ayatollah, a reporter for the opposition ILNA news agency, and several activists.
