Iranian State Media Condemn Mousavi, Protesters: Via Washington Post .

TEHRAN, June 21 -- Government media Sunday lashed out at opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi, suggesting that some of his actions were illegal and blaming terrorists for the deadly clashes here Saturday. But the former prime minister responded by strongly condemning the use of force against the protesters and urged his supporters to stay calm.

Mousavi, who maintains he was cheated of victory in the June 12 election over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, argued in a posting on his banned newspaper's Web site that Iranians have the right to protest against fraud.

"The heart-rending news of the martyrdom of yet another group of protesters to the recent fraud in the elections put our nation in shock and sorrow," Mousavi wrote in the statement.

"Shooting at the people, militarizing the city, scaring the people, provoking them, and displaying power are all the result of the unlawfulness we're witnessing today," Mousavi wrote. "How surprising it is that the people who instigate all this, accuse others of these very events."

Another statement on one of his campaign Web sites denied news reports that the former prime minister had said he was ready for "martyrdom."

Mousavi made no public appearances Sunday and some analysts in Tehran were concerned that the media campaign, which featured at least one militia leader and a law professor questioning the legality of his actions, was preparing the ground for his arrest.

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Iranian state television reported that 10 people died and more than 100 were injured Saturday when clashes broke out between security forces and protesters assembling for a pro-Mousavi rally that authorities had banned. First reports said as many as 13 people had died, but that was later reduced to 10. Foreign journalists have been banned from covering the protests.

The confrontation resulted in fiery chaos, as security forces blocked streets and used tear gas, water cannons and batons to break up the demonstration. Security forces were seen firing warning shots into the air, but there were also reports that several people were hit by gunfire.

Iranian police officials said 457 people were arrested during the protests Saturday, according to the Iranian news agency Mehr. Local residents helped police arrest rioters, the statement said. "In one noteworthy effort," Mehr reported, "with the cooperation of the people and the police, 12 of the people involved in setting fire on Lolagar mosque were arrested."

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The whereabouts of Rafsanjani himself were unknown. Members of the pro-government Basij militia is asking for his daughter, Faezeh, who used to run a magazine promoting women's rights and who has supported Mousavi, and other members of the family to be put on trial for corruption.

The state news agency IRNA carried a lengthy article on Mousavi and quoted Alireza Zahedi, a member of the Basij militia who said that Mousavi is instigating the recent unrest "because he didn't have a following among the people."

"He had to employ mercenaries out of the nationals of a neighboring country to control the unrests," Zahedi said, demanding that Mousavi be is put on trial.

Another semi-official news agency, with strong ties to the Ahmadinejad government quoted a professor at Tehran University who said that Mousavi's actions were criminal. "Through uncivil and illegal means he created an environment for unrest and hooliganism," law professor Firouz Aslani told Fars news. "Contrary to his claims of lawfulness, he acted against the security of the nation and the interests of the system," he said.

The week of unrest has focused attention on the political maneuvering in Iran's normally opaque power circle, especially between Rafsanjani and Khamenei, who announced Friday that he supported Ahmadinejad. In a rare show of criticism, Iran's head of parliament, Ali Larijani, who is known for his extreme loyalty to Khamenei, said that the Guardian Council, the elite group charged with certifying elections, should not side with one candidate.

"Although the Guardian Council is made up of religious individuals, I wish certain members would not side with a certain presidential candidate," said Larijani, according to a Web site affiliated with him.

"The Guardian Council should use every possible means to build trust and convince the protesters that their complaints will be thoroughly looked into," the parliament speaker added.

He also acknowledged the fact that there are serious protests in the country. "A majority of people are of the opinion that the actual election results are different than what was officially announced," Larijani, who for two years led Iran's nuclear negotiating team, said. "The opinion of this majority should be respected and a line should be drawn between them and rioters and miscreants."

He also criticized the state broadcasting service, which he formerly headed, saying that "the IRIB should not act in a way that provokes people." The authorities should provide an atmosphere in which people feel free to express their opinion, Larijani concluded.

Read Original Article:(Via Washington Post.)