Protests as Iran's Ahmadinejad sworn in as president: Via Reuters.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in as Iran's president on Wednesday in a ceremony boycotted by reformist leaders and parliamentarians and marred by street protests over his victory.

The 53-year-old hard-liner took his oath of office nearly eight weeks after a disputed election that unleashed the worst unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution and divided the political and clerical elite.

Ahmadinejad said Iran wanted peaceful coexistence with the world but would resist any "bullying" power.

"Internationally, we seek peace and security. But because we want this for all of humanity, we oppose injustice, aggression and the high-handedness of some countries," he said.

Former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who support Mousavi, boycotted the inauguration. The official IRNA news agency said most of parliament's 70 reformist legislators also stayed away.

Riot police were out in force in nearby streets. Witnesses said hundreds of supporters of Ahmadinejad's main political rival, Mirhossein Mousavi, gathered near parliament.

"I was beaten by police who wanted to disperse protesters," said a witness, who declined to give her name.
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Mousavi at Tehran cemetery to mourn unrest victims: Via Reuters.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi arrived at a Tehran cemetery Thursday to join mourners who had gathered to commemorate victims of the unrest that erupted after the June presidential election, witnesses said.

Mourners at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery clung to his car, chanting 'Mousavi we support you', the witness said.

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Clinton says Iran unable to respond to overtures: Via Reuters on washingtonpost.com .

LONDON (Reuters) - The United States is still willing to 'reach out' to Iran but political turmoil there means Tehran is not now in a position to respond, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the BBC on Thursday.

President Barack Obama made diplomatic overtures to Iran before its June 12 election, but Clinton told the BBC: "We haven't had any response."

She added: "We've certainly reached out and made it clear that's what we'd be willing to do, even now, despite our absolute condemnation of what they've done in the election and since, but I don't think they have any capacity to make that kind of decision right now."
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Iran police chief says opposition incites sedition - washingtonpost.com: Via Reuters on washingtonpost.com .

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's police chief accused the opposition on Tuesday of "inciting sedition" after last month's disputed presidential election and said his force would act firmly to uphold the law.

"This group of individuals voices the slogan of law abidance but they themselves do not observe the law ... they are sheer liars," the official IRNA news agency quoted Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam as saying.

He accused the opposition of seeking to sow discord in the Islamic Republic, adding that "security forces should ... act firmly in line with the defense of the law."

Deputy police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said there were rumors of new "illegal gatherings" in Tehran later on Tuesday but that the security forces would firmly confront any such protests, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported.
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Cleric says Iran in crisis, police fight protesters: Via Reuters.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - In apparent defiance of Iran's supreme leader, a powerful cleric declared his country in crisis after a disputed poll, and tens of thousands of protesters used Friday prayers to stage the biggest show of dissent for weeks.

Clashes erupted later in central Tehran between police and followers of opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi, who still contests the election result that showed hardline President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad had been re-elected by a wide margin.

"Police fired tear gas and beat supporters of Mousavi in Keshavarz Boulevard," a witness said, adding that protesters were carrying hundreds of green banners -- Mousavi's campaign color -- and chanting 'Ahmadinejad, resign, resign'."

Former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a moderate who backed Mousavi's election campaign, said many Iranians had doubts about the official result of the June 12 vote.
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