Iran in ‘crisis’ - opposition leader

Opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi said Iran was in ’serious crisis’ and called for the immediate release of supporters arrested after the June presidential vote, his website reported on Friday.

‘Arresting or killing Mousavi, (another opposition leader Mehdi) Karoubi… will not calm the situation,’ Mousavi said in a statement published by his Kaleme website.

‘I am not afraid to die for people’s demands … Iran is in serious crisis … Harsh remarks … will create internal uprising … the election law should be changed … political prisoners should be freed,’ his statement said.

Anti-government protests erupted in Iran after its disputed 12 June presidential election, which secured President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election.

The continuing protests have plunged Iran into its worst internal crisis in the Islamic Republic’s 30-year history.

Hardline leaders have accused opposition leaders of fomenting unrest and called for them to be punished. Read more at www.rte.ie