US PRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday praised the bravery of Iranians who protested against a disputed election in the face of "outrageous" violence, as a hardline Iranian cleric called for the execution of leading "rioters".
Iran's legislative body, the Guardian Council, said it found no major violations in the 12 June presidential poll, which it described as the "healthiest" since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but said 10 per cent of ballot boxes would be recounted.
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he council has rejected a call for the annulment of the vote by reformist former prime minister Mirhossein Mousavi, who has led mass protests since he was declared a distant second in the election behind the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"I want the judiciary to … punish leading rioters firmly and without showing any mercy," Ahmad Khatami told worshippers at Tehran University.
Iranian state television said that eight Basij militiamen were killed by "rioters" during the protests in the world's fifth-largest oil exporter. State media had previously said 20 people were killed in the marches.
"The rights of the Iranian people to assemble, to speak freely, to have their voices heard, those are universal aspirations," Mr Obama said. "Their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice. The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous."
Iranian authorities have accused Mr Mousavi of responsibility for the bloodshed, while he says the government is to blame.
Mr Khatami, a member of the Assembly of Experts, said the judiciary should charge the leading "rioters" as mohareb – one who wages war against God – the punishment for which is execution under Iran's Islamic law.
