Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, defended Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday as the rightful winner of the presidential election.
Iran’s supreme leader will address the nation on Friday for the first time since a disputed election result triggered protests.
Protesters clashed with police after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won an election which his reformist challenger called a ”dangerous charade”.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday told all Iranians to respect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in a presidential election.
Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad resoundingly won Iran’s election, preliminary official results showed on Saturday.
Iranians began voting on Friday in a closely-fought election which pits hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against a former prime minister.
Iranian voters will choose on Friday between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a fierce critic of US ”arrogance”, and his more moderate rivals.
If Iranian voters deny President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-election on Friday, it may be more a verdict on his economic performance.
An Iranian-American journalist accused in Iran of spying for the United States has been jailed for eight years, her lawyer said on Saturday.
Iran on Thursday said it would review an offer of talks on its nuclear programme from the United States and five other world powers.