French President Nicolas Sarkozy has denounced the Iranian government's "brutal" reaction to demonstrators protesting the nation's disputed election.

Sarkozy calls the situation in Iran "extremely alarming" and says Iran's clampdown on demonstrators was "totally disproportionate."

Sarkozy said Tuesday: "The ruling power claims to have won the elections ... if that were true, we must ask why they find it necessary to imprison their opponents and repress them with such violence."