BREAKING NEWS

Khatami calls for harsh punishment of riot leaders

A senior Iranian cleric called Friday for the harsh punishment of leaders responsible for the country's post-election protests over the disputed presidential vote. Senior cleric Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami called on the government to punish "leaders of the riots, who were supported by Israel and the US, strongly and with cruelty," during a nationally broadcast Muslim sermon at Teheran University. Khatami also accused foreign journalists of false reporting on the post-election violence in Iran.