Mousavi Fights On as Ahmadinejad Bashes Obama

Iranian opposition leader may be under house arrest
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 25, 2009 7:16 AM CDT
Mousavi Fights On as Ahmadinejad Bashes Obama
Supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossien Mousavi during a protest in Tehran on Saturday, June, 20, 2009.   (AP Photo)

Mir Hossein Mousavi said today that the Iranian regime has pressured him to drop his challenges to the disputed election, but that he would resist any efforts to abridge his "constitutional right to protest." The opposition leader has not been seen in public for days, reports the Guardian, and he wrote on his website today that his "access to people is completely restricted"—reinforcing speculation he might be detained or under house arrest.

Mousavi's statement came as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at the United States for meddling in Iranian affairs. He called Barack Obama's recent remarks a "mistake" and accused him of saying "things that previously Bush used to say." Ahmadinejad held a victory celebration last night that more than 100 legislators failed to attend, suggesting a deep split among the political class. But the president still has the support of the military and security agencies, who continue to arrest hundreds of political opponents.
(More Mir Hossein Mousavi stories.)

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