Iran Terror 3241

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the government would not give in to pressure over the disputed election.

Iran says pro-opposition demonstrators have been backed by the West, the United States and Britain in particular. London and Washington have rejected the accusations.

As tensions rose with the West, Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, said he would not attend a G8 meeting in Italy on the situation in Afghanistan. Western diplomats had seen the event, a ministerial conference ahead of the July G8 meeting in L'Aquila, as a rare chance for Group of Eight nations to sit down with regional powers such as Iran to discuss shared goals for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

At least 10 protesters were killed in the worst violence on Saturday, and at least seven more early last week. State media has blamed the violence on "terrorists" and "vandals".

Asked about the issue of downgrading relations with Britain, Mr Mottaki told reporters, "We are reviewing this issue."

In London, a Foreign Office spokesman said: "Iran's decision to try to turn what are internal matters for Iran into a conflict with the UK - and others - is deeply regrettable and without foundation in fact." Distributed by Tubemogul.