Iran: Barack Obama turns up the heat

After 11 days of observing the protests in Iran and being careful not to upset Washington's fragile relationship with Tehran, Barack Obama yesterday turned up the heat when he said America had been "appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings and imprisonments of the last few days".

The US President said: "I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost."

He said of the death of Neda Soltani, the 26-year-old student who was shot by a government sniper on Saturday and became an instant icon of the reformist movement: "Those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history."

The President also said that Tehran's accusations against foreigners - Supreme Leader Khamenei singled out Britain as the "most evil" of foreign powers during last Friday's sermon - were "an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place within Iran's borders".

Obama's remarks came at the end of a day which, according to reports coming out of Tehran this morning, may have been the final day of visible street protests, but which saw several political and diplomatic developments:

♦ Britain expelled two Iranian diplomats from London following the expulsion of two British diplomats from Tehran on Monday accused of spying. Gordon Brown, announcing the tit-for-tat expulsions in the Commons, said there was no substance to Iran's spying claim.

♦ The Guardian Council - the body of 12 clerics which administered the election - finally ruled out a rerun of the election and set the timetable for President Ahmadinejad's inauguration - sometime between July 26 and August 19. "Fortunately, in the recent presidential election we found no witness of major fraud or breach in the election," said the council's spokesman, Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei.

♦ The French government summoned Iran's ambassador for the second time in a week to condemn what it called the "brutal repression" of protests. The Czech Republic, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden also summoned Iranian envoys.

♦ The Tehran government accused UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon of interfering in its state affairs after he urged authorities on Monday to stop using force against civilians and to respect civil rights in dealing with protestors.

♦ Four Iranian footballers who wore green wristbands to show solidarity with the reformists during a World Cup qualifier against South Korea last week were banned from playing again for the national team.

♦ More foreign reporters have been arrested in Tehran, including the freelance photo-journalist Iason Athanasiadis, whose picture essay for The First Post, 'Children of the Revolution', included defining images of the young Iranians seeking reform.