Ahmadinejad’s body odour plays into West’s hands

As Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attempted to lay the blame for the crisis in Iran at President Obama's door a new explanation of the West's softly, softly approach has emerged, concerning the Iranian leader's personal hygiene - and its diplomatic repercussions.

It has been claimed that Ahmadinejad suffers from bad body odour and this so offends the Chinese that they are unlikely to ever throw their political support behind him. This will keep Iran isolated and delay its nuclear programme, playing into the hands of Britain and the US.

The reports surfaced on gossip website Popbitch, which says that Ahmadinejad smells "like a billy-goat".

Meanwhile the White House has dismissed Ahmadinejad's attempts to blame the US for the problems in Iran.

Ahmadinejad had criticised Obama for condemning Iranian violence against protesters. Earlier in the week Obama cautioned Iranian authorities that the "tired strategy of using old tensions to scapegoat other countries won't work anymore".

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAN:

• Mir Hossein Mousavi has maintained his pressure on the regime, blaming those behind the "rigged" results for the bloodshed. In a statement on his website, he said: "I am not ready to stop demanding the rights of the Iranian people."

• G8 foreign ministers, meeting in Italy, have said they "deplore" the post-election violence in Iran. In a statement, they urged Iran "to respect fundamental human rights" and settle the crisis "through democratic dialogue and peaceful means".

• Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a senior cleric and one-time rival to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called for an impartial committee to resolve the crisis. "If Iranians cannot talk about their legitimate rights at peaceful gatherings and are instead suppressed, complexities will build up which could possibly uproot the foundations of the government, no matter how powerful," he said.

• After the death of Neda Soltan it is reported that two women were among at least five students killed after security forces raided Tehran University halls of residence last week. It is claimed another young woman was shot dead at a gathering outside parliament on Wednesday. Female involvement in the protests has become a symbol of Mousavi's liberal values - but there are claims that female protestors are being singled out by security forces.

• Calls for the release of photo-journalist Iason Athanasiadis are growing. His family, MEPs, and journalist organisations in Greece have all called for him to be freed. Nothing has been heard of him since it was announced earlier this week that he had been arrested at Tehran airport as he was leaving the country.