Iran accuses West of backing "rioters"

By Hossein Jaseb

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran Monday accused the West of supporting "rioters" in widespread street unrest that has rocked the Islamic Republic since a disputed June 12 presidential election.

"The promotion of anarchy and vandalism by Western powers and media is by no means acceptable," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told a news conference. He did not rule out the possible expulsion of some European ambassadors in Tehran.

Iran has stepped up allegations of foreign interference in its internal affairs after official results handed hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a landslide victory in the election, sparking days of street protests by his opponents.

Ahmadinejad's main challenger, moderate politician Mirhossein Mousavi, says the vote was rigged, a charge the authorities deny.

Western governments Sunday rejected charges they were interfering in Iran's affairs, saying it must allow peaceful protests and ensure a fair election result.

Foreign countries have played no part in supporting the violent street protests that erupted in Iran after its election, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said.

Qashqavi said: "Contrary to internationally recognized standards ... many European countries and America, instead of inviting people to democratic institutions and instead of emphasizing legal channels, they generally supported the rioters and opportunists."

Asked whether expelling some foreign ambassadors was an option, Qashqavi said he would neither confirm nor deny this as Iran was still studying possible action.

He also said Iranian diplomatic missions had been damaged during election-related protests in other countries, including Germany.

"We don't think that anybody would be able to attack a diplomatic center without the government and local police being informed," he said.

Referring to the tight race between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and other U.S. Presidential elections, Qashqavi said:

"No one in that race encouraged the American people to stage a riot or anything like that and it was actually the (U.S. Supreme Court) that solved the issue."

He said high turnout of 85 percent in this month's Iranian presidential election is "like a brilliant gem which is shining on the peak of dignity of the Iranian nation and we won't allow Western media to turn this gem into a worthless stone."

(Additional reporting by Zahra Hosseinian and Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Sophie Hares)