Protests as Ahmadinejad sworn in as Iran president

By Parisa Hafezi and Zahra Hosseinian

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term as Iran's president on Wednesday in a ceremony boycotted by reformist leaders and parliamentarians and marred by street protests over his victory.

The 53-year-old hard-liner took his oath of office nearly eight weeks after a disputed election that unleashed the worst unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution and divided the political and clerical elite.

Ahmadinejad said Iran wanted peaceful coexistence with the world but would resist any "bullying" power.

"Internationally, we seek peace and security. But because we want this for all of humanity, we oppose injustice, aggression and the high-handedness of some countries," he said.

Former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who support Ahmadinejad's main political rival, Mirhossein Mousavi, boycotted the inauguration.

Most of parliament's 70 reformist legislators also stayed away, the official IRNA news agency said.

Riot police were out in force in nearby streets. Witnesses said hundreds of Mousavi supporters gathered near parliament.

"I was beaten by police who wanted to disperse protesters," said a witness, who declined to give her name.

Another witness said dozens of protesters gathered near Tehran's Bazaar.

"They were chanting Allah-u Akbar (God is greatest) and Mousavi we support you. But riot police dispersed them," said a witness from southern Tehran, where the Bazaar is located.

Police arrested at least 10 protesters, witnesses said.

Mehdi Karoubi, another moderate candidate defeated by Ahmadinejad, criticized the clerical establishment for "suppressing street protests."

"Using frightening methods to suppress people will bear no result. Allow people to protest in the streets and to chant slogans," read a statement on his website, Etemademelli.

U.S. President Barack Obama and the leaders of France, Britain, Italy and Germany all decided not to congratulate Ahmadinejad on his re-election.

"He's been inaugurated. That's a fact. Whether any election was fair, obviously the Iranian people still have questions about that, and we'll let them decide about that," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.