Khamenei: Vote result will stand

TEHERAN: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared yesterday that a disputed election result would stand, despite street protests that Iranian officials say Britain and the United States have incited.

"I had insisted and will insist on implementing the law on the election issue," Khamenei said. "Neither the establishment nor the nation will yield to pressure at any cost."

Now that police and religious militia have regained apparent control of the streets after the biggest anti-government protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran's hardline leadership is blaming the discontent on foreign powers.