A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry today called the arrest of opposition leaders an internal matter, saying no foreign country has the right to interfere.
Referring to the recent flurry of news regarding MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters: “This matter must not be turned into a pretext for the U.S. and some Western countries to intensify their longstanding campaign of influence over the nations of the region and, by changing the subject, diverting attention to unreal topics.”
“If anyone wants to hear the opinion of the people of Iran, they should pay attention to the opinion of the majority, which was repeated on the 32nd anniversary of the 1979 Revolution and indicated the firm support of the people for the regime,” Mehmanparast added, referring to the annual march on February 11, the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution, which led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic.
There has been no direct news from MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and their wives, who were put under house arrest after the opposition leaders called for a rally on February 14 to show solidarity with recent Arab uprisings.
The government has emphasized that the opposition leaders will be prevented from issuing any further announcements. All four captives are cut off from any outside communication. Opposition websites have reported that they have in fact been transferred to prison and are no longer in their homes.
The authorities have so far denied the news, but the government has refrained from taking any official legal action against the leaders, and no official government body has taken responsibility for their arrest.
U.S. and German governments have condemned the treatment of the Iranian opposition leaders and called for their immediate release.
