Tehran, June 25: Iran protest leader Mir Hossein Mousavi says he holds those behind alleged “rigged” elections responsible for bloodshed during recent protests.
In a defiant statement on his website, he called for future protests to be in a way which would not “create tension.”
He complained of “complete” restrictions on his access to people and a crackdown on his media group.
A BBC correspondent in Tehran says the statement is a direct challenge to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
“I won’t refrain from securing the rights of the Iranian people… because of personal interests and the fear of threats,” Mr Mousavi said on the website of his newspaper, Kalameh.
There are signs the government is beginning to regain control. Wednesday appears to have had the least protests of any day since the result was announced.
But any idea that the opposition is about to go gently is probably an illusion.
This is an argument within Iran about the future of the country. The two sides have deeply differing views on how Iran should be run, and its place in the world. And neither is about to give ground.
Iran poll row set to rage on
Those who violated the election process “stood beside the main instigators of the recent riots and shed people’s blood on the ground”, Mr Mousavi said, pledging to show how they were involved.
Mr Mousavi spoke of the “recent pressures on me” that are “aimed at making me change my position regarding the annulment of the election”.
He described the clampdowns he and his staff were facing.
“My access to people is completely restricted. Our two websites have many problems and Kalameh Sabz newspaper has been closed down and its editorial members have been arrested,” said Mr Mousavi, who has not been seen in public for days.
“These by no means contribute to improving the national atmosphere and will lead us towards a more violent atmosphere,” he added.
—Agencies