Reporting from Tehran and Beirut — Despite a violent crackdown on their protests and the closing off of legal channels to challenge a disputed election, opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went on the offensive today, decrying his government as "illegitimate" and vowing to continue their fight to have the vote annulled.
"From now on we will have a government which, from the point of view of ties with the public, is in the weakest of positions," defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi wrote in a statement posted on his website and quickly distributed via e-mail. "A majority of society, of which I personally am a member, do not accept the legitimacy of this government."
Hours earlier, in a potentially sharp escalation of the rift within the Iranian establishment, the pro-government Basiji militia asked prosecutors to investigate Mousavi on numerous charges including "disturbing the nation's security," according to a report by the pro-government Fars news agency.
After two weeks of street clashes, Tehran has remained calm over the last several days. But the latest moves by both sides show that the election controversy continues to grip the Islamic Republic despite official attempts to put days of rioting, massive protests and an ongoing crackdown behind.
The continued political posturing and rhetoric over the election came as the Interior Ministry, controlled by a wealthy confidant of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ordered that election-related political activities stop now that the Guardian Council, which is headed by another ally of the president, has confirmed Ahmadinejad's reelection.
"Any activities by the election headquarters in provinces, cities and districts will no longer have a legal basis," the Interior Ministry said in a statement published today on the website of Iran's state-run Press TV news channel.
The government's actions are part of a broad attempt to use the instruments of state to neutralize a movement built on the presidential election campaigns of Mousavi and former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and the belief among their supporters that Ahmadinejad and his powerful allies, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei, stole the June 12 election.
Along with Mousavi's e-mail, Karroubi and a leading opposition party also issued statements today sharply criticizing the government.
