The U.S. and Britain have denied the accusations. But government-owned IRIB TV launched a scathing attack on the BBC's Persian channel, accusing it of using tactics reminiscent of Britain's imperial days.
"Soft war is a neo-colonialist method to intervene in the domestic affairs of other countries," Iran TV stated. "In order to achieve its colonialist goals, it tries to change other countries' situations through the BBC channel by broadcasting false reports and contradictory analysis."
Jon Leyne, the BBC's Tehran bureau chief, was given 24 hours to leave the country. And Maziar Bahari, a correspondent for Newsweek, was reportedly arrested at his home Sunday morning, the magazine said.
Remaining foreign journalists have been warned not to go to the scenes of unauthorized demonstrations.
Khamenei appears unmoved by international criticism. He has rebuffed Mousavi's demand that the election be annulled and has instead turned to security forces and government-backed militias to crack down on protesters.
The arrests of Rafsanjani's family members caught some observers by surprise, however, particularly since Khamenei had appeared to reach out to his rival during a sermon Friday.
Rafsanjani, 75, sits on two influential organizations, including one that can elect and dismiss the supreme leader. He heads the Expediency Council, which mediates disputes between parliament and the presidency, and the Assembly of Experts, which oversees the office of the supreme leader.
The conservative, privately owned Fars news agency quoted a security official as saying the detentions of Rafsanjani's family members were carried out to protect them from assassination by terrorist groups and rioters who would blame the government in an effort to create more turmoil.
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jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com
Times staff writer Borzou Daragahi in Tehran contributed to this report.
