9:30am UK, Sunday June 14, 2009

More than 100 political activists have been arrested in Iran following yesterday’s controversial election result, reformists say.

Protests hit Tehran as President Ahmadinejad remains defiant

Mohammad Reza Khatami, the brother of ex-president Mohammad Khatami, is among those being held, leading reformist Mohammad Ali Abtahi told the Reuters news agency.

The groups had given their staunch backing to leading opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi during the election, which was won by the incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

President Ahmadinejad remains defiant over his re-election, despite the worst protests seen in the capital Tehran since the Islamic revolution 30 years ago.

Thousands of demonstrators who have accused the authorities of vote-rigging clashed with police following the hardliner’s disputed victory.

Sky’s foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall, speaking from Tehran, said police on motorbikes with batons were hitting protesters, who were armed with stones, sticks and petrol bombs.

Mr Mousavi has branded the election result a “dangerous charade”.

Marshall said his opposition supporters were “absolutely stunned” by their defeat – not just by the loss, but the alleged scale of the loss.

Meanwhile, the international community appears to be resigning itself to the prospect of four more years of hardline government.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said allegations of electoral fraud were for the authorities in Tehran to address.

He added his priority was to see Iran engage with the world community, particularly on the issue of its nuclear ambitions.

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton weighed in, saying America was “waiting and watching to see what the Iranian people decide”.

Mr Mousavi had sparked hopes among many young Iranians that the country might make a move towards more liberal social conditions and a less confrontational relationship with the outside world.

But the recognition of the vote by Iran’s Supreme Leader means it is “just about game over” for the opposition, Marshall said.

He added: “Anyone who then stands up to it is standing up to the Ayatollah. There’s one thing you cannot do in Iran – you cannot criticise the Ayatollah.

“Mr Mousavi is shouting ‘cheat’ but the problem is the message is not getting through because his normal lines of communication are not working.”