Some Iranian clerics criticize Ahmadinejad

Some of Iran's powerful clerics on Sunday criticized the government crackdown on protest and have spoken in favor of opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi, according to Reuters.

Moderate former president Mohammad Khatami showed increased opposition among pro-reform clerics to Iran's conservative leadership.

"Preventing people from expressing their demands through civil ways will have dangerous consequences," said Khatami, a Mousavi ally, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.

Further criticism of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for backing a ban on protests came from Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the most senior dissident cleric.

"Resisting people's demand is religiously prohibited," said Montazeri, a leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution who fell out with the present leadership and has been under house arrest for some years. In a statement on his website, Montazeri called for three days of national mourning for those killed.

At about the same time on Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Amadinejad told U.S. President Barack Obama and other Western leaders to stop meddling in Iran's domestic affairs by criticizing his government for its actions against protesters, according to Al Jazeera.

"Definitely by hasty remarks you will not be placed in the circle of friendship with the Iranian nation. Therefore I advise you to correct your interfering stances," said Ahmadinejad, according to the state-run ISNA news agency that was picked up by Al Jazeera. Ahmadinejad was speaking at a meeting with religious leaders and scholars on Sunday.

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