The world's big powers split yesterday over whether to recognise Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad as the victor of Iran's presidential election, as France denounced electoral “fraud” while the Russian and China leaders personally welcomed him to a regional summit.
Meanwhile, US president Barack Obama came under domestic pressure to take a tougher stance on the disputed election. Commenting on Iran, he said “people's voices should be heard and not suppressed”.
The big powers have previously struggled to reach agreement at the United Nations on measures against Tehran's nuclear programme. But this month's elections – and questions over the legitimacy of the result – have highlighted international divisions still further. The split came as both sides in the Iranian election took to the streets of Tehran again yesterday with mass rallies. State TV reported that more than 1m supporters attended a pro- Ahmadi-Nejad rally.