Iran’s Mousavi plans new opposition front

Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi plans to unveil a new political grouping which will keep up a protest campaign against last month's disputed presidential election, an aide said on Wednesday.

"The establishment of this front is on Mir Hossein Mousavi's agenda and we will soon announce its establishment," Alireza Beheshti was quoted as saying in the reformist newspaper Sarmayeh.

Mousavi, a former prime minister who lost the June 12 presidential election to hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has defied the regime by continuing to protest against what he charges was a rigged poll.

Beheshti did not offer details of the proposed front, but on July 2 Mousavi said he planned to set up a body to "defend citizen's rights and votes that were crushed in the election."

Hundreds of thousands of people poured on to the streets of Tehran and other cities after the election in the largest mass protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

At least 20 people were killed in the unrest, according to officials, while many hundreds of protestors, political activists and journalists were rounded up in a crackdown on the opposition.

Mousavi supporters believe that the current situation in Iran has created the opportunity to set up a new political front like the one planned.

"It seems the social and political grounds for establishing such a front exist," Mohammad Hashemi of the Kargozaran Party which is close to Mousavi and ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was quoted as saying in the daily Iran.

"The elite and academics voted for Mousavi and they can help Mousavi in establishing such a front."

Legitimacy of Ahmadinejad

However, hardliners in the country want Mousavi to acknowledge the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad's election victory and his proposed government before he creates the new political grouping.

"If Mousavi considers the government to be legitimate and asks for permission (to set up the front), then it is a good and positive move and we will welcome it," said Mohammad Reza Taraghi of the conservative Islamic Coalition Party.

Ten days ago Mousavi released a 25-page report detailing "fraud and irregularities" in the presidential election.

If Mousavi considers the government to be legitimate and asks for permission (to set up the front), then it is a good and positive move and we will welcome it

Mohammad Reza Taraghi

The report, prepared by the Committee for the Protection of Votes which is run by Mousavi's campaign office, accused Ahmadinejad of abusing the state machinery during the campaign.

It also charged that Ahmadinejad handed out cash to secure the votes of working class Iranians.

The hard-line Javan (Young) newspaper, which is close to the elite Revolutionary Guards, has attacked Mousavi, Rafsanjani's son Mehdi and former reformist president Mohammad Khatami.

All three have filed complaints against pro-government media -- Iran newspaper, the semi-official Fars news agency and the Rajanews website -- for reasons that include "spreading lies."

In a front page report headlined "New game of the riot triangle," Javan accused the three politicians of disturbing the "ruling calm" by lodging such complaints after last month's election.