Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the United States and Israel on Tuesday of staging an anti-government protest in which at least eight people died, saying it was a "nauseating play."
His talk of a theatrical piece "commissioned and sold out" by the country's two arch-foes, came as Iran's parliament called for opposition demonstrators to be given maximum punishment, which is the death penalty.
Americans and Zionists are the sole audience of a play they have commissioned and sold out. A nauseating play is performed
"Iranians have seen lots of these games," the president was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying.
"Americans and Zionists are the sole audience of a play they have commissioned and sold out. A nauseating play is performed."
Ahmadinejad also condemned comments made by U.S. President Barack Obama and the British government, who have lashed out over Iran's crackdown on protesters.
"We have advised them repeatedly but if looks as if they insist on being humiliated, we are sure they will be humiliated more than their predecessors," he said.
Death penalty
they (the British) do not stop their absurd comments, they will be slapped in the mouth
Meanwhile, speaker Ali Larijani said "parliament wants the judiciary and intelligence bodies to arrest those who insult religion and impose the maximum punishment on them without reservation."
Parliament also condemned "disgusting comments" by Western governments about Sunday's unrest, after they unanimously denounced the deadly crackdown in the Islamic republic.
In that vein, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki lashed out at Britain.
"If they (the British) do not stop their absurd comments, they will be slapped in the mouth," Mottaki was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying.
His comment came as Tehran summoned British envoy Simon Gass and as a pro-government website said a Briton was among those arrested at the demonstrations.
"The British ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry and the Islamic Republic's protest was submitted regarding this country's interference in our internal affairs," Fars news agency said.
On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband had hailed the "great courage" of Iranian opposition supporters.
In London, the foreign office said Gass had "responded robustly... and reiterated (Miliband's) comments that the Iranian government must respect the human rights of its own citizens.
Ashura "desecration"
We expect these gentlemen who had complaints in the election to wake up and clearly separate their path from this wicked movement, not to come out and issue statements again and make the air dustier
People had taken to the street on the holy day of Ashura, which commemorates the 7th century murder of Shiite Islam's holiest martyr, Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed.
Eight people were killed as security forces used teargas, batons and eventually live rounds to push back thousands.
Iran rounded up scores of opposition figures and dissidents after Sunday's protests and on Tuesday several reformist journalists and activists were also arrested, reports said.
Hardliners have reacted angrily to what they see as "desecration" of Ashura by opposition supporters and have staged counter-demonstrations calling for tough action against protesters, state media reported.
More pro-government marches are planned for Wednesday around the country.
The opposition, meanwhile, has excoriated the authorities for resorting to violence on Ashura, a day when custom prohibits it.
MPs accused the protesters of being "counter-revolutionaries" and "anti-religion."
But they took a softer stance towards opposition leaders, who reject Ahmadinejad's June re-election as fraudulent, urging them to distance themselves from the protests.
"We expect these gentlemen who had complaints in the election to wake up and clearly separate their path from this wicked movement, not to come out and issue statements again and make the air dustier."
Arrests
She is not an activist and her arrest is in fact new pressure to stop my human rights work
In a defiant reaction, Iran's leading reformist party condemned violence against demonstrators and backed the protests.
The Islamic Iran Participation Front, which is allied with opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, called on the government to "reconcile with protesters and stop breaking the law, deception and tyranny."
On another front, Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi said intelligence agents had arrested her medical professor sister, Dr Nooshin Ebadi, on Monday.
"She is not an activist and her arrest is in fact new pressure to stop my human rights work," Ebadi said in a statement on the Rahesabz opposition website.
Meanwhile, the Iranian judiciary confirmed that an Iran-based Syrian journalist for Dubai TV had been arrested on Sunday.
And in other developments, police said it was "terrorists" who had killed the nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi on Sunday in an incident unrelated to the riots that day.
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