Iran's police chief says the law enforcement forces will 'act firmly' to defend the law against those who seek to 'create sedition and doubt'.

“Some people who failed to reach their goals in the [presidential] election are creating doubts in different ways and then turn these doubts into sedition,” Brig. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam said on Tuesday in the holy city of Mashhad.

Ahmadi-Moqaddam added that the law enforcement forces would 'act firmly' in line with 'the defense of the law, the people and the Constitution'.

Tehran's Police Chief Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Radan also warned against holding any illegal protests that would disturb the peace, Fars news agency reported.

“It is the duty of the police to ensure security and order in the society. Therefore any illegal gatherings which may lead to breach of the peace will be firmly dealt with.” Radan said.

The police warning came after unconfirmed reports said that defiant opposition supporters were planning to hold fresh protests in the capital Tehran on Tuesday.

Rejecting the election as rigged, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two defeated candidates, have called for the nullification of the results and demanded a re-run.

Protestors took to the streets of Tehran after the Friday prayers which were led by Chairman of Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani who criticized the officials for handling of the presidential election.
He further criticized the defeated candidates who have called for the election results to be annulled.

Riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Iran's police say 40 people were arrested after the Friday sermon.

Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami said on Sunday that a 'referendum' on the legitimacy of the government was the only way to end the crisis over the recent presidential election.

Also on Sunday, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei urged the Iranian political elite to avoid moves that play into the hands of the nation's enemies and exercise caution and vigilance when commenting on the country's political situation.

Ayatollah Khamenei warned that the political figures' failure in this "big test" will lead to their "collapse".

AR/AKM/DT