In a sermon which put an end to speculations and expectations regarding his stance on the current crisis in Iran, and the demonstrations in Tehran against the outcome of last Friday's presidential elections, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei strongly denied any rigging in the elections. Instead, he described them as fair and said they were an earthquake for Iran's enemies. In his Friday prayer sermon in front of a very large crowd, he said: "The Islamic Republic does not betray the votes of the people, and the election mechanism in Iran does not allow rigging at all." Khamenei called for an end to the demonstrations and protests in the streets and blamed the opposition for their consequences if they continue. "I won't bow down to the street and I won't allow any non-constitutional innovations, and those who express their stances in any way will be responsible for the bloody chaos," Khamenei said. He ascribed the tension in the street to the television debates between the candidates during the election campaign, which he said "contained shameful insults."
Khamenei accused the West of targeting Iran and seeking to exploit the demonstrations and protests there. He accused Britain of violating diplomatic norms with Iran and expressing its grudge towards its people, and warned the West that his country is not like Georgia, in a reference to the West-backed demonstrations which took place in Tbilisi.
Immediately after Khamenei's sermon, the British Foreign Office summoned the Iranian ambassador to London to ask for an explanation concerning the accusations leveled by the Iranian Supreme Leader.
