TEHRAN, June 18 (RIA Novosti) - Tens of thousands of supporters of Iranian presidential challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi gathered in central Tehran on Thursday to mourn those dead in post-election protests.
Tehran has been swept by mass demonstrations over alleged ballot fraud in the landslide reelection of the hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on June 12. Eight people were shot dead on Monday during street protests.
Former prime minister Mousavi, who came second with 33.75% of the vote, claimed victory after the polls closed, and told supporters at a rally in Tehran on Monday that he was ready for fresh elections.
Protesters, wearing black and carrying candles, gathered at Imam Khomeini Square on Thursday to mourn the victims.
The rally comes as Mousavi called on his supporters earlier to "express their solidarity with the families... by coming together in mosques or taking part in peaceful demonstrations."
Supporters of the defeated reformist candidate held a fifth day of rallies in the Iranian capital on Wednesday afternoon, in defiance of a government ban.
The Guardian Council, Iran's top legislative body, said it would consider on Saturday complaints filed by opposition candidates in last week's poll.
The council proposed a limited vote recount on Tuesday to appease protesters, but the offer was rejected.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry criticized the West for making "off-the-cuff and hasty remarks" related to the election and supporting illegal rallies.
"They violated the principles of democracy and international regulations and targeted the Islamic Republic of Iran," the ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The country's Intelligence Ministry said earlier it had detained a number of "main agents" who are believed to have been behind the post-election violence in Tehran.
