U.S. lawmakers have passed a resolution condemning the crackdown on
Iranian demonstrators and the curbs on news media and communications in
the country.
The House of Representatives voted 405 to 1 in
favor of the resolution that condemns what it calls "the ongoing
violence against demonstrators by the government of Iran and
pro-government militias."
The resolution is the sharpest
rebuke yet from U.S. officials following days of more cautious
statements from the Obama administration on the disputed election. The
resolution's main backers have been lobbying the administration to take
a stronger stand against the Iranian government's crackdown on
protesters.
Earlier, the European Union raised "serious concern"
about the Iranian government's response to demonstrators questioning
the legitimacy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election.
EU
leaders released a joint statement Friday urging the Iranian government
to allow all citizens the right to assemble and express themselves
peacefully.
British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown condemned violence and government curbs on news media. He said
it is now up to Iranian officials to show the world that the elections
have been fair.
On Friday, Iran's supreme leader addressed a
crowd of supporters in Tehran, warning protesters against holding more
rallies. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the remarks "rather
disappointing."
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also
defended the election results and condemned what he called interference
by foreigners questioning the election outcome.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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