At least 1 dead in Iran election protests

TEHRAN, June 15 (UPI) -- Clashes between police and protesters over Iran's presidential election apparently turned deadly Monday, with a report of at least one death, a witness said.

Thousands of supporters of moderate candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who officially finished second behind incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, confronted police and pro-Ahmadinejad factions Monday in Tehran while protesting what they alleged was fraud in Friday's elections.

"There has been sporadic shooting out there. ... I can see people running here," a reporter of Iran's English-language Press TV said in a live call.

Iranian users of social-networking Web site Twitter said they had been told that members of the Basij militia, a pro-government force, were responsible for the shooting, Sky News said. However, the British broadcaster's reporter in Tehran said he could not confirm the source of the shooting.

The election results -- which government officials said Ahmadinejad won in a landslide -- triggered three days of demonstrations, some of which turned violent.

The United States, "(along) with the rest of the international community ... is closely watching events unfolding in Iran," U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Monday in a statement. "We are deeply troubled by the reports of violence, arrests and possible voting irregularities."

Mousavi appeared at the Tehran rally Monday, his first public appearance in two days. At one point, media outlets reported Mousavi apparently called off the rally after being warned militias acting as security forces would fire live ammunition.

Also on Monday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for an investigation into accusations of ballot fraud in Friday's elections, in which Mousavi finished second to Ahmadinejad. Kahmanei reportedly gave his blessing to the initial outcome.

Mousavi met Khamenei Sunday, several news agencies said. Khamenei asked the Guardian Council, which oversees elections, to examine Mousavi's charges of election irregularities, Iran's state-run media said. The council will make public its findings in 10 days.

In Moscow, an Iranian Embassy official said Ahmadinejad delayed traveling to a summit in Russia that began Monday. Ahmadinejad will travel Tuesday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting, the aide said.