Ayatollah: Rioters are enemies of God

TEHRAN, June 26 (UPI) -- A senior Iranian cleric close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called rioters enemies of God during a Friday sermon.

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said those carrying out "destructive acts" must be punished severely, the Los Angeles Times reported. He called them "muharib" or enemies of God.

"Anyone who takes up arms, be it guns or knives, is a muharib and Islam has said that muharib should receive the severest of the punishments," he said.

The ayatollah shares a last name with Seyed Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who served as president of Iran from 1997 to 2005. But the two men have opposing political views, with Ayatollah Khatami allied to Ahmadinejad and Khamenei.

Khatami thanked the militia members who have clashed in recent days with protesters, most of them involved in peaceful demonstrations. He called for harsh sentences for those arrested.

"I call on officials of the judicial branch to deal severely and ruthlessly with the leaders of the agitations whose fodder comes from America and Israel so that everyone learns a lesson from it," he said.