Clerical voices divided in Iran

TEHRAN, June 26 (UPI) -- The Iranian opposition and its conservative rivals should settle disputes through legal measures and national conciliation, a leading grand ayatollah said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared victory in the disputed June 12 election, sparking nearly two weeks of bloody demonstrations in the streets of Iran.

The political fallout from the protests has exposed divisions in the ruling elites in Tehran.

Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, one of the leading clerics and an author of the post-revolution constitution, called for cooperation among the disputed parties to settle their issues, the state-funded Press TV reports.

"Definitively, something must be done to ensure that there are no embers burning under the ashes, and (to ensure) that hostilities, antagonism and rivalries are transformed into amity and cooperation among all parties," the leading cleric said.

He went on to say the street confrontations "have caused deep regret and sorrow" for Iranians and called for all parties to set the stage for "national conciliation."

He added, however, that with Iranian friends and enemies alike watching developments unfold, it is necessary to remain calm and avoid violence as a means of conflict resolution.

Meanwhile, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami delivered a harsh sermon during Friday prayers, saying street protesters should be dealt with harshly, The Washington Post reports.

"Based on Islamic law, whoever confronts the Islamic state," he said, "should be punished ruthlessly and savagely."