Sayyid Mojtaba Al-Hosseini

TEL AVIV – While President Obama largely has stayed on the sidelines of the mass protests in Iran, a representative of Supreme Iranian leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei has blamed the U.S. for the unrest in his country.

"The countries that have opposed Iran, whether openly or not, like the Western countries, led by the U.S., are the ones who are now inciting and talking about the Iranian elections," said Sayyid Mojtaba Al-Hosseini, Khamenei's representative to Syria.

Hosseini was talking in an interview with Al Dunya, a private Syrian TV channel, in an interview translated from Arabic by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

"They are exaggerating what is going on beyond its real scope," continued Hosseini.

"When we listen to what is going on outside Iran, we realize that those who have opposed the Islamic Republic for a long time are the ones who are inciting others, and they are the ones who are running these things," he said.

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The Syrian interviewer chimed in, asking, "So you think that what is going on is being exaggerated?'

Hosseini replied, "Well said! It is greatly exaggerated. I came from Iran two days ago. I was in Tehran from Saturday to Monday, and the [demonstrations] were not as widespread as they are saying. The people who took to the streets in defense of (opposition leader) Mousavi do not constitute an opposition to the Islamic Republic. Only a few of them are.

"What happened in this case was that the U.S. and the West were expecting the presidency to be transferred to an element with whom they perhaps felt more at ease," Hosseini said. "They viewed this as an opportunity to exert pressure on the Islamic Republic. Therefore, behind the scenes of everything that is going on, one sees the same people who have been lying in wait for the Islamic Republic.

"Check out the foreign news agencies, as well as the foreign ministers of England, the U.S. and some other Western countries," he said. "They do not bear goodwill towards the Islamic Republic."

Hosseini's comments come as Iranian state television reported today 17 people had been killed in clashes between police and "terrorist groups" in Tehran. The "terrorist groups" was a reference to protesters.

CNN reported at least 19 people were killed yesterday based on eyewitness accounts of medical officials in Teheran's hospitals. CNN also quoted unconfirmed reports that put the actual death toll at 150.

The Iranian state television report also stated today authorities had arrested the daughter of former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, a leading opposition figure.

Iran's official English language TV reported Rafsanjani's daughter had been arrested together with four other family members yesterday for taking part in what it labeled "unauthorized" protest rallies. The report did not identify the four other family members or give more details.

Also today Iran announced it would expel the BBC's Iran correspondent, Jon Leyne, with Iranian state television reporting he has been given 24 hours to leave.

"Jon Leyne will have to leave Iran within the course of the next 24 hours under the charges of dispatching fabricated news and reports, ignoring neutrality in news, supporting rioters and trampling the Iranian nation's rights," the semi-official Fars agency reported, without giving a source.

The BBC in London confirmed the Iranian government asked its Teheran correspondent to leave.

"With regret, Jon Leyne, the BBC's permanent correspondent in Tehran, has been asked to leave by the Iranian authorities," said a BBC statement. "The BBC office remains open."

Another Iranian state television dispatch claimed "a few" people were killed inside a Tehran mosque set on fire during street protests yesterday.

Witnesses claimed numerous demonstrators were also wounded in clashes with police wielding guns, tear gas and water cannons yesterday.

Witnesses told AP between 50 and 60 protesters were hospitalized after beatings by police and pro-government militia. The clashes reportedly took place near Revolution Square in Tehran where protesters, many wearing black, were reportedly yelling, "Death to the dictator!" and, "Death to dictatorship!"

Israel: Preventing nuclear Iran still main goal

Meanwhile, in an interview today with NBC's "Meet the Press," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated a nuclear-armed Iran would trigger instability in the region and pose a threat to the entire world.

"The goal is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said. "We all don't want to see this regime acquiring nuclear weapons. … It's not merely an interest of Israel."

Netanyahu said he is a believer in the right to free assemblage and that free people everywhere were "amazed" at the determination of the protesters in Iran.

"Democracies do things differently," Netanyahu said.

The Israeli leader told NBC he isn't going to second-guess President Obama's approach on Iran after the Tehran government's political crackdown.

Obama largely has remained silent, with the exception of a pre-taped interview on Friday in which the U.S. president said he was concerned with the violence in Iran.

Then yesterday, Obama strengthened his rhetoric a notch, urging Iran's government to "stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people."

Obama said the Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. He called on Iran to "govern through consent, not coercion."

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