Iran Election: Khamenei Calls for National Unity

Iran's Supreme Leader Calls for National Unity, June 16, 11:20 p.m. IRT

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• Khamenei: The Power Behind the President

(TEHRAN, Iran) — State television says Iran's Supreme Leader has called for national unity during a meeting with representatives of the four candidates in the disputed presidential election.

Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei called for Iranians to unite behind the cleric-led ruling system despite rival demonstrations and street clashes between supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his reformist opponent Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who says Ahmadinejad stole re-election.

Khamenei was quoted as saying, "In the elections, voters had different tendencies but they equally believe in the ruling system and support the Islamic Republic."

Khamenei, Iran's ultimate authority, says that representatives of all four candidates should be present for any limited recount of disputed ballots, which the country's cleric-led Guardian Council said Tuesday it would be willing to conduct. —Ali Akbar Dareini and Nasser Karimi / AP

See pictures of the lasting influence of Ayatullah Khamenei.

Read "Khamenei: The Power Behind the President."

Move Along, There's Nothing to See Here, June 16, 9:12 p.m. IRT

The Financial Times reports that "Iran on Tuesday banned journalists working for foreign media from leaving their offices to cover protests in the capital." Wire services also announced that due to the ban on their photographers' covering the demonstrations, they were forced to relay only images from official Iranian sources.

With or Without Mousavi, June 16, 8:20 p.m. IRT

The BBC reports that, according to eyewitness accounts, thousands of opposition protesters took to the streets in north Tehran on Tuesday night despite calls by their presidential candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, to stay off the streets to avoid violence.

Pro-Government Rally, June 16, 6 p.m. IRT

Iranian TV shows pictures of President Ahmadinejad's supporters gathering in Tehran. It's estimated that about 10,000 people are on the streets. His opponent Mousavi, according to al-Jazeera, has just urged his own supporters not to protest until after the partial election recount agreed to earlier Tuesday by the Guardian Council is completed.

See pictures of Ahmadinejad's supporters on LIFE.com.