WORLD> Middle East
Russia backs Iran election results

Updated: 2009-06-23 15:21

MOSCOW: Russia says it backs the results of Iran's presidential elections _ a crucial vote of confidence for hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who says he won re-election by a landslide.

Related readings:
 Reports: Iran won't annul election results
 Split among Iran's clerics bursts into open
 No clear winners in Iran tension
 Iran Parliament speaker calls for 'thorough' probe
 Iran blames 'terrorists' for deadly clashes
The Foreign Ministry also says that disputes about the June 12 vote "should be settled in strict compliance with Iran's Constitution and law" and are "exclusively an internal matter."

The statement was posted on the ministry's Web site late Monday.

Iranian opposition supporters allege systematic fraud and have demanded a new election.

They have staged near-daily protests challenging the Ahmadinejad claim to re-election.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Iran's state TV reported that the country's top electoral body found "no major fraud" in the vote and ruled out annulling the results.