The West must not take sides over Iran’s disputed presidential elections, Downing Street said on Tuesday while urging the Islamic Republic’s leaders to listen to critics. Speaking as Tehran braced for new demonstrations, Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged authorities there to refrain from violence in response to peaceful protests. “The elections are a matter for the Iranian people, but if there are serious questions that are now being asked about the conduct of the elections, they have got to be answered,” he said. “There must be no violence in response to peaceful protests,” he added, after seven people were killed in demonstrations in Iran on Monday.
