Tehran - Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi said Monday that a new generation has emerged in Iran that will not be intimidated by detentions.

"Today a new generation and a new awakening have emerged, which cannot be erased by detentions and false accusations," Moussavi said in a meeting with families of political detainees.

Moussavi and other senior opposition figures such as former presidents Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami have claimed the recent presidential election was rigged and have not acknowledged the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"We will accept all hardships and pay whatever price needed to have a better future," Moussavi said. "We have made sacrifices (in the last 30 years) for the sake of freedom and not for the sake of increasing the number of our prisoners."

The Iranian opposition leader called for the immediate release of all political prisoners and condemned the government and state-run television for branding them agents of foreign countries.

"This is an insult to the intelligence of the people and will have very ugly consequences," Moussavi said.

In addition to dissidents and demonstrators, a number of former ministers and parliamentary deputies have been arrested and held in jail for almost three weeks.

"Some of these people have shown great commitment. Who can really believe accusations that they would sell themselves to foreigners?" Moussavi asked.

Moussavi also condemned violence used against protesters by pro- government forces.

"The people's will for freedom deserves better than ... the use of sticks and clubs against them," he said, warning the security forces not to use the same methods against protesters as the regime of the deposed Shah had before the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Moussavi once again reiterated his opposition to Ahmadinejad, whose government he said would have no popular backing.

"A government that comes to power in an atmosphere of mistrust and through deception will be a weak one and only have a bad outcome for the country," Moussavi said.

He also spoke out against press restrictions and, especially, the arrest of his press team last month.

Independent local and international media are banned from directly covering the protests.(dpa)