Tehran, Dec 15 :Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on the Palestinian militant group Hamas Tuesday to continue resistance against Israel as the only way to save Palestine, state media reported.

"The only way to save Palestine is resistance and victory belongs to those who believe in God and Jihad (holy war) in God's way," the Ayatollah told visiting Hamas politburo head Khaled Meshaal.

Oslo, Dec 9 :Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was Wednesday selected as winner of "dictator of the year prize", students at Oslo University said.

The Iranian leader was chosen from 11 candidates - selected by human rights experts - including North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, and Myanmar's General Than Schwe.

Tehran - Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on the opposition Friday to return to the political fold or face confrontation.

"It is even useful to have critics in the country with different political standpoints and tastes, but all this should be within the framework of the establishment, revolution and Islam," Khamenei said at Friday prayers in Tehran.

"Those who challenge the basis of the establishment or the people's and national security will be confronted," said Khamenei, who under Iran's constitution has the final say on all state affairs.

Tehran, Aug 28 : In what is being seen as an attempt to reduce enmity with the West ahead of an IAEA report on further measures in respect of the country’s nuclear programme, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has rejected the idea that foreign powers were involved in country’s post-election violence.

Tehran - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday appointed the brother of parliament speaker and former chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani as new chief of Iran's judiciary.

Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani will on Monday be sworn in to succeed Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi as judiciary head for a 10-year term, official sources said.

The 49-year-old Larijani spent eight years as as member of the constitutional watchdog Guardian Council, which is also on charge of the election process.

Tehran  - Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Monday endorsed the second term of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after an election the opposition charged was fraudulent, the ISNA news agency reported.

Khamenei's official approval, given at a ceremony, came ahead of Ahmadinejad's swearing-in Wednesday in parliament. He then has two weeks to introduce his new cabinet to parliament for approval.

Tehran - Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ordered the closure of a prison in southern Tehran, state media reported Tuesday amid concerns about the fate of protestors arrested in the wake of last month's contested presidential election.

Parliament deputy Kazem Jalali told the Mehr news agency that the leader ordered the Kahrizak detention centre shut down because it lacked the necessary standards for preserving detainees' rights.

Kahrizak is said to be the main place where the election protestors were held and where some of them also died in mysterious ways.

Tehran - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday warned the country's opposition against provoking further unrest and decried alleged foreign interference following the June 12 presidential election.

"Our scholars should be careful what they say and what they do not say," the ayatollah said in a meeting with state officials, carried by state television.

Tehran - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday warned some Western states of "negative impact" if their interference in the internal matters of Iran continues.

"The Western stance will have a negative impact in future relations," the ayatollah said in a speech carried on state television.

Khamenei was referring to alleged Western interference in the recent unrest over alleged fraud in the June 12 presidential election.

Washington, June 24 : The Obama Administration sent a letter to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for an improvement in relations, prior to the June 12 disputed presidential elections, which were followed by massive people protests.

Ayatollah Khamenei confirmed the letter toward the end of a lengthy sermon on Friday, in which he accused the United States of fomenting protests in his country in the aftermath of the disputed June 12 presidential election.

Tehran  - Following a warning by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) now has also warned opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi over renewed unrest, Moussavi's website reported Saturday.

SNSC secretary Abbas Mohtaj told Moussavi in a letter that in case of encouraging further illegal protest demonstrations, the opposition leader would be responsible for the consequences.

London - The British government Friday summoned the Iranian ambassador to London to protest at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei branding it as the "most evil" in a speech in Tehran.

The British government was "very upset" at the remarks, said a diplomatic source. Ambassador Rasoul Movahedian had been summoned for a meeting with a senior Foreign Office official later Friday.

The British government was understood to be preparing a "diplomatic statement" in response to the Iranian allegations. (dpa)

Washington, June 19 : Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today said that the recent presidential elections showed off the country's religious democracy for the world to see, shrugging an unprecedented challenge to the country's ruling clerics by opposition supporters, who claim the June 12 presidential election was rigged.

Tehran  - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to speak out for the first time at Friday's prayers, following days of opposition protests against alleged manipulation in last week's presidential election.

Khamenei, who is said to back the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which sparked the protests, is expected to address the situation. As Iran's supreme leader, Khamenei has a final say on all political decisions in the Islamic republic.

Tehran, June 5 : Iran''s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blasted the country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for labeling his critics corrupt during a furious television debate on Wednesday.

Ahmadinejad traded charges with his main opponent in the upcoming presidential elections Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Tehran  - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday rejected an offer by US President Barack Obama to open a new era in relations until Tehran could see real changes in US policies.

"The Iranian nation can neither be tricked [by the messages] nor threatened. The changes claimed by the US should be real and not just in rhetoric," Khamenei said.

Tehran  - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday that he would stay neutral in the June presidential elections and not support any candidate.

Khamenei was referring to press speculation that he would favour President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and prefer him to stay for another four-year tenure.

"I only have one vote and I will not tell anyone to vote for any special person," the supreme leader said in a televised speech in the city of Mashad in north-eastern Iran.

Tehran  - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday rejected an offer by US President Barack Obama to open a new era in relations until Tehran could see real changes in US policies.

"The new US president sends us a Persian New Year greeting message but in the same accuses us again to support terrorism and to be after nuclear weapons," the supreme leader said in a televised speech in the city of Mashad in north-eastern Iran.

Tehran  - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday demanded than an international war crimes tribunal be held against Israeli leaders who ordered military operations in the Gaza Strip in December and January.

"The first step is breaking the immunity of this criminal regime (Israel) and holding a war crime tribunal against its leaders over the crimes and massacre in Gaza," the Ayatollah said at the

inauguration ceremony of a conference on Palestine.

Tehran - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday that Iran should not be afraid of political challenges, Western ballyhoos or dangers.

"Political challenges are natural and just reflect the forward trend of our Islamic system," the Ayatollah told foreign ministry officials, including Iranian diplomats abroad.

"We should therefore not be afraid of ballyhoos by the West and dangers, the foreign ministry should act with both courage and wisdom," said Khamenei, who according to the Iranian constitution has the final say on all state matters.