Iranian Government Bashes U.S.

White House Shrugs Off Accusation Of "Intolerable" Meddling In Iran's Internal Affairs

(CBS/AP)  Iran's state television broadcast accusations Wednesday against what it calls the United States' "intolerable" meddling in it's internal affairs.

A state television channel in Iran says the government summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents U.S. interests in Iran, to complain about American interference. The two countries broke off diplomatic relations after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. An English-language state-run channel quoted the government as calling Western interference "intolerable."

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The White House shrugged off the complaints. Spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday that President Barack Obama has struck the right tone in commenting about Iran's presidential election dispute in Iran. The Iranian government reportedly has summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents U.S. interests in Iran, to complain about American interference.

Gibbs said Mr. Obama has been clear that there is "a vigorous debate in Iran, between Iranians, about their leadership." Gibbs said Mr. Obama stands by his defense of principles such as the right of people to demonstrate in peace.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters that the U.S. is withholding judgment about whether last week's presidential election was conducted fairly.

The charges come as amateur video shows another mass rally of opposition supporters in Tehran and state TV also reported the protest over disputed presidential election.

The video showed thousands marching Wednesday on an overpass in the capital, some flashing the victory sign or carrying placards with others dressed in green - the color associated with Mousavi's election campaign. Mousavi has accused the government of rigging the election in favor of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

It was the third day in a row that Mousavi supporters have taken to the streets. Iranian officials have confirmed seven people killed this week in violent clashes over the election.

Mousavi issued a direct challenge Wednesday to the country's supreme leader and cleric-led system, calling for a mass rally to protest disputed election results and violence against his followers.

A crackdown on dissent continued, with more arrests of opposition figures reported, and the country's most powerful military force - the Revolutionary Guard - saying that Iranian Web sites and bloggers must remove any materials that "create tension" or face legal action.

CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports that Iranian authorities appear to have successfully blocked all access to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter Wednesday morning. Access had been intermittent since the election.

In one high-profile display of apparent opposition support, several Iranian soccer players wore green wrist bands - the color of Mousavi's campaign - during a World Cup qualifying match in South Korea that was televised in Iran.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has told Mousavi to pursue his demands through the electoral system and called for Iranians to unite behind their Islamic government, an extraordinary appeal in response to tensions over the presidential vote. But Mousavi appears unwilling to back down, issuing on his Web site a call for a mass demonstration Thursday.

"We want a peaceful rally to protest the unhealthy trend of the election and realize our goal of annulling the results," Mousavi said.