Iranian cleric slams Ahmadinejad "fabrications"

By Dominic Evans and Fredrik Dahl

TEHRAN (Reuters) - One of Iran's most senior politicians accused President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday of lying in a televised presidential election debate and called on the country's supreme leader to intervene.

In an unprecedented public attack, former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said tens of millions of Iranians had witnessed "mis-statements and fabrications" in the debate last week, when Ahmadinejad accused Rafsanjani of corruption.

Ahmadinejad also said in the debate Rafsanjani was part of a political alliance supporting the main challenger, Mirhossein Mousavi, and seeking to prevent his re-election on Friday.

"I am expecting you to resolve this position in order to extinguish the fire, whose smoke can be seen in the atmosphere, and to foil dangerous plots," Rafsanjani said in a letter to Khamenei, published by the semi-official Mehr news agency.

The election campaign has been marked by fierce public debate between Ahmadinejad and his moderate opponents, and nightly demonstrations by rival supporters on Tehran's streets. Rafsanjani's intervention is likely to raise tensions further.

"Even if I continue to tolerate this situation, there is no doubt that some people, parties and factions will not tolerate this situation," Rafsanjani said, hinting that supporters of Ahmadinejad's rivals could take matters into their own hands.

The ISNA news agency reported late on Tuesday that a pro-Mousavi newspaper, Yas-e Noo, had been closed down. It gave no details.

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