Rafsanjani condemns Iranian regime's handling of post-election unrest

One of Iran's most powerful clerics today attacked the Iranian government for its handling of protests and unrest that followed the disputed presidential election result. But even as Hashemi Rafsanjani made his comments, police were firing teargas and wielding batons to disperse tens of thousands of opposition supporters.

In a closely watched speech at Friday prayers, Rafsanjani abandoned his neutral stance since the 12 June poll and rounded on the regime.

"Today is a bitter day," he said at Tehran University. "People have lost their faith in the regime and their trust is damaged. It's necessary that we regain people's consent and their trust in the regime."

Rafsanjani criticised the arrest and detention of protesters, and attacked the lack of freedom of expression. He expressed sympathy for the families of dead protesters, and ended his remarks by saying: "I hope this sermon will pave a way out of this current situation. A situation that can be considered a crisis."

His comments came during his sermon before tens of thousands of opposition supporters. The opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi sat in the front row, while Rafsanjani, a pragmatic former president who sits on two clerical ruling bodies, spoke.

The opposition packed the university prayer hall in a show of strength at the weekly Islamic prayers – one of Iran's most important and symbolic political platforms. Rafsanjani's first sermon since the election was broadcast live on radio in Iran.

The vast crowd of mostly opposition supporters and some government supporters packed the prayer hall and shouted competing slogans. Hardliners chanted "death to America" while opposition supporters countered with "death to Russia", referring to the Iranian government's ties to Moscow. Many pro-reform worshippers wore green headbands or wristbands or had prayer rugs in green – the colour of the opposition movement.

The Friday prayers were the first attended by Mousavi since the election. He claims to have won the popular vote and that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory was fraudulent.

Mousavi has insisted the Ahmadinejad government is illegitimate. But the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has publicly backed Ahmadinejad. Hardliners in the clerical leadership have demanded that the public fall in line behind Khamenei, hoping to put behind them the biggest challenge to their rule since the Iranian revolution 30 years ago.

During Rafsanjani's sermon the crowd inside the hall in Tehran University could be heard via state radio chanting, "Mousavi, Mousavi, we support you."

The chants died away after the cleric quietened the crowd, urging them "not to contaminate the position and the sanctuary of Friday prayers by comments and slogans".

Rafsanjani is one of four senior clerics who lead Friday prayers, though he had not done so for two months.

Outside Tehran University police fired teargas at Mousavi supporters who were demanding the release of detainees in the biggest anti-government protest since the mass demonstrations that immediately followed the contested election.

At least 15 people were arrested, witnesses said. The ceremony in central Tehran attracted greater numbers than usual. Worshippers can listen to the sermon through loudspeakers outside the university grounds. A senior cleric had earlier called for calm during the prayers, state radio said, in a sign of the religious establishment's concern about possible unrest.