WAR OF WORDS

Ahmadinejad Pipes Up Again

And defeated candidates reject vote recount.

And the verbal spat continues: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck back at President Obama on Saturday for praising protesters who showed “bravery in the face of brutality.” Ahmadinejad responded to Obama’s comments—which also called the current violence in the region “outrageous” and hailed defeated candidate Mousavi as “[capturing] the imagination” of Iranians—by asking: "Why did he interfere and comment in a way that disregards convention and courtesy?" He went on to say the West would regret its “meddlesome stance.” Meanwhile, defeated candidates Mousavi and Karroubi rejected the offer by the Guardian Council to go over the election results by a special committee, saying the review would not be independent or broad enough. At least 17 people have been killed and 100 injured in the post-election violence.