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Last updated: 19 june, 2009 - 16:35 GMT

Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei speaks

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers his sermon in front of a picture of the late spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini, during the Friday prayers at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Friday June 19, 2009

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been Iran's supreme leader since 1989

The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has told a large crowd at Friday prayers in Tehran that the protests following last week's disputed presidential election are unacceptable and must end.

 Iranian worshippers cheer for Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the weekly Muslim Friday prayers at Tehran University on June 19, 2009

The ayatollah addressed huge crowds at Tehran University

It was his first public appearance since he gave his unequivocal backing to President Ahmadinejad being declared the winner.

He said the demonstrators would be responsible for the consequences if their protests continued.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Julian Marshall listened to the speech.

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Julian asked the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s John Leyne in Tehran for his reaction.

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The ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Imtiaz Tyab has been monitoring social networking sites for Iranian reaction to the Ayatollah's speech as well as e-mails and other comments received by the ´óÏó´«Ã½.

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Ghanbar Naderi is the political editor of Kayhan, a conservative newspaper in Tehran.

What did he make of the Ayatollah's speech?

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Maziar Bahari is a journalist and documentary film maker in Tehran.

Will the opposition supporters in Iran heed the ayatollah's call and stand down?

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First broadcast 19 June 2009

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