In an announcement, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri stated that the actions of the heads of the Iranian regime, who presume to rule in the name of Islam, do not reflect the religion, and are unacceptable.
He stated that the regime's repression is distancing the people from it and from Islam, and warned that the use of the military to spill the people's blood is reminiscent of the actions of the deposed Shah Pahlavi, and could lead to the regime's downfall.
He demanded that the regime heads apologize to the people and set up an objective commission to bring the issue of the elections to an end, in a way acceptable to the people.
Montazeri also told the London daily Al-Hayat that he was not ruling out relations with the U.S. if it would benefit Iran, but rejected relations with Israel.
Sources: Khandaniha.eu, June 25, 2009; Al-Hayat, London, June 24, 2009
