Mubarak's exit will see emergence of new Middle East: Iran's Ahmadinejad

Tehran (Iran), Feb.12 (ANI): Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that the exit of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will see the emergence of a "new Middle East".

Addressing his people in Tehran's Azadi Square on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian revolution of 1979, Ahmadinejad welcomed the emergence of what he called a "new Middle East, without the Zionist regime (Israel) and U.S. interference."

He, however, stopped short of asserting that the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt had been directly inspired by Iran's Islamic Revolution.

Addressing the Egyptian people, Mr. Ahmadinejad said: "It is your right to be free. It is your right to exercise your will and sovereignty."

Meanwhile, the Iranian authorities have stepped up pressure against the opposition in recent days. Iranian officials have expressed contempt for the march proposed by the opposition for Monday, calling the idea "divisive" and "politically motivated."

Senior commanders of the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have indicated that there will be no tolerance for opposition activity.

The Revolutionary Guards played a central role in the suppression of street protests after the disputed presidential election in June 2009.

In light of the events in Tunisia and Egypt, many supporters of Iran's opposition have been hoping that the proposed march might revitalize a movement subdued by an effective campaign of state violence, threats, imprisonment of key figures and a blanket ban on access to the government media. (ANI)