Iran opposition: 72 killed in post-election riots

An ally of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has said 72 people were killed in the street protests that erupted after the disputed June presidential election, a reformist website reported on Thursday.

The death toll provided by Alireza Hosseini Beheshti showed an increase of three compared to an estimate he gave on Aug. 11.

The authorities, who have blamed the opposition for the bloodshed, say at least 26 people were killed in the unrest. They say several members of the pro-government Islamic Basij militia were among those killed.

"The latest number of victims in the street protests reached 72," Beheshti was quoted as saying by the Mosharekat website.

The election, which was followed by huge opposition protests, plunged Iran into its deepest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The moderate opposition says the ballot was rigged to secure hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. Officials deny this.

Beheshti is a member of a committee set up by the opposition to investigate the fate of people caught up in the unrest.

Human rights groups say thousands of people, including senior opposition figures, were arrested after the election. Many remain in jail.

Iran has begun mass trials of leading moderates accused of fomenting protests in a bid to undermine the Islamic Republic's clerical leadership.

The authorities have blamed the post-election violence on" rioters", accusing them of attacking government buildings and destroying public property.

Germany hosts meet on Iran nuclear program

On Wednesday, six countries trying to address concerns about Iran's nuclear program met in Germany, but the German government said it has received no official word yet on new proposals that Tehran is pledging to make.

The closed-door meeting took place near Frankfurt and involved political directors - Foreign Ministry officials below ministerial level - from the U.S., France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany.

The six stressed that the way remains open for a negotiated solution, a high-ranking German diplomat said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly.

On Tuesday, Iran's main nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, told reporters his nation would present new proposals and would open talks in order to ease common concerns in the international arena. He gave no details.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Jens Ploetner acknowledged media reports of Jalili's statement, but said such offers must be formally presented to the governments involved before they could be considered.

"So far we have not received any such communication from the Iranian government through official channels," Ploetner told reporters in Berlin.

"Consequently...from our point of view nothing has changed."

Western nations and others worry Iran is moving toward development of nuclear warheads. But Iranian leaders say the country only seeks reactors to produce electricity.