Iran's parliament has approved a $20m budget to expose alleged US and British human rights abuses, state media reported today.
The sum will be spent on 'alerting the international community to numerous human rights abuses by these two countries and supporting progressive movements standing against illegal acts of the US and British governments', the parliament said.
It will also target US and British 'conspiracies' against the Islamic regime, it said.
The move, mirroring past US-funded initiatives, comes amid international criticism of Iran over its crackdown on post-election protests in which dozens were killed in clashes with security forces and thousands of people detained.
Iran blames the unrest, sparked by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in June, on the US and Britain, charging that they sought a 'soft overthrow' of the regime through street protests.
The opposition charged the poll was massively rigged.
Iranian MPs demand reduced ties with IAEA
Iranian MPs have also today called on their government to reduce ties with the UN atomic watchdog after it censured the Islamic republic for building a new nuclear plant.
State television said 226 lawmakers in the 290-member parliament signed a letter demanding the government draw up 'a quick plan to reduce the level of cooperation with the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] and submit it' to the house.
The lawmakers condemned the IAEA resolution, saying it was 'politicised and lacked consensus'.
They also demanded that Iran's nuclear work be continued 'without any halt'.
Iran's nuclear programme, they said, is entirely legal.
'Iranian MPs know for sure that the political will of some big powers like the United States and Britain are behind this (IAEA) resolution,' they said.
The IAEA's resolution saw China and Russia, which have close links with Tehran, joining forces with Britain, France, Germany and the US in condemning Iran for building the new plant near the city of Qom.
25 nations on the 35-member IAEA board voted for the censure, which refers the case to the Security Council and was the first against Iran since February 2006. Only Venezuela, Malaysia and Cuba voted against.
