BBC correspondent in Iran expelled: Fars

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TEHRAN, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Iran, Jon Leyne, has been ordered to leave the country within 24 hours, Iran's Fars news agency reported Sunday.

Leyne was expelled under the charges of, among other things, making fabricated news reports and supporting rioters, Fars said.

Iran's satellite channel Press TV reported earlier Sunday that Iran has accused Voice of America (VOA) and the BBC of stirring up unrest in the country amid a dispute over the recent presidential election.

The two news outlets sought to stir up ethnic discord across Iran in the hope of fomenting the country's disintegration, Press TV quoted Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi as saying on Saturday.

On June 13, Iran's Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli said incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won 62.63 percent of the total ballots on June 12 presidential election, while his main rival Mir-Hossein Mousavi got 33.75 percent.

After the official declaration, Mousavi protested "strongly" the "obvious" violations in Iran's presidential election. He also appealed to the Guardian Council for a cancellation of the election result.

Mousavi's supporters have participated in massive rallies in Tehran and other cities over the past days.

On Saturday, Iran's police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators at a main square of Tehran in the latest violent clash between protestors and security forces.