Foreign Minister: 'Glorious' Iranian Election, Like The Sun, Can't Be Hidden

Millions protested the official outcome, thousands were jailed and there are credible reports of the torture and killing of some of those prisoners.

Still, this morning Iran's foreign minister told Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep that the Persian nation had a "glorious" presidential election in June that has been distorted by some in the Western news media.

European media outlets in particular, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said just a short time ago, "tried to distort the realities and undermine our glorious presidental elections."

Like the sun, he added (through an interpreter), his country's "glorious" election can't be hidden by "clouds." Here's a short audio clip of that moment in the conversation:

(Update at 12:55 p.m. ET: We've replaced the earlier audio, recorded off a phone line, with audio recorded simultaneously at the New York office where Mottaki was speaking.)

Mottaki also said that "the majority of the protesters" subsequently changed their minds and now believe that the election was not rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

That, of course, may be news to those protesters.

As for the talks that get underway tomorrow in Geneva on Iran's nuclear ambitions and the revelation last week that Iran has been building a second uranium enrichment facility, the foreign minister said "the burden of proof" regarding claims that the facility might be used to produce fuel for weapons "remains on the claimant."

Much more from Steve's conversation with Mottaki is due on tomorrow's edition of ME. Click here to find an NPR station near you.