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Tehran: Iran's top election body on Monday began a partial recount of the fiercely disputed presidential election, after opposition demonstrators defiantly faced off against riot police in Tehran.

The move came as Iran faced growing international pressure over its arrest of British embassy staff accused of fomenting unrest in the aftermath of the June 12 election that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.

"The Guardians Council has started a partial recount of 10 per cent of the ballot boxes," state-owned Arabic-language television Al-Alam said.

The opposition is demanding a complete rerun of the vote, claiming it was marred by widespread irregularities and fraud in a dispute that has shaken the very foundations of the Islamic regime.

On Sunday, riot police in Tehran dispersed about 3,000 supporters of Ahmadinejad's strongest rival Mir Hussein Mousavi who defied a ban on public gatherings, witnesses said.

A witness spoke of a "minor confrontation" between police and the demonstrators who had gathered around Ghoba mosque to mark the anniversary of a prominent cleric killed in a bombing 28 years ago.

The information could not be independently verified as foreign media are banned from the streets under tough new restrictions imposed by the authorities in the wake of the election.

Tags: Iran, Poll, Riots