In parliament in Tehran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has been sworn in for a second term.

Outside the parliament building, police broke up a demonstration staged by supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. They had gathered there to protest against the controversial official results of the presidential elections.

Many countries ignored Mr Ahmadinejad's inauguration in protest against the brutal government crackdown on peaceful opposition protests in which dozens of people were killed. The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands were among those countries which chose not to convey the customary congratulations to the re-elected president.

Sweden, the current holder of the rotating EU presidency, did send an ambassador on behalf of the entire European Union. In the Netherlands, Iranians will hold a demonstration near the Iranian embassy in The Hague around noon.