Hillary Clinton urges Iran to free political prisoners

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday urged Iran to release political prisoners held after protests over the disputed elections last month.

"We believe that it is imperative for the (Iranian) authorities to release political prisoners," Mrs Clinton told a press conference with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

Mrs Clinton also said the US deplores reports from Iran that political prisoners were allegedly being abused.

Iran's "continuing detention and abuse of political prisoners certainly suggests that the political situation inside of Iran has not yet resolved itself," she said.

She reiterated US support for the "people of Iran being able to express their opinions, being able to demonstrate freely and openly and engage in peaceful protests." Saeed Jalili, a senior official in Tehran, said Tuesday that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a jail holding protesters detained after last month's election to close as it is not up to required standards.

Iranian judicial officials say that around 300 protesters arrested during the demonstrations that followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hotly disputed re-election are still being detained.

In all, up to 2,000 protesters, political activists and journalists were detained but most have since been released, official reports says.

Meanwhile Britons will continue supporting their country's mission in Afghanistan despite polls showing a majority want British troops withdrawn, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband predicted yesterday.

Mr Miliband, speaking at a press conference with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said the British people understood how "vital" the mission is because "they know that Afghanistan was the incubator for global terrorism."

He referred to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.