Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the United States and Israel on Tuesday of staging an anti-government protest in which at least eight people died, saying it was a “nauseating play.”

His talk of a theatrical piece “commissioned and sold out” by the country’s two arch-foes, came as Iran’s conservative parliament called for opposition demonstrators to be given maximum punishment.

“Iranians have seen lots of these games,” the president was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying.

Americans and Zionists are the sole audience of a play they have commissioned and sold out. A nauseating play is performed.

Meanwhile, speaker Ali Larijani said on television that “parliament wants the judiciary and intelligence bodies to arrest those who insult religion and impose the maximum punishment on them without reservation.”

Parliament also condemned “disgusting comments” by Western governments about Sunday’s unrest, after they unanimously denounced the deadly crackdown in the Islamic republic. ”

In that vein, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki lashed out at Britain on Tuesday,

“If they (the British) do not stop their absurd comments, they will be slapped in the mouth,” Mottaki said according to ISNA news agency.

The comment came as Tehran summoned British envoy Simon Gass over criticism and a pro-government website said a Briton was among those arrested at the demonstrations.

“The British ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry and the Islamic Republic’s protest was submitted regarding this country’s interference in our internal affairs,” Fars news agency said.

On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband had hailed the “great courage” of Iranian opposition supporters.

In London, the foreign office said Gass had “responded robustly… and reiterated (Miliband’s) comments that the Iranian government must respect the human rights of its own citizens.

People had taken to the street on the day of Ashura, which commemorates the 7th century murder of Shiite Islam’s holiest martyr, Imam Hussein, the grandson of Mohammed.

Eight people were killed as security forces used teargas, batons and eventually live rounds to push back thousands who had taken to the streets.

US President Barack Obama demanded on Monday that Iran free those protesters it had detained and told the opposition that history was on its side.

(Source: Sydney Morning Herald / AFP)