Iran denies inflaming prophet cartoons violence

The Iranian government has hit back at an accusation by US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice that it has inflamed violent protests over caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad and demanded an apology.

Rice, meanwhile, said Iran and Syria should be urging citizens to remain calm - not encouraging violence such as last week’s attacks on Western diplomatic missions in Tehran, Damascus and Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. Nearly a dozen people were also killed in protests in Afghanistan.