TEHRAN , Iran ( CNN ) -- A senior official with Iran 's powerful Revolutionary Guard is calling for the prosecution of two key opposition leaders and a former president , accusing them of fanning the protests that have gripped the nation since its disputed presidential election two months ago . A top official in Iran wants to put former President Mohammad Khatami , left , and Mir Hossein Moussavi on trial . Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi , along with former reformist President Mohammad Khatami , should be tried for attempting to lead a Western-backed `` velvet revolution '' that aimed to topple the regime , the official said . `` If Moussavi , Khatami ... and Karrubi are the main suspects believed to have been behind the velvet coup in Iran , which they are , we expect the judiciary to go after them , arrest them , put them on trial and punish them according to the law , '' said Brigadier General Yadollah Javani . Javani heads the Guard 's political bureau . The Guard , which was initially created to protect the leaders of the revolution , is under the direct control of Iran 's supreme leader and enforces the governments ' Islamic codes and morality . His comments were reported Monday by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency . A day earlier , state-run Press TV reported that lawmakers were working on a complaint to present to the parliament 's National Security Commission to bring Moussavi to trial for fomenting the post-election unrest . Until now , the government has gone after the protesters themselves in mass trials that have been denounced internationally . Among those appearing in court are two French and British embassy employees and a French citizen . Iran says many of the defendants have confessed to helping foreign countries -- specifically Britain and the United States -- `` instigate the unrest . '' Moussavi and Khatami have contended the detainees were forced into confessions through torture . Human rights organizations have also decried the mass trial , calling it a farce and a way to intimidate Iranians who speak out against the government . Moussavi and Karrubi ran in the presidential election on June 12 , in which hardline incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the overwhelming winner . Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest , calling the election results fraudulent , and more than 1,000 people were arrested . Iran said at least 30 people were killed in post-election violence . The two opposition leaders unsuccessfully challenged the results for weeks , and Ahmadinejad was sworn in for his second term last week .
Brigadier General Yadollah ##i is a senior officer in the Revolutionary Guard . He wants to put opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi , and Karrubi on trial . Javani also wants to put former reformist President Mohammad Ali on trial . Until now , the government has gone after the protesters themselves .