Iran's Guardian Council, the constitutional watchdog dominated by hardliners, was yesterday set to reconfirm the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad in the June 12 presidential election, a move that will enrage the reformist opposition and heighten tension.

After failing to reach a compromise with Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the opposition leader who says the election was rigged, the council went ahead with a random recount of 10 per cent of the votes in front of state television cameras.