Iran’s supreme leader called on the opposition today to distance itself from the Islamic republic’s Western enemies, in a warning ahead of expected new antigovernment protests next month.

Despite intensifying pressure, opposition backers are expected to take to the streets again on February 11, when Iran marks the 31st anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Opposition Iranians have seized on occasions marked in the Islamic revolutionary calendar to revive their protests and messages of rallies on that day have circulated on the Internet.

“All parties with different tendencies should clearly distance themselves from the enemies, particularly influential elites should avoid making ambiguous comments,” Khamenei said in a speech reported by state television.

Referring to the state-sponsored rallies usually on the revolution anniversary, he said the “enemies are worried about the huge presence of our nation” on that day.

But in a sign of continued opposition defiance, reformist former President Mohammad Khatami accused the authorities of launching a “new wave of pressures” and he defended people still protesting over the outcome of the election.

“Unfortunately we are witnessing these days a new wave of pressures and a new round of arrests,” said Khatami, who backed opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi in the presidential poll. He was speaking at a meeting of freed postvote detainees.

Khatami, who was president from 1997-2005, said those handling Iran’s affairs had “done nothing but caused more problems,” in hard-hitting criticism of Ahmadinejad’s conservative government.

“The people have realized that many of the protesters were not ill-wishers and their protests were right,” Khatami said. “The major part of the protesters are committed to the constitution and peaceful ways to voice their protests.”