Khatami’s old hardline foes have expressed outrage over video footage circulating on the Internet which apparently shows the former president shaking hands with several women.

‘Khatami officially denied that he had shook hands with any woman and the film circulating is not based on reality,’ said a statement from his office reported by the ISNA news agency and Ham Mihan newspaper.

‘This film circulating on some conservative websites which shows him shaking hand with some Italian women is a version that has been edited and Khatami wholly denies this.’

According to Islam’s sharia law, it is forbidden for a man to have any physical contact with a woman to whom he is not related. Whether at home or on trips abroad, Iran’s officials studiously avoid handshakes with females.

Khatami’s trip at the start of May saw him meet Italian leaders as well as Pope Benedict XVI.

The alleged handshake has already been condemned in the ultra-hardline press, who took a strong stance against Khatami’s cautious attempts at social reform during his 1997-2005 presidency.

Meanwhile, Etemad newspaper said several ultra-conservatives staged a protest against Khatami in the holy northeastern city of Mashhad and handed over a complaint to a special clerical court demanding he be put on trial.

The paper said the crowd, carrying placards like ‘Defrock Mohammad Khatami’ and ‘‘Death to the Clerics’ Foe’, successfully lodged their complaint and handed over copies of the film and other documents to the court.

It said the protests were part of a drive against Khatami ahead of key parliamentary elections in Iran on March 23 where moderates will seek to challenge conservatives for control of the chamber.

Khatami has said he will not himself stand in the elections, but he remains a hugely charismatic figurehead for moderates and retains a following despite the acknowledged failures of his rule.

He has devoted his energies since leaving office to his centre for the dialogue of civilisations, frequently making foreign trips -- most notably to the United States -- but rarely making comments on day-to-day politics.