TEHRAN, January 13, 2010 (AFP) - Iran on Wednesday condemned a Norwegian newspaper's publication of reproductions of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed, one of which is thought to have led to an attack on its Danish author Kurt Westergaard.

Iran "strongly condemns the publication of these cartoons by the Aftenposten newspaper," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said, quoted by official news agency IRNA.

"You cannot use the excuse of freedom of expression to justify insulting the beliefs of 1.5 billion Muslims," he added. "That will do nothing to promote mutual understanding and world peace."

In an article on Westergaard and the January 1 attempt on his life by a Somalian, the Norwegian daily printed small versions of six out of the 12 drawings that outraged Muslims around the world when they were first published by a Danish newspaper in 2005.

Several of the drawings were seen as linking Islam and its revered prophet to terrorism and suicide bombings, with Westergaard's cartoon showing him wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb.

Referring to the attack on the Danish cartoonist, Aftenposten's editor Hilde Haugsgjerd said it seemed "natural and justified to republish the artistic and journalistic body of work that is likely the cause of this violence".

Aftenposten first published copies of the cartoons in 2005 but did not join newspapers in many other countries when they reprinted in 2006 some or all of them.

Angry crowds had demonstrated across the Muslim world, leaving dozens of people dead and causing major damage to Danish embassies and other facilities.