Iran's Guardian Council Vows Recount as 7 Die in Protests

Government cracks down on communications, arrests reformists

(NEWSER) - Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are planning more rallies today, despite an appeal for calm by the country's supreme religious leader. Iran has banned international journalists from the protests after Monday's violence at a Mousavi demonstration, where seven people died. But state television, which showed rallies in Ahmadinejad's favor, is being allowed to operate. Reporters in the country working for international news outlets are not being allowed to leave their offices or hotel rooms, reports CNN. More»

(NEWSER) - Shots were fired at a huge street protest in Tehran today, the BBC reports, not long after opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi addressed the gathering in spite of a ban by the Iranian government; an AP photographer says one protester was killed, and that the shots came from a compound belonging to a militia associated with Iran’s powerful revolutionary guard. More»

(NEWSER) - Erupting protests over Iranian elections may be the first political upheaval tweeted from beginning to end, as demonstrators keep up a running account of what's happening, reports CNN. "My friend saying more than 100 students arrested. Bastards just attacked us for no reason. I lost count of how much tear gas they launched at us!" said one of several breathless posts over the weekend. More»

Top council makes decision

(NEWSER) - After partially recounting ballots, Iran’s top legislators have confirmed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the victor in the country’s presidential election, the BBC reports. The decision by the 12-member, conservative-controlled Guardian Council was announced on state television and follows weeks of protests in which some 17 are believed to have died. The recount found no voting irregularities, Iranian TV reported. More»

Khamenei accedes to Mousavi's request for vote fraud investigation

(NEWSER) - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a probe into Iran's allegedly rigged presidential election, reports CNN. The country's supreme leader has already endorsed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's supposed victory as "a divine miracle," but Khamenei today requested that a clerical body investigate Mir Hossein Mousavi's claims of widespread fraud. The ayatollah's reversal comes amid continued reports that opposition figures are being arrested. More»