Sunday, June 14, 2009

Ahmadinejad defiant as defeated rival protests vote

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended his re-election at a mass victory rally on Sunday but his defeated rival demanded the result be scrapped, setting the stage for further tense confrontations after the authorities cracked down on opposition protests. Addressing a sea of thousands of flag-waving supporters packed into central Tehran, the hardline Ahmadinejad denied the result of Friday's vote another four years was "distorted."