In Iran: 'Landslide' For Ahmadinejad? Protesters Clash With Police

An injured protester in Tehran late today. Olivier Laban-Mattei/AFP/Getty Images.

(Since this post was first published this morning, we've added the photo above and updates below to report about the protests underway in Iran.)

By Mark Memmott

The news from Iran as the day began was that the Interior Ministry says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won yesterday's election by a 2-1 margin. His main challenger, former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi is alleging fraud and saying he won.

Authorities have surrounded the Interior Ministry with police and have shut down Tehran's cellphone text messaging system — a system effectively used by Mousavi's supporters during the campaign to organize large demonstrations.

We'll check back in on the news later in the day. You can keep tabs by clicking on the "hourly news summary" button at the top of this page, and by clicking here to get to all of NPR.org's reporting on the story. On the air, both Weekend Edition and Weekend All Things Considered will have extensive coverage. Click here to find an NPR station near you.

As for how other news media and blogs are covering Iran's election, here's a sampling of some headlines:

— BBC: "Ahmadinejad 'Wins Iran Presidential Vote.'. "

— The New York Times: "Both Sides Claim Victory in Presidential Election In Iran."

— Al Jazeera: "Ahmadinejad 'Set For Iran Victory.' "

— The Wall Street Journal: "Ahmadinejad Lead A Blow To U.S.-Arab Allies."

— Haaretz.com: "ANALYSIS: U.S. To Face A Bolder, More Confident Ahmadinejad."

— Huffington Post: "Mousavi Warns: 'There Is No Turning Back.' "

— Pajamas Media: "How Fraudulent Was The Iranian Election?"

UPDATE AT 1:30 p.m. ET. Here's the top of the latest story from NPR.org:

Iran's election commission has declared a resounding victory for the country's hard-line incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, triggering street clashes between police and opposition supporters in the streets of Tehran.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press writes that "the White House says it is monitoring Iran's presidential election results, including reports of voter fraud. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Saturday the Obama administration is keeping close watch on the election process, 'including reports of irregularities.' "

The BBC's latest headline is "Ahmadinejad Re-election Sparks Iran Clashes." It writes that thousands of protesters have fought with police in Tehran.

The AP has this video report on the protests: