TEHRAN, Iran – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused the foreign media of coverage that harms the Iranian people after authorities claimed he was re-elected in a bitterly disputed vote.
He called on the public to respect the vote on Friday, after his main pro-reform challenger rejected the results and accused authorities of election fraud.
"This is a great victory at a time when the ... propaganda facilities outside Iran and sometimes inside Iran were totally mobilized against our people," Ahmadinejad said, according to an English translation of his victory speech carried on state television.
"The heaviest pressure and psychological warfare was organized against the people of Iran. A large number of foreign media ... organized a full-fledged fight against our people."
Cell phone service appeared to have been cut in Tehran after Ahmadinejad won.
There was no immediate comment from Iran's Telecommunications Ministry. But when users tried to call cell phones, a message appeared on their phones saying "error in connection."
It did not appear that cell phones were down throughout the country late Saturday. Residents in several provinces say their service is working.
Iran has already blocked the use of text messages and most Web sites affiliated with Ahmadinejad's top opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, were blocked. Other Web sites including Facebook were not accessible but it was unclear if they were blocked.
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