Unrest follows Iranian elections; opposition says they were rigged

In Iran today, hundreds of thousands defied a government order banning street protests and demonstrated in Tehran in support of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Crowds stretched for miles down city streets and some observers described the scene as the largest protest in 3 decades. Opposition candidate Mousavi, who filed a formal complaint contesting the election results, spoke from the roof of a car at the massive gathering in central Tehran.

An AP photographer witnessed gunmen firing into the crowd at Azadi sqaure, killing one and injuring others. The gunmen were allegedy from a volunteer militia associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Photos show one man with a bloody leg sprawled on the back of a taxi.

Meanwhile, supporters of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad protested outside of the French and British embassies. On Sunday, Ahmadinejad gave a victory speech and news conference, and insists the elections were fair.

Also on Sunday night, according to an opposition website, Iranian State Security Forces raided a dorm at the University of Tehran, injuring 16 students and arresting quote "many" students. The raid has not been independently confirmed.
Monday's demonstrations follow a weekend of protests after last Friday's contentious elections. Opposition candidates have called for an investigation into voting irregularities, with many claiming the election was stolen by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran's theocratic  leader Ayatollah Khamenei also supports an investigation. Iran's powerful Guardian Council will investigate the allegations that the results were rigged in favor of Ahmadinejad and said it will announce a decision in 10 days. The United States is cautiously responding to the unrest.

Meanwhile, some protesters allege that Iranian authorities are attempting to stem the flow of information out of the country, by shutting down cell phone services, closing local media outlets and blocking international journalists from sending out reports. However many citizen journalists have succeeded in sending out information using social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.