NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated 9:26 p.m. ET June 16, 2009
Tens of thousands of supporters of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi took to the streets of Tehran (德黑兰) and to the Internet on Tuesday as the country’s Islamic leaders promised a limited recount (重新计算) after five days of protests following last week’s disputed (备受争议的) elections.
Authorities banned all foreign news reporting from the streets, making it difficult for Western media to confirm (证实) many reports coming from Tehran. But an NBC News producer was able to report from the scene of a rally (集会) in central Tehran, where supporters of both Mousavi and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confronted (对抗) each other Tuesday.
The government had organized a rally to demand punishment for those who violently protested the announced results of Friday’s balloting (投票表决), which the government said had been won by Ahmadinejad. Reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has called the election an "astonishing charade (一种看手势猜字谜的游戏)," demanding it be canceled (取消) and held again.