IRAN ELECTION: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the massive turnout for the
presidential election demonstrates Iranians' hopes for the future, and
he says the people elected an individual who will be best able to
materialize those wishes.
The newly re-elected president made the comments Sunday in Tehran in a televised speech one day after Iran's interior minister (Sadeq Mahsouli) announced Mr. Ahmadinejad had won 62.6% of the vote.
The official said the president's top rival, reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi, won only 33.75% of the vote.
IRAN ELECTION-REACT: International reaction to the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been mixed. The European Union says it is concerned about the alleged
irregularities in the election, but that it hopes the outcome will lead
to a resumption in dialogue on Iran's disputed nuclear program.
An EU statement says the bloc's presidency expects Iran's new government to respect its international obligations. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman says Mr. Ahmadinejad's
victory means the international community must act in an uncompromising
way to prevent a nuclear Iran, to stop its support for terror groups,
and to halt its undermining of Middle East stability.
US-IRAN: The United States says it is monitoring the situation closely regarding
Iran's controversial presidential election, including reports of voting
irregularities.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says the U.S. is impressed by the
"vigorous debate and enthusiasm" the election generated, particularly
among young Iranians.
Speaking Saturday in Canada, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
said the United States hopes the outcome of the Iranian election
reflects the "genuine will and desire of the Iranian people." She said
like the rest of the world, the U.S. is waiting and watching to see
what happens next in Iran.
PAKISTAN: Authorities in northwest Pakistan say eight people were killed and at
least 20 others were wounded in a bomb blast in a busy market area
Sunday.
Officials say the explosion occurred in the town of Dera Ismail Khan,
south of Peshawar, and it appeared to have been caused by a planted
device.
Elsewhere Sunday, an intelligence official in Pakistan said a suspected
U.S. drone aircraft fired a missile at a vehicle carrying Taliban
insurgents in the South Waziristan region, killing at least three
militants.
AFGHANISTAN: NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan say four Afghan civilians were killed and two were wounded in militant attacks on Saturday.
NATO issued a statement Sunday saying insurgents fired mortars and
assault weapons at the Waze Zadran district center and a nearby
security outpost in Paktia province, killing one Afghan. It said Afghan
and NATO troops responded to the attack while NATO provided medical
assistance to the wounded.
Also in Paktia province, the statement says militants attacked Afghan
workers who were constructing the Khost-Gardez road in Shawak district,
killing three Afghan security guards at the site.
News of the violence comes as the United Nations sounds another warning about the cost of civilian casualties in Afghanistan.
