UN Congratulates Ahmadinejad

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has congratulated Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his reelection. Ahmadinejad's victory was highly controversial, and sparked weeks of bloody protests and accusations that Iran's ruling elite had rigged the vote.

Many world leaders refrained from congratulating Ahmadinejad due to the allegations of voting fraud surrounding his victory and the severe violence with which protests by the opposition were repressed, as well as his refusal to negotiate over Iran's nuclear program. Ahmadinejad has also upset world leaders by supporting Middle East terrorism, particularly in Iraq and Gaza, and by denying the Holocaust and threatening to destroy Israel.

A UN spokesperson confirmed that Ban had sent a letter of congratulations to Ahmadinejad. The contents of the letter will not be made public. More