At least four Iranian websites known to support Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have been filtered by the Islamic Republic Internet Filtering Commission.
Dowlatyar, Mahramaneh News, Bakeri-on-line and Rahva were hacked into after the controversial resignation and reinstatement of the intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi. The episode, which revealed a rift between the president and the Supreme Leader, has still not been reported on the president’s official website.
Decisions on filtering websites are made by a committee of 12 officials headed by Iran’s prosecutor, Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejei, the former head of the ministry of intelligence.
Dowlatyar website published a harsh criticism of Ahmadinejad’s detractors last Tuesday. The report warned that persistent attacks on the government could lead to “bloody street confrontations.”
As tensions rise between supporters of Ahmadinejad and conservative members of the Islamic Republic establishment, it is revealing further cracks in the Islamic Republic system after the heavy crackdown on reformists over the past two years.
Iranian reformists backed Ahmadinejad’s opponents in the 2009 presidential elections and accused the government of securing Ahmadinejad’s victory through vote fraud.
