Iran Admits Throttling Internet To 'Preserve Calm' During Election

In an unusual move, Iran's minister for communications and information technology, Mohammad Hassan Nami, has acknowledged that the country restricted the speed of the Internet in the days leading up to the June 14 presidential election.

"The reduction of the Internet speed, which some called 'disturbances', was the result of security measures taken to preserve calm in the country during the election period," said Nami. Nami said Iran's efforts were aimed at preventing "foreigners trying to disrupt the election process" from crossing into the country's cyberspace.