Iran's Green Movement Erupts After Disputed Presidential Election

Millions of Iranians take to the streets in the largest protests since the 1979 revolution, challenging the declared victory of Ahmadinejad and demanding political reform.

Iran's June 2009 presidential election produced an official result showing incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad winning a landslide over reformist challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi. Millions of Iranians rejected the result as fraudulent, flooding the streets in what became known as the Green Movement. The regime responded with a brutal crackdown — security forces and the Basij militia attacked protesters, killing dozens. A young woman, Neda Agha-Soltan, was shot and killed; her death, captured on video, became a global symbol of the movement. President Obama, treading carefully to avoid undermining protesters by appearing to meddle, issued measured statements of concern. The crackdown crushed the movement and strengthened hardliners, but planted seeds that would re-emerge in future protest waves.