Iran has blocked access to Facebook ahead of the presidential elections. It is said that the move is to constrain the reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi from using the site for his campaign.

Mir Hussein Mousavi is the former prime minister. He is one of the leading challengers to the incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 12 June elections. Mir Hussein’s page on Facebook recorded about 5000 supporters for him.

Facebook, which has about 175 million users worldwide, has expressed its disappointment over the ban. It is ironic that the site is blocked at a time when people would be turning to internet for information.