As mass protests and riots continue over the disputed presidential poll in Tehran, the capital of Iran, US President Barack Obama is still resisting pressure to side with Iran's opposition.

During a TV interview earlier this week, Obama voiced his concern when seeing "violence directed at peaceful protesters", yet he remains reluctant to get America involved.

However, the US state department did request social networking site Twitter to delay its maintenance work in order for Iranians to keep using it as a means of communication. 

Serious restrictions have been put in place against foreign media in Tehran, in the government's bid to control the flow of information out of the country.

However, Iranians have been using the internet to send images, accounts and video clips of the protests in order to spread the news of what is happening across the world.

Obama is wary of being seen to side with Mr Mousavi, particularly as some reports suggest that Mr Ahmadinejad might have sincerely won the election.

John McCain, Obama's defeated election rival, believes that Obama should "speak out that this is a corrupt, fraud, sham of an election".