An Iranian news agency with ties to the government has mistakenly reported a spoof story that rural white Americans would prefer President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to current US President Barack Obama.
The unlikely story was actually written by satirical website The Onion, but reported as fact by Fars news agency.
The story read:
According to the results of a Gallup poll released Monday, the overwhelming majority of rural white Americans said they would rather vote for Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than US President Barack Obama.
"I like him better," said West Virginia resident Dale Swiderski, who, along with 77 percent of rural Caucasian voters, confirmed he would much rather go to a baseball game or have a drink with Ahmadinejad than spend time with Obama.
"He takes national defense seriously, and he'd never let some gay protesters tell him how to run his country like Obama does."
According to the same Gallup poll, 60 percent of rural whites said they at least respected that Ahmadinejad doesn't try to hide the fact that he's Muslim.
FARS news agency is occasionally referred to as False News by Iranians, after they broadcasted a fictional interview with former president of the international atomic agency Mohamed ElBaradei.