Washington - The Obama administration has been outspoken
that Iran should allow freedom of expression during ongoing election
protests, but critics charge Washington has not done enough to back
the tens of thousands of demonstrators who have taken to the streets.
President Barack Obama and his aides have been trying to walk a
fine line by backing the rights of protestors while being careful not
to alienate the powerful Shiite clerics who run the Islamic state, or
even the hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who appears to have
been re-elected.
Since June 12 voting, tens of thousands of backers of defeated
reformist candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi have protested the election
results in demonstrations that have at times become bloody. The Obama
administration has voiced support for their right to gather and has
called on the Iranian government to resolve the election issue
'transparently.'
Obama has said that he wants to open direct dialogue with Iran on
a host of issues, including Tehran's nuclear programme, along with
its alleged support of Hezbollah and Hamas militants and terrorism in
the region. Obama said his restrained comments about the election are
meant to avoid the perception of US intervention in Iranian affairs.
'It's not productive, given the history of US-Iranian relations,
to be seen as meddling - the US president meddling in Iranian
elections,' he said, while noting 'deep concerns about the election'
and objecting to any violent crackdown against the protestors.
Still, the Iranian government has accused the United States of
interfering in the process and summoned the Swiss ambassador, who
represents the United States in Tehran because the two countries lack
formal diplomatic relations.
'We are not interfering with the debate that Iranians are having
about their election and its aftermath,' State Department spokesman
PJ Crowley said. 'You know, this is a debate about Iranians and about
Iran's future.'
Still, the Obama's stance has drawn some sharp criticism from
hardliners in Washington, who believe stronger words are needed to
support the protestors and maintain pressure on Tehran.
Senator John McCain, Obama's Republican opponent in last year's
general election, has been among the sharper critics.
'He should speak out that this is a corrupt, flawed, sham of an
election,' McCain said on NBC. 'The Iranian people have been deprived
of their rights. We support them in their struggle against a
repressive, oppressive regime.'
Obama in May said that he will initiate his plan to talk directly
to Tehran once the Iranian election is over but has yet to detail his
approach. Analysts say Obama has measured his words because angering
the clerics could diminish the prospects that Iran would be willing
to talk.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that Washington
will pursue dialogue with Iran regardless of who ends up in power in
Tehran.
'We are obviously waiting to see the outcome of the internal
Iranian processes, but our intent is to pursue whatever opportunities
might exist in the future with Iran,' Clinton said after meeting with
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Obama has sought to downplay the differences between Ahmadinejad
and Moussavi, though the latter is seen as more open to ties with the
West. Both men are part of the country's establishment and back
Tehran's nuclear programme, which enjoys widespread support among the
Iranian public.
'It's important to understand that although there is amazing
ferment taking place in Iran, that the difference between Ahmadinejad
and Moussavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as
has been advertised,' Obama told CNBC in an interview.
'Either way, we were going to be dealing with an Iranian regime
that has historically been hostile to the United States, that has
caused some problems in the neighborhood and is pursuing nuclear
weapons,' he said.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story