U.S. denies interference in Iran's elections

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WASHINGTON, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Wednesday rejected Iran's allegations that it was interfering with the country's domestic affairs when the Islamic Republic fell into political turmoil after the disputed presidential elections.

"As the president has said, we are not interfering with the debate that Iranians are having about their election and its aftermath," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters.

"This is a debate about Iranians and about Iran's future. It's up to the government of Iran to resolve these questions and these concerns that the Iranian people have and that the world has in a credible way, in a transparent way, and in a peaceful way," the spokesman said.

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that he had deep concerns about the aftermath of Iran's presidential elections. "I think that the world has deep concerns about the election," he added.

However, Obama and his senior aides shunned direct comment on Iran's latest elections, which were criticized by opposition parties as a fraud.

"It's not productive given the history of U.S.-Iranian relations to be seen as meddling," Obama told reporters at the White House.

However, Obama said that the disputed election in Iran revealed an eagerness for a change in the Islamic Republic. "I do believe that something has happened in Iran ... There are people who want to see greater openness and greater debate and want to see greater democracy," he noted.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Wednesday that Obama would continue to express his concerns about Iran's post-election violence.

Following the announcement of Iran's presidential election results on Saturday, hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to protest against the re-election of incumbent President Mohmoud Ahmadinejad.

It was reported that increasing riotings in Iran have led to the deaths of eight people.

Former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Ahmadinejad's No. 1 rival in the elections, has said he believes the vote was fixed in favor of President Ahmadinejad, while the incumbent said the vote was fair.