President Obama, breaking his silence on the disputed presidential elections in Iran, said Iranians are entitled to have every vote counted, urged a full investigation into vote-rigging allegations, and called for an end to violence.
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Speaking during a White House photo opportunity with President Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Obama said he and all Americans are troubled by reports that protests of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's decisive victory have resulted in bloody clashes. Obama told reporters that any investigation into the elections must not result in bloodshed.
"I am deeply troubled by the violence that I've been seeing on television," the president said. "I think that the democratic process, free speech, the ability of people to peacefully dissent - all those are universal values that need to be respected."
When Americans see violence used to quell peaceful demonstrations "they are rightfully troubled," Obama said. To the protesters, he added, "I would say the world is watching and inspired by the participation."
His remarks came hours after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reversed himself and proclaimed that charges of fraud in this weekend's presidential election would be investigated. At the same time, violence continued to flare in Tehran last night, and at least seven people were killed in street confrontations.
While Ahmadinejad continued to claim that he was reelected by a 2-to-1 ratio in heavy turnout, hundreds of thousands of supporters of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi took to the streets yesterday, accusing Ahmadinejad of rigging the election.
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