President Barack Obama on Tuesday denied the United States has been interfering in Iran's affairs, but said that he strongly condemns Iranian government's "unjust actions" against its people.

The United States and the international community have been "appealed and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days," Obama told a press conference in the White House, referring to Iran's post-election situation.

Reports here say that some 10 people reportedly have been killed and hundreds of others wounded during clashes between Iran riot police and thousand of protestors who were staging protests against the results from the June 12 presidential election.

"I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost," said the president, who has been avoiding from making the United States become a "political football" or "foil."

But some powerful Republican lawmakers, including former presidential candidate John McCain, slammed President Obama's weak response to Iran's situation is a "betrayal" of the founding principles of the United States.


U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, June 23, 2009. Obama on Tuesday denied the United States has been interfering in Iran's affairs, but saying that he strongly condemns Iranian government's " unjust actions" against its people. (Xinhua/Zhang Yan)

At the press conference, Obama dismissed Tehran's accusation against the United States and other Western countries of interfering in Iran's affairs.

"I have made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not at all interfering in Iran's affairs," said the president.

"These accusations are patently false. They're an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place within Iran's borders," said Obama, adding "this tired strategy of using old tensions to scapegoat other countries won't work anymore in Iran."

"Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away," he warned.

But the president still tries to offer Tehran warnings but not strong condemnations.

"The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through consent and not coercion."

The president also defended for his policy toward Iran, saying the Islamic republic can choose a path in which its sovereignty, traditions, culture and faith are respected, and that the United States has been "still waiting to see" how Iran would respond to the goodwill engagement from Washington.

"We have provided a path whereby Iran can reach out to the international community, engage, and become a part of international norms. It is up to them to make a decision as to whether they choose that path," he said.

"My position coming into this office has been that the United States has core national security interests in making sure that Iran doesn't possess a nuclear weapon and it stops exporting terrorism outside of its borders," reiterated Obama, who has been seeking a "direct diplomacy" to persuade Tehran to abandon its nuclear program and support for terrorism.

Source: Xinhua