The United States Wednesday rejected Iranian claims it was interfering the post-election tumult, saying President Barack Obama would raise concerns about, but not meddle in, Iranian politics.
"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 said.
"You know, 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," he said.
At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama would continue to express his concerns about the election and the subsequent political violence.
Gibbs noted that the president had discussed universal principles such as the right to peacefully demonstrate and stressed they should be observed in Iran as the political tumult escalates.
"The president will continue to express those concerns and ensure that we are not meddling," said Gibbs.
Earlier, Iran protested to the Swiss envoy in Tehran, who represents US interests, over "interfering remarks" by US officials on last week's presidential election, state television reported.
Obama said on Tuesday that he had concerns about the conduct of last week's election and subsequent violence, but said that US "meddling" in Iranian affairs could be counterproductive.
Obama said Washington would still to pursue "tough diplomacy" towards Iran over its nuclear drive, but has been walking a fine line political line apparently designed to avoid Washington becoming a "political football: in Iran.
On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden too voiced doubts about Iran's controversial election.
"There is an awful lot of questions about how this election was run," Biden said in an interview with NBC television. "We are waiting to see. We don't have enough facts to make a firm judgement."
Washington has had no diplomatic ties with Tehran for three decades and its interests are represented by the Swiss embassy.
Moderate former premier Mir Hossein Mousavi has demanded a re-run of last Friday's election after official results gave outright victory in the first round to hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
