President Obama says he is concerned about violence directed at protesters, but does not want “to be seen as meddling in Iranian elections.” He also warns that the “difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as has been advertised.”

Indeed, The Wall Street Journal spoke to some diplomats and analyst-types who pointed that, in the newspaper’s words, “Mr. Mousavi governed as a social conservative while he was prime minister during the 1980s, and remains a committed supporter of the values and clerical system born of the 1979 Iranian Islamic revolution.” He was reportedly an early supporter of Iran’s nuclear program, as well.

BBC:

“It is not productive, given the history of US and Iranian relations to be seen as meddling in Iranian elections,” he said.

“But when I see violence directed at peaceful protesters, when i see peaceful dissent being suppressed… it is of concern to me and it is of concern to the American people.”

Speaking later in the television interview, he downplayed the importance to the world of the struggle for power in Iran.

“The difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as has been advertised,” he said.

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#barack obama#diplomacy#election#History#iran#mahmoud ahmadinejad#middle east#mir-hossein mousavi khameneh#politics#protest#white house