The United States has rejected Iranian accusations of interference in its domestic affairs as post-election violence continues to wrack the Islamic Republic.
The accusation came following remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama, who observed Wednesday that there appeared to be little difference between incumbent Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the relatively moderate challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi. Obama added at the time that he did not believe it would be constructive for the U.S. to be seen as "meddling" in Iran's internal affairs.
Iranian government officials slammed the remarks and summoned the Swiss ambassador to convey its displeasure to the United States, which does not maintain an embassy in Tehran. Within hours, Assistant Secretary of State Phillip Crowley rejected Iran's accusation in a Wednesday afternoon briefing with reporters in Washington.
"We are aware that the Swiss ambassador was called in today, and a number of countries in recent days… their diplomatic representatives were called in. So I suspect we are in good company," Crowley pointed out. "But as the President has said, we are not interfering with the debate that Iranians are having about their election and its aftermath. This is a debate about Iranians and about Iran's future."
Crowley noted that it was impossible to say whether the Iranian elections were "free and fair," as Ahmadinejad insisted in his victory speech, because there were no international monitors to witness the process.
Protests Move Into Sixth Day
Forces loyal to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are trying to muffle the increasing clamor for new elections after the Interior Ministry announced lopsided results of a landslide victory for Ahmadinejad barely two hours after the polls closed last Friday.
But the government forces have been unsuccessful in stifling the massive uprising, even with the use of increasing violence. Hundreds of thousands of supporters of former president Mousavi continue to protest in Tehran other Iranian cities wearing his campaign's trademark of green colors.
Opposition politician and former Iranian Foreign Minister Ebrahim Yazdi was arrested Thursday while hospitalized for a stomach disorder and taken away by government forces, according to an unnamed ally quoted by the Reuters news agency. Yazdi heads the banned Freedom Movement. It is not known how many people have been arrested, nor how many have "disappeared" since the unrest, but local sources claimed that "hundreds" had been detained.
US: 'Serious Concerns' About Unrest
"As the President has said repeatedly, there are serious concerns about what is going on and it’s up to the Iranian government to address these in a credible way," Crowley told reporters. "Their own people have questions as to whether this election was credible, whether the results actually represent the will of the Iranian people here."
Crowley said the U.S. and the rest of the world would be "watching closely" as events unfold. The 12-member Guardian Council, headed by the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameni, has said it would approve a limited recount of ballots at polls were candidates said irregularities had occurred.
However, Mousavi has said that such a recount would be pointless, and many of his supporters agreed, posting bitter "tweets" on the social networking mini-blog Twitter internet site, pointing out the many of the ballots had been destroyed.
Some activists, clearly terrified of the brutality displayed by the government forces chasing protesters, posted appeals for help. "Help us world! Help my sisters and brothers from these killers!" wrote one.
Others used the site to post the location and times of the upcoming demonstrations, or to advise activists on how best to avoid government forces.
Iran Stomps Internet Services, US Praises Twitter
Twitter and Facebook as well as other blogs and web sites have been vital links to the outside world for Iranians, especially following a government edict forcing most foreign media off the Iranian streets and banning reports on the demonstrations.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard officially warned all online media Wednesday that it must remove any materials that "create tension" or face legal action. The elite military force, an entirely separate militia, answers to Iran's Supreme Leader.
Crowley responded that the U.S. supported the Twitter internet site's decision to deter its routine maintenance shutdown in order to enable Iranian activists to continue posting tweets, which have reached as high as 221,744 per hour.
"The conversation that a State Department employee had with Twitter on Monday evening is consistent with our support for freedom of expression," he said. "That call occurred three days after the election, so it’s hard to see that this can be construed as interference. In fact, Twitter is a tool that allows all Iranians to communicate. It isn’t about just one group or another. In fact, there are reports, I think, in the media, that the government itself uses Twitter."
Some people who posted on Twitter said government forces had begun posting disinformation "tweets" as well. But the disinformation has been unable to stem the flow of pictures and video photographed by Iranians themselves, much of which has been posted on the YouTube "broadcast yourself" site.
Violent and graphic material is generally banned from the site, but the company relaxed its regulations in order to allow Iranians to post videos of what has been happening on the streets of their communities, in lieu of professional media who are no longer being allowed to cover the events.
“In general, we do not allow graphic or gratuitous violence on YouTube. However, we make exceptions for videos that have educational, documentary, or scientific value. The limitations being placed on mainstream media reporting from within Iran make it even more important that citizens in Iran be able to use YouTube to capture their experiences for the world to see,” the company said Wednesday in a statement.
Another major protest by Mousavi activists was scheduled for Thursday, despite a government ban by government officials on all demonstrations.