U.S. monitors Iran poll, reiterates dialogue offer

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States urged Iran on Saturday to resolve disputes over its presidential election peacefully, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she hoped the outcome reflected the will of the Iranian people.

The White House said it was monitoring the election closely, including reports of "irregularities," after official results showed hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected by a huge margin over reformist Mirhossein Mousavi.

"We obviously hope that the outcome reflects the genuine will and desire of the Iranian people," Clinton said on a brief trip to neighboring Canada.

Ahmadinejad's resounding victory could complicate U.S. President Barack Obama's efforts to reach out to Tehran, and will disappoint major powers seeking to convince Iran to halt nuclear work that the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.

A senior U.S. official reiterated Washington's offer for talks with Iran over a range of issues, from Afghanistan and Iraq to disputes over its nuclear program that Tehran says is for peaceful purposes.

"We encourage the Iranian government to seize this opportunity to engage directly with the United States," the senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Washington is looking for opportunities to deal directly with Iran. One possibility could be at a meeting of Group of Eight foreign ministers on Afghanistan and Pakistan in Italy later this month. Clinton is expected to attend and Iran will be invited to the meeting.

The senior U.S. official said the United States was not yet ready to pronounce the outcome of the disputed election.

"We are calling for the peaceful resolution of any disputes," he added.

'VIGOROUS DEBATE'

Dashing U.S. hopes of a change in leadership and possibly a more positive tone, Ahmadinejad was elected to a second term, getting 62.6 percent of the vote, according to Iran's interior minister. Mousavi called the election a "dangerous charade."

"Like the rest of the world, we were impressed by the vigorous debate and enthusiasm that this election generated, particularly among young Iranians," the White House said in a statement. "We continue to monitor the entire situation closely, including reports of irregularities."

Violence erupted on the streets of Iran, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranians to respect Ahmadinejad's victory. Ahmadinejad rejected allegations of irregularities and declared the election "free and healthy."

Speaking at the same news conference with Clinton at Niagara Falls, Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said his country was troubled by reports of voting problems.

"Canada is deeply, deeply concerned by reports about voting irregularities in the Iranian election. We're troubled by reports of intimidation of opposition candidates' offices by security forces," said Cannon.