U.S. Vice President Joe Biden expressed his doubts on Iran's presidential election, saying the United States needs more time to review the results, NBC TV networks reported on Sunday, according to Xinhua.
"What surprised me is that the assertion that he won by what 60 some percent of the vote," said the vice president in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."
Official results have showed that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won 62.6 percent of the vote in the election, compared with less than 34 percent for his top challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi.
"We have to accept that for the time being. But there's an awful lot of questions about how this election was run. And we'll see. We're just waiting to see. We don't have enough facts to make a firm judgment," said Biden.
Reports here said Tehran erupted in the most intense protests in a decade on Saturday, with riot police using batons and tear gas against opposition demonstrators who claimed that Ahmadinejad had stolen the presidential election.
"It sure looks like the way they're suppressing speech, the way they're suppressing crowds, the way in which people are being treated, that there's some real doubt about that," Biden said.
As to Iran's presidential election, the Obama administration, who has vowed to persuade Tehran to abandon its nuclear program and support for terrorism by engagement, said Saturday that it would "continue to monitor the entire situation closely, including reports of regulations."
Accusing Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons and other mass destruction weapons, supporting for terrorism, and violating human rights, the Bush administration called Iran as an "axis of evil," and suggested tougher international measures against the country for its nuclear program.
Iran denies the accusations and insists that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. It continues its uranium enrichment activity despite the pressure from the western countries and relevant resolutions and sanctions of the United Nations.
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