Obama: World 'appalled' by Iran violence
WASHINGTON -- President Obama on Tuesday strongly condemned Iran's crackdown on protests following that country's disputed June 12 election and urged its government leaders to "govern through consent, not coercion."
"The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings and imprisonments of the last few days," Obama said at the White House.
In his fourth White House news conference, the president also decried as "not logical" claims by health insurers that they would not be able to compete with a government health plan. But he said "we have not drawn lines in the sand" about including a public plan or most other elements of a broad health-care overhaul.
In an aside about his own health, Obama called himself "95% cured" as a cigarette smoker, but conceded "there are times I mess up."
Obama's comments on Iran represent his toughest language since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election sparked widespread demonstrations, which have led to the deaths of at least 17 people. Obama described as "patently false" Iran's contention that the United States and other Western nations helped instigate the recent street protests.
"They are an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place within Iran's borders," Obama said. "This tired strategy of using old tensions to scapegoat other countries won't work anymore in Iran."
Obama denied that he had taken too long to condemn the violence, as some Republicans in Congress have charged, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., his opponent in last year's election.
"We've been entirely consistent in terms of how we've approached this," the president said. "The United States is not going to be a foil" for Iran, he said, by speaking too forcefully and taking attention away from Iranian protesters.
At the same time, he said it was important to "bear witness" to the Iranian government's response, including "brutality and threats" against women. He said a widely viewed video showing a woman bleeding to death on the street was "heartbreaking."
