Barack Obama sits on the fence by refusing to back Mousavi

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The American president is resisting pressure to side with the country's opposition, saying there might not be much difference between the policies of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his rival Mirhossein Mousavi. Mr Obama said he believed Iranian voices should be heard, although he added that he did not want to be seen to be "meddling".

"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 suppressedit is of concern to me and it is of concern to the American people."

During a television interview, he also downplayed the importance to the world of the struggle for power in Iran. He said: "The difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as has been advertised." Mr Obama has been under pressure from some Republican politicians to openly support the protesters, who claim Mr Ahmadinejad's re-election is the product of vote rigging. John McCain, Mr Obama's defeated 2008 election rival, said: "He should speak out that this is a corrupt, fraud, sham of an election."

Mr Obama might be wary because some intelligence reports suggest that Mr Ahmadinejad may have genuinely won the election, with a claimed 63 per cent of votes and 34 per cent for Mr Mousavi.

Several US analysts have been saying for weeks that Mr Mousavi should not be seen as compliant over Iran's nuclear programme, which the West suspects is aimed at building a bomb and Tehran says is peaceful.