Washington (CNSNews.com) - President Obama amplified his criticism Tuesday of the violent treatment by the Iranian government towards peaceful protesters in the aftermath of the nation's recent elections, saying he “condemns” Iran’s actions.
“The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings and imprisonments (of protesters in Iran) of the last few days,” the president said at the White House.
“I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost,” he added.
The president said it was “heartbreaking” for him to see Iranian women protesters that have been killed, and called the violence “fundamentally unjust.”
"In 2009, no iron fist is strong enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to the peaceful pursuit of justice," he later added.
Obama has been criticized for not responding to the protests in Iran where supporters of presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi are claiming fraud in an election that resulted in the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), speaking on C-SPAN’s "Washington Journal" earlier in the day, criticized Obama’s response towards the Iranian situation as not being tough enough.
McCain called on his 2008 presidential rival to “follow the example of our founding fathers that declared that all of us ‘are endowed with certain inalienable rights,’”
and said he was expecting the president to “come out more strongly” during today’s press conference.
McCain has not been alone in his criticism. In a June 21 interview with ABC’s “This Week,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) referred to Obama’s response towards the current situation in Iran as “timid and passive.”
Obama, when asked to comment on the criticism, told reporters in the briefing that ultimately he will deal with the situation as he sees fit.
“I think John McCain has genuine passion about many of these international issues,” he said. “And, you know, I think that all of us share a belief that we want justice to prevail.”
“You know, members of Congress, they've got their constitutional duties, and I'm sure they will carry them out in the way that they think is appropriate,” he said.“I'm president of the United States, and I'll carry out my duties as I think appropriate.”
Obama had called on Iran to “stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people” in a June 20 statement.
The president did not talk about any specific plans of how to deal with Iran’s aggressive crackdown on protesters during today’s briefing, saying he is waiting for the situation to unfold further.
“We are going to monitor and see how this plays itself out before we make any judgments about how we proceed,” said Obama.
He added: “But to reiterate, there is a path available to Iran in which their sovereignty is respected, their traditions, their culture, their faith is respected, but one in which they are part of a larger community that has responsibilities and operates according to norms and international rules that are universal.”
He added: “What we can do is to say, unequivocally, that there are sets of international norms and principles about violence, about dealing with the peaceful dissent that -- that spans cultures, spans borders.”
Obama criticized the Iranian government for suppressing its people’s freedom of speech and assembly, warning that it should stop if it intends to be respected by the “international community.”
“The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech” said Obama.
“If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights and heed the will of its own people, he added. “It must govern through consent and not coercion.”
President Obama acknowledged the plight of the Iranian protesters, saying that, at the end of the day, Iranians will determine the fate of their government.
The chief executive was quick to deny that the U.S. or its western counterparts were fueling the protests in Iran.
“The Iranian people are trying to have a debate about their future. Some in Iran -- some in the Iranian government, in particular, are trying to avoid that debate by accusing the United States and others in the West of instigating protests over the elections,” said the president.
“These accusations are patently false,” he added. “They're an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place within Iran's borders.”
The president praised peaceful protesters for standing up for what they believe in.
“We've seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands of Iranians marching in silence,” he said. “We've seen people of all ages risk everything to insist that their votes are counted and that their voices are heard.
“Above all, we've seen courageous women stand up to the brutality and threats, and we've experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets” he added.
“While this loss is raw and extraordinarily painful, we also know this: those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history.”