Obama admin will not describe the announced outcome of the Iranian election as legitimate or illegitimate

A senior official, speaking without attribution, said the Obama administration would not describe the announced outcome of the Iranian election as legitimate or illegitimate.

It would also not describe a victory by Mir Hossein Mousavi as necessarily better than a victory - now claimed and endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - by reigning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad.

"We're not going to characterize what would have been a better or worse scenario," the official said. "We will deal with this as it is, not as we wish it to be. We have very serious foreign policy and national security issues at play here. That was the case yesterday. It is the case today."

The official said the White House and State Department will "follow closely" reports of voting irregularities and called the public statement by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on irregularities a "straight-forward" signal to the world about US concerns.

"We are continuing to follow and monitor developments, but we are not going to get ahead of the facts."

The senior official said there was legitimate reason to study complaints from Mousavi's camp that the former prime minister even lost in his own political base to Ahmadinejad, that cell phones and text messaging appeared to have been blocked, and that shortages in ballots may have denied millions a chance to vote.

Protests in Tehran have turned violent as secret police and riot police have fought with Mousavi protesters, reportedly the worst political violence in the capital in a decade.

Another result that's parked curiosity: To have won with his announced margin, Ahmadinejad would have had to capture the votes of many Iranians who last time sided with the reform candidate. This election attracted more demonstrations for reform than the previous one.

Turnout was reported to be 85 percent. Ahmadinejad's announced margin of victory was 63% to 34% over Mousavi.

Mousavi has asked for another election. His supporters have flatly said Ahmadinejad's forces stole the election.

Mousavi hoped to deny Ahmadinejad 50%, so as to force a run-off. The leader of the Committee to Protect the People's votes, a group set up by all three opposition parties to monitor the vote, called the result unacceptable and alleged voter fraud.

Both Gibbs and Secretary of State Clinton noted publicly the high interest in the election by young Iranians, an indirect boost to Mousavi, whose campaign appeared to galvanize support among those under 30 in the closing days.