Clinton hopes Iran poll will reflect will of people

NIAGARA FALLS, Canada (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday the United States was monitoring the outcome of Iran's election and hoped the results reflected the will of the Iranian people.

Without referring to reported irregularities with the poll, Clinton said that, like the rest of the world, the United States was watching to see what the Iranian people decided.

"The United States has refrained from commenting on the election in Iran. We obviously hope that the outcome reflects the genuine will and desire of the Iranian people," said Clinton, on a short visit to Canada.

Dashing U.S. hopes of a change in leadership, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected to a second term, getting 62.6 percent of the vote in an election his closest challenger, former prime minister Mirhossein Mousavi called a "dangerous charade."

Violence erupted on the streets of Iran and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranians to respect Ahmadinejad victory.

"We watched closely the enthusiasm and the very vigorous debate and dialogue that occurred in the lead up to the Iranian election," said Clinton, speaking at a joint news conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon.

Cannon said his country was troubled by reports of voting problems and intimidation.

"Canada is deeply, deeply concerned by reports about voting irregularities in the Iranian election. We're troubled by reports of intimidation of opposition candidates' offices by security forces," said Cannon.

He said Canadian embassy officials in Tehran were closely monitoring the situation and urged Iranian authorities to conduct a "fair and transparent" counting of ballots.

Ahmadinejad's resounding victory could complicate President Barack Obama's efforts to reach out to Tehran and will disappoint major powers seeking to convince Iran to halt nuclear work the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.