Obama concerned by Iran supreme leader's remarks

Washington: President Barack Obama says he is very concerned by the "tenor and tone" of comments by the Iranian supreme leader, who warned of a crackdown if protesters continue massive street rallies.

In an interview taped on Friday with CBS News' Harry Smith, Obama said that Iran's government should "recognise that the world is watching."

He said that "how they approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard" will signal "what Iran is and is not."

Obama spoke after a Friday address by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The supreme leader said demonstrators demanding a new presidential election must halt protests.

He effectively ruled out any chance for a new vote in the election that the government has declared re-elected hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On Friday, both houses of Congress in the US voted to condemn Iran's crackdown on anti-government demonstrators.

The resolution - approved by the House and then the Senate - condemned "the ongoing violence" by the government and the Iranian government's suppression of the internet and cell phones. It also expressed support for Iranian citizens who embrace freedom.