U.S. monitors Iran poll and reiterates dialogue offer

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States urged Iran on Saturday to resolve disputes over its presidential election peacefully, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she hoped the outcome reflected the will of the Iranian people.

The White House said it was monitoring the election closely, including reports of "irregularities," after official results showed hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected by a huge margin over reformist Mirhossein Mousavi.

"We obviously hope that the outcome reflects the genuine will and desire of the Iranian people," Clinton said on a brief trip to neighbouring Canada.

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

A senior U.S. official reiterated Washington's offer for talks with Iran over a range of issues, from Afghanistan and Iraq to disputes over its nuclear program that Tehran says is for peaceful purposes.

"We encourage the Iranian government to seize this opportunity to engage directly with the United States," the senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Washington is looking for opportunities to deal directly with Iran. One possibility could be at a meeting of Group of Eight foreign ministers on Afghanistan and Pakistan in Italy later this month. Clinton is expected to attend and Iran will be invited to the meeting.

The senior U.S. official said the United States was not yet ready to pronounce the outcome of the disputed election.