The United States of America - both its governments and the citizens - have understandably taken a major interest in the presidential elections in Iran. After the latest farcical claims of victory by both incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his pro-reform rival Mir Hossein Mousavi, both the citizens and the ex-patriates of Iran are agitated and concerned for their county’s future. While the US President has recently welcomed this debate and controversy over the elections as sign of the growing awareness for the need for change in Iran , like all transitions this one must also be closely monitored as it has the potential to go sour very quickly.

A popular opinion is that the international community will be examining the elections quite closely for signs of the any influence by the US President’s recent outreach plan. Many analysts are of the opinion that his recent speech at Cairo University might have helped sway the Iranian Vote towards the moderate Mousavi. Obama’s speech helps strengthen the new image of America which is completely different from the aggression they have been used to from the Bush administration. Without an external foe to to blame for their troubles many Iranians, especially the young people are predicted to have been looking for a change in the administration of their own country. One thing is for certain though, that even if Obama will not admit to having any hold over the voter’s opinion, it will be better for his outreach program if Mousavi wins.

There are however a faction who do not hold a positive view of the Iran polls. On Saturday as the Iranian ex-expatriates came to cast their votes at the Westin Los Angeles Airport hotel polling station on Century Boulevard, they faced a group of protesters who claimed that the polling was a joke and another way to put “a fascist regime” in power. They claimed neither candidate was a legitimate and a democratic election would not happen as long as Iran was a theocracy.