US President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the differences between Iran's re-elected hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his reformist opponent Mir-Hossein Moussavi were minimal.

In an interview with CNBC, Obama made clear he would remain neutral on the outcome of Friday's elections not only because of the 'tough diplomacy' that lies ahead on the nuclear issue, but also to deny a new regime in Tehran a justification for repression because the US was 'meddling'.