Washington, Mar 15: The United States has charged that "in essence the results are cooked" in Iran's parliamentary elections because voters are denied a chance to vote for opponents of the Iranian leadership. US officials appeared to have hoped that the latest UN Security Council resolution against Iran over its nuclear programme would encourage Iranians to vote for more moderate candidates in the parliamentary elections.

But Iranian reformists have expressed fury that hundreds of their candidates were disqualified in vetting for the polls.

In addition, Iranian conservatives have accused leading moderates of being too close to the West.

"Iran has once again failed to meet international standards on the conduct of democratic elections," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement yesterday after polls closed in Iran.

Not only did Iran disqualify candidates, "it imposed severe restrictions on the ability of journalists and media outlets to cover the elections, limited the ability of candidates to campaign, and refused to allow independent election monitors access to polling stations on election day," he said.

Even before the polls closed, McCormack told the daily press briefing that, "in essence the results are cooked," because voters are denied a "full range" of candidates. In the run-up to voting, he said, Tehran "acted in such a way to deny equal access and open access to those who are running in opposition to the regime, that those running in opposition to the regime were subject to intimidation." He said voters must choose "between one supporter of the regime and another supporter of the regime" headed by hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with little or no chance to vote for regime opponents.