Obama aide: Ahmadinejad not in charge of Iran foreign policy

The White House contended on Sunday that Iran's president wasn't in charge of his country's foreign policy and said his criticism of Washington was little more than bloviations.

President Barack Obama's top adviser, David Axelrod, said the U.S. remains open to meeting, alongside its European allies, with Iran in Paris in an effort to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"We are not looking to reward Iran. We are looking to ... sit down and talk to the Iranians and offer them two paths. And one brings them back into the community of nations, and the other has some very stark consequences," Axelrod said.

But he was careful to signal that the White House doesn't think Ahmadinejad has the final say over Iran's interaction with the West.

"We are also mindful of the fact that the nuclear weapons in Iran and the nuclearization of that whole region is a threat to that country, all countries in the region, and the world. And we have to address that. We can't let that lie," Axelrod said.

Iran has accused the West of stoking unrest, singling out Britain and the United States for alleged meddling. Last week, Iran expelled two British diplomats, and Britain responded in kind. Iran has also said it's considering downgrading diplomatic ties with Britain; the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with the country.

Axelrod said Tehran faces a choice between engaging the West or facing further isolation in the wake of a presidential election that sent protesters to the streets and amid questions of its validity.

"Let's be clear that we didn't meddle in the election in Iran," Axelrod said. "The dispute in Iran is between the leadership in Iran and their own people, and plainly, Mr. Ahmadinejad thinks that by fingering the United States, that he can create a political diversion. So I'm not going to entertain his bloviations that are politically motivated."

He said Ahmadinejad's accusations are meant for domestic consumption and to quell unrest after his re-election that his opponents call a fraud.