WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- President Obama should reach out to Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi as tensions in Iran over the disputed presidential elections continue to heighten , a former Bush administration official told CNN Sunday . Paul Wolfowitz was the deputy defense secretary in the Bush administration . `` I would certainly find out if he ( Moussavi ) wants a conversation , '' former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told CNN 's Wolf Blitzer . `` If he does n't , I certainly would n't push it . But I would make it clear that the phone is an open line . '' Obama on Saturday issued a written statement on the bloodshed across the streets of Tehran as demonstrators protest the election outcome , saying , `` The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching . We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost . `` We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people . The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected , and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights . '' However , Obama has been criticized by some lawmakers and analysts who say he should vocalize a stronger stance on the clashes . Watch the latest videos being leaked out of Iran » . `` I understand the concern about meddling in a way that seems to label the opposition as American tools , but the opposition made it very clear they want support from the world , '' said Wolfowitz , a staunch supporter of the U.S.-led war in Iraq and a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute . CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen added that , `` It would be useful for the president to show more forceful leadership internationally on this issue . '' He noted the graphic images emerging from Iran , including the fatal shooting of a young female protester identified as Neda , saying the violence calls for `` some kind of humanity from the West . '' Gergen and Wolfowitz said the United States should rally with other Western nations and even countries in the region -- including Afghanistan and Turkey , which have recognized incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the winner of the June 12 election -- to support the Iranian people . Ahmadinejad 's victory was declared by Iran 's election authority , the Guardian Council , spurring massive protests last week , with many demonstrators proclaiming their support for Moussavi . Moussavi and candidate Mehdi Karrubi have rejected the election as fraudulent and demanded a new one . Wolfowitz called Moussavi a `` very brave man , '' saying , `` He is resisting . He is putting his life at risk . ''
`` Opposition made it very clear they want support , '' Paul Wolfowitz tells CNN . Former deputy defense secretary also says he would n't push unwanted relationship . CNN analyst David Gergen says Obama should show more forceful leadership . Comment: