Iran's supreme leader dismisses Obama overtures

"the beginning of the new year on the Persian calendar."

Wow, the Persian new year is even later than the Chinese new year.

"popular video-sharing sites like YouTube are blocked in Iran"

The Mullahs know what's good for the people and what's not good for the people.

Obama’s overture comes ahead of national elections in June. Ahmadinejad faces a tough campaign against reformists, who favor better ties with the West and the United States.

Nice move, Obama.

Iranian diplomatic style swings between theocratic dogma on the one hand and carpet showroom haggling on the other. I hope Obama's advisors told him to expect this kind of tactless response, so as not to raise any false expectations that relations will improve anytime soon.

The title of this article is a complete mislead. When you read the article itself, Iran doesn’t dismiss Obama’s statement at all.

The UK and French news report that Teheran take Obama’s statement rather positively for the future good relationship , although they are saying that they will wait for the action, not only the words, to trust America.

"Iran seeking change in US policy Iran welcomes an offer of "a new beginning" in relations from Barack Obama, but says the US must change its behaviour. "

BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm

It's not like they have to accept anything.

But when you brush away a hand too often, it starts to close. < :-)

Obama is doing it right. Bush used accusations against Tehran to try and turn the Iranian public against them. Obama is using a smile and an extended hand to do the same thing. Now Tehran is doing a good job of ruining their public image in front of their people by acting like a spoiled child throwing its toys and holding its breath when when asked to return to kindergarten after not going for a few years because of bullying.

It is a good move to reach out to Iran, however, Iran also needs to show some willingness to move forward. If this doesn't happen, Obama and friends are merely pxssing in the wind.

What are the Iranians worried about? Obama's not going to stop them from building nukes. I don't think the Mullahs yet realize they have an appeaser in the White House.

Helter_Skelter: I don't think the Mullahs yet realize they have an appeaser in the White House.

What's an appeaser? The only group that threatened us was al-Quaida, and since they attacked us as well, even Neville Chamberlain himself would have fought back. Is Iran really worse than Pakistan or Saudi Arabia? Georgia? Russia? Are those countries being appeased?

Obama's not going to stop them from building nukes.

The only thing that is changing is the approach Helter. Restrictions on Iran are not being lifted.

Look at this way: Why would Iran want nukes anyway? Answer: They feel threatened. Look at their position. They are wedged between two countries occupied by the U.S., a nuclear power. Also, the U.S. military has been active in the region for quite some time. We have bases in Arabia, and we liberated Kuwait from Saddam. We have had ship skirmishes with the Iranians as we are ever-present in the Persian Gulf (Called the Persian Gulf because its right next to...AHEM...Persia) We shot down one of their airliners, an incident which we never even apologized for incidentally. And that is just the U.S. right up Iran's butt.

Then you have Pakistan, a nuclear neighbor, which is right next to India, also nuclear, and those two are pretty hostile to eachother. Its like living next to a powder keg. And Russia, also nuclear, not so far off to the north. And Israel, the cherry on top, also believed to be nuclear, who just got going as an upstart Arab land grabbing expansionist nation, that might have recently changed course, but the blood is alreadly spilled.

The position of Iran is tense. Its not a mystery that they are scrambling for weapons to match those of EVERYONE around them. And your answer? Yell at them more. It reminds of the (undoubtedly Republican) husband who, when his wife is nervous and starts making mistakes, also decides yelling is the answer. And surprise, surprise, she starts making more mistakes. Things get broken. Things get burned. Soon a fight breaks out. Even the wife is swinging. We all know the wife has no chance, and so does she. She reaches for the knife to try to even things out...

You fail. The answer was/is to relieve tensions and reassure Iran that they do not need nukes. (A little hypocritical as MADD is OUR idea to keep the peace.) But its certainly better to do whatever we can to relieve the tensions; all the while keeping restrictions in place.

The answer was/is to relieve tensions and reassure Iran that they do not need nukes

Hehe. The naivete of the left never ceases to amaze me. And they say it without even the slightest bit of embarrassment. Don't worry likeitis. Iran will get its nukes. Hey, you might even get lucky and they'll take out Tel Aviv.

Iran is signatory to NPT. Pakistan is NOT signatory to NPT. Iran has no nukes Pakistan has nukes Iran never proliferated Pakistan and AQ khan proliferated nukes Iran is vilfied by USA Pakistan and its ISI supported Alqueada got 10 billion US dollars for killing 3000 americans on 9/11 and its army continues to get weapons and dollars.

trust in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program

An oxymoronic statement. Ahmadinejad is Hitler. Appeasement and capitulation are not without their enablers. The name Barak Obama will go down in history as synonymous with Neville Chamberlain.

The naivete of the left never ceases to amaze me.

And the presumptive, self-righteous, pompous yet fearful shrieking of the right never ceases to amaze me. I am not on the left. But leave it to a presumptive rightest to label me as such anyway. That is what you folks are good at right? Label-divide-conquer (and never mind the casualities, particularly the truth).

I am not even going to address the rest of your post which is nothing but more presumptive and asanine commentary.

Every drop of our trouble with Iran started with people JUST LIKE YOURSELF. Every time you look upon Iran consider it to be something of a mirror for you.

30061015: Ahmadinejad is Hitler.

Good luck backing that one up. Iran's treatement of Jews is not stellar, but its not gassing them either. Iran has invaded no one I know of. You? Ahmadinjad does not have absolute power within Iran. He does not have such a blind and dedicated following. I cannot even say he has a great ability to create nifty symbols and uniforms. So what orifice are you pulling this comparison from?

likeitis

You do know, of course, Ahmadinjad held a state-sponsored holocaust-denial conference in 2006 and invited Nazi David Duke to be the keynote speaker. But keep fighting the fight for this guy. I'm sure you make him proud.

"Iran's treatement of Jews is not stellar"

As far as I'm aware Iran has a Jewish community that live peacefully withing Iran.

Helter_Skelter,

Oh NOOOOO! He didn't deny the Holocaust! Why that is almost the same thing as participating! Oh MY GOD! What was I thinking! Next he might deny that Hannibal ever existed. That means we will have to fight the Second Punic War all over again!

No... wait a second... Deny the Holocaust or not, what changes? Nothing. And is it such a bad thing to deny the Holocaust? I would think far worse would be to REJOICE in the Holocaust. But here we have one or both saying it did not happen, or, as I am not 100 percent up to speed on their Holocaust views (maybe because I don't much care) one or both think it happened differently. Big whoopdeedoo. Frankly, I am more concerned with nuclear poliferation. But thanks for that little sideshow.

in 2006 and invited Nazi David Duke

Nazi? Last I checked Duke was a former Dem turned Republican, like a lot of people associated with the KKK, only most made the switch so long ago that the parties are totally different entities. What party are you again Helter? Nazi? Republican? By the way, as a Member of the Lousiana House of Representatives (Louisiana being a state of the United States in case you did not know), Duke might be interested in hearing your accusation of him being a Nazi. Maybe you should shoot him an e-mail?

But keep fighting the fight for this guy.

Maybe this why you confuse me with the left. I do not fight for "guys". I, like many on the left, fight for ideas, especially the idea called truth and the other idea called "the greater good". Neither are ever embodied in a person or a people, as much as you on the right want it to be. I don't give a crap for Ahmadinejad's pride or his gratitude.

Likeitis now defending Ahmadinejad AND David Duke. It doesn't get any better than this. You just keep posting, likeitis. I'm gonna sit back and watch the train wreck.

As far as I'm aware Iran has a Jewish community that live peacefully withing Iran.

That does not mean they are/have been treated well. History shows they were not. Its not nearly as bad now as some desperately want it to be. But then, not quite as rosy as your statement suggests either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Jews

Likeitis now defending Ahmadinejad AND David Duke.

Sorry, I missed a step above. After all, I am not a Republican. Label-Associate-Divide-Conquer.

Did I miss anything from your playbook? Any other ways to murder truth and perspective on the Altar of Conflict? Come on, help a fellow American out here.

Are you going to suggest history has treated the Jews well elsewhere?

All I'm saying is that there are Jews living in Iran that are determinied to remain there, and are proud of their heritage living within Iran despite their Islamic over-lords, in retort to your quote stating "Iran's treatement of Jews is not stellar".

Zionism is a different kettle of fish.

Moderator: All readers, back on topic please. References to Jews living in Iran are not relevant.

The naivete of the left never ceases to amaze me

Well you cannot have it both ways, it is either the naivete of the left or the ignorance of the right. Look at this whole Iraq mess. The previous administration had no idea of the can of worms they were opening when going into the region. Also no idea of the culture, the people or the society. Then again, I suppose it doesn't matter if you consider yourself to be morally correct.

Likeitis: I am not on the left.

I think those on the Left would at least pin some responsibility on Iran for their current position on the world stage today. Maybe they'd debate the best way to handle it, but in the end they'd probably admit that Iran, to some extent, brought the pressure on themselves with their own behavior. Absolving Iran from any and all responsibility makes you so far Left that the real Left needs binoculars to see you. In that sense....no, you are not on the Left. You're way, way past that.

This can only be expected of an extremist regime. Isolate Iran completely, enforce a blockade, don't let them sell their oil. Then they will begin to listen.

Iran's supreme leader dismisses Obama overtures

Translation: Iran laughs in Obama's face.

What will Obama do now that his first attempt at international diplomacy didn't work?

According to Vice President Biden, President Obama now has only a little over 4 months left before he is tested by a major international crisis.

According to Vice President Biden, President Obama now has only a little over 4 months left before he is tested by a major international crisis.

That's probably true of any president in U.S. history, don't you think?

By the way - did you get that tidbit from a conversation with Mr. Biden, or did it come from somewhere else?

Ever since Islamic extremists attacked the US Embassy in Iran back in 1979, the Iranians have put up huge signs all over the country that say 'Death to America'. They indoctrinte their youth wth anti-American propaganda much like the Paletinians raise their children believing that Jews live with pigs. Obama thinks he can make friends with the Iranian regime? How naive can you get. Nothing that any American administration has done - Republican or Democrat - going back to Carter has changed Irans behaviour one bit. I got news for Obama and the rest of the Left, appeasement is the absolute worst thing you can do with Iran. Obama is becoming Jimmy Carter II both internationally and domestically.

Helter_Skelter said:

Hehe. The naivete of the left never ceases to amaze me. And they say it without even the slightest bit of embarrassment. Don't worry likeitis. Iran will get its nukes

All of you conservatives and Bush included have not hampered Iran's ability to get nukes one iota. Helter_Skelter please inform us what progress the conservatives have made in stopping the production of fissile material in Iran. If you feel up to it you can tell us how they achieved this progress that never happened!

Wolfpack said:

the Iranians have put up huge signs all over the country that say 'Death to America'. They indoctrinte their youth wth anti-American propaganda much like the Paletinians raise their children believing that Jews live with pigs.

Wow, you are great at propaganda. I have seen a PBS travel show recently in Iran and what you say just is not true. Person after person said they had no ill feelings toward the U.S. and many liked the U.S. Wolfpack confuses the government with the people when he is not filling his head with Right Wing Radio and other commentary. We're naïve; yeah right. I have seen and heard Iranians speak. You really should get out more.

By the way on Public Radio yesterday many Iranian expatriate callers expressed both their hope and the hopes of their relatives in Iran that both our countries begin better relations. I have been telling people for years that journalists and others have been polling Iranians and asking their opinions and most do not want a theocracy and most do not hate Americans.

The ironic part of all of this is that there is an Iranian saying that all the U.S. citizens hate them based on the very things that Wolfpack is saying. Hate loves to quote hate.

Really conservative - get out more.

Wolfpack: They indoctrinte their youth wth anti-American propaganda much like the Paletinians raise their children believing that Jews live with pigs.

Actually, I think the Iranian people have a pretty good image of Americans overall. The problem is their government.

I suppose I could have just agreed with GoodDonkey....but I didn't see his post until after I wrote mine...heh.

goodDonkey: All of you conservatives and Bush included have not hampered Iran's ability to get nukes one iota.

Well let's not pretend that the US was on a different page from Europe. Our position wasn't some exclusive Bush/Conservative island. If you saw a list of comments from both the US and Europe you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. The difference is that people only talk about Bush so they assume his position is different from everyone else when in fact it's not.

The sanctions have raised the cost of Iran acquiring nukes. As they press forward they're forced to sacrifice more and more, and the people in Iran are wondering if it's really worth the cost. Both threats and incentives have failed. It will be interesting to see what Obama can do.

Helter_Skelter please inform us what progress the conservatives have made in stopping the production of fissile material in Iran.

goodDonkey, if you're talking about Bush, he did virtually nothing. He was a complete screw-up and disappointment. But he's not a true conservative either. A true conservative would do what ever it takes to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. At least with Obama, I have no expectations for him to do anything about it.

Speaking as someone who has visited several cities in Iran for a total of 3 months, all this hogwash about Iranian people being indoctrinated is pure tosh. Ask anyone who has ACTUALLY travelled to Iran such as the American wrestling team and you will hear only good responses.

Don't confuse the Iranian people with politicians.

Oh, and another thing. To fully understand the relationship between the US, Europe and Iran you need to read a little further back in time than 1979.

Do a little study for the period from around 1953 up to 1979 and you may understand a little why Iran feels upset at the actions of the US. It includes US support for a non-elected head of state, which is at the very least, somewhat hypocritical.

Obama is doing the right thing now, unlike that idiot president before him.

Ayatollah Khomeini's heirs have held power for 30 years.

They need to deliver on the promises they made to themselves, the people, their allies in Syria and "Palestine" and not least of all the 12th Imam Who Has Been Hiding for 800 Years in the Well He Fell Down and Will remain Occulted Until the Day of Violent Reckoning, or however they mythology goes.

"The fist" will remain "clenched."

Obama is way out of his depth.

He recently sent a letter to Jacques Chirac, in which he declares how eager he is to work with him.

While his starry-eyed fans on the Left in the States, Canada and Europe will quietly disregard that one or explain it away I think America's enemies are just beginning to have their fun with the naked emperor.

What an embarrassment.

I don't see the Iranians making any changes in their policy either. They could talk about things though. I guess they just can't bring themselves to do anything constructive.