Ayatollah Mocks U.S. Pre-Election Overture
Shortly after Barack Obama took office it was reported that his administration was drafting a letter to be sent to the government of Iran, with which the United States has not had diplomatic ties since the 1979 Revolution.
, the State Department had begun drafting a letter to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, aimed at paving the way for face-to-face talks.
In March, on the occasion of the Persian New Year, Mr. Obama released a video message in which he reached out to Iran - a gesture towards which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei turned up his nose.
"As long as the U.S. government continues the same policies and directions of the previous 30 years, we will be the same nation of the past 30 years," Khamenei said. "The Iranian nation can't be deceived or threatened."
Now the Washington Times is reporting that a letter from the Obama administration was forwarded to the Ayatollah some time between May 4 and May 10 calling for an improvement in relations between the two countries. A source told the Times the letter touched on greater cooperation in regional and bilateral issues, and Iran's disputed nuclear program.
The letter was passed through the U.S. Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran and forwarded to the office of the Ayatollah.
The Supreme Leader ridiculed the overture in a sermon on Friday. According to a Press TV transcript, the Ayatollah commented on remarks by Western leaders on the post-election unrest. "The U.S. President said that we were waiting for the day when people would take to the streets. At the same time they write letters saying that they want to have ties and that they respect the Islamic Republic. Which are we to believe?"
Iranian officials have cast blame upon Western leaders and media for fomenting the unrest.
At Tuesday's press conference, President Obama made critical comments regarding the election protests and the response by the Iranian authorities. His remarks were remarkable if only for their lack of controversy, in the hopes of avoiding being tagged an instigator by Tehran: "The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.
"The fact that they are now in the midst of an extraordinary debate taking place in Iran, you know, may end up coloring how they respond to the international community as a whole. We are going to monitor and see how this plays itself out before we make any judgments about how we proceed."
Meanwhile, Iranian media is reporting that authorities have uncovered numerous "terrorist plots" linked to regimes outside the country, as well as a headquarters for the opposition linked to "foreign elements." Arrests have been made.
By CBSNews.com producer David Morgan
Copyright 2011 CBS. All rights reserved. , the State Department had begun drafting a letter to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, aimed at paving the way for face-to-face talks.
In March, on the occasion of the Persian New Year, Mr. Obama released a video message in which he reached out to Iran - a gesture towards which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei turned up his nose.
"As long as the U.S. government continues the same policies and directions of the previous 30 years, we will be the same nation of the past 30 years," Khamenei said. "The Iranian nation can't be deceived or threatened."
Now the Washington Times is reporting that a letter from the Obama administration was forwarded to the Ayatollah some time between May 4 and May 10 calling for an improvement in relations between the two countries. A source told the Times the letter touched on greater cooperation in regional and bilateral issues, and Iran's disputed nuclear program.
The letter was passed through the U.S. Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran and forwarded to the office of the Ayatollah.
The Supreme Leader ridiculed the overture in a sermon on Friday. According to a Press TV transcript, the Ayatollah commented on remarks by Western leaders on the post-election unrest. "The U.S. President said that we were waiting for the day when people would take to the streets. At the same time they write letters saying that they want to have ties and that they respect the Islamic Republic. Which are we to believe?"
Iranian officials have cast blame upon Western leaders and media for fomenting the unrest.
At Tuesday's press conference, President Obama made critical comments regarding the election protests and the response by the Iranian authorities. His remarks were remarkable if only for their lack of controversy, in the hopes of avoiding being tagged an instigator by Tehran: "The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.
"The fact that they are now in the midst of an extraordinary debate taking place in Iran, you know, may end up coloring how they respond to the international community as a whole. We are going to monitor and see how this plays itself out before we make any judgments about how we proceed."
Meanwhile, Iranian media is reporting that authorities have uncovered numerous "terrorist plots" linked to regimes outside the country, as well as a headquarters for the opposition linked to "foreign elements." Arrests have been made.
By CBSNews.com producer David Morgan
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Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calls for an end to protests last week at Tehran University.
The letter requested dialogue and engagement between the two nations, the sources said.
The sources said that Khamenei has yet to reply to the letter but that nonetheless it "had set the negotiating table in order for both sides to sit around it after the election."
The White House refused to "get into the specifics of our different ways of communicating," a senior Obama administration official said.
HERE IS AN SUGEESTION TO OBAMA ADMIN. KNEE DOWN AND BEG FOR A FRIEND.
The oppressed will start to punish the Government.
It will be slow at first, but will gain steam; and, then one day, a fanatic will shoot 'fearless leader', IED him, or suicide bomb him.
This is the way of your people.
Whether it be in the form of a bomb or just potential energy, we remain fairly certain that it is the former. But, of course we are being told it is for the latter - although the facts would seem to support this is circumspect.
To achieve the goal of stopping the potential bomb, one of two things would have to be true. Iran needs to be willing to negotiate, or we must make it economically devastating for them to continue.
I would rather negotiate, but it would seem fruitless to try to do so. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seems bent on proving he is a bigger jerk than his predecessor - a tough task.
If we were to be come COMPLETELY energy independent, in fact an exporter of cheap energy, THEN we could devastate Iran and Venezuela?s economies.
I completely agree with the concept of becoming an energy exporter if it were possible, but to ultimately get to this goal, we WILL have to use additional oil potential for at least the short run. Otherwise, we ain't gonna export any time in the next 5 years.
We have been harping as liberals and conservatives back and forth about energy independence for 6 months already. Gasoline prices are going back up again, electric rates aren't going down except in the seasonal respect, nor are natural gas prices. Which says, we are still where we were 6 months ago. Otherwise we?d HOPFULLY hear something was going to be better because of this or that reason over X months or years.
What is happening ? What's the plan Mr. President ?
Any liberals out there got an answer for me ?
What is different today than from say 6 months ago with respect to how we are becoming closer to energy independent ?
And yet, he is the one that deceives, and recently he has threatened his opponents seeking a proper election process. Maybe he meant to say that the Iranian nation cannot be deceived or threatened by anyone other than himself