Obama seek new year’s resolution with Iran
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President Obama used the Persian New Year, again, to reach out to Iranians, urging that diplomatic dialogue replace the Islamic Republic’s decision to go it alone on nuclear issues.
In celebration of Nowruz, the Iranian new year that coincides with spring, Obama late Friday released his holiday message to Iran and Iranians living around the world. He called for a more hopeful period in U.S.-Iranian relations, severely strained by the ongoing dispute over whether Iran was seeking a nuclear weapons program.
“Together with the international community, the United States acknowledges your right to peaceful nuclear energy. We insist only that you adhere to the same responsibilities that apply to other nations,’ Obama said. ‘We are familiar with your grievances from the past. We have our own grievances as well, but we are prepared to move forward.”
As he had in the past, Obama was careful to distinguish between the Iranian people and their leaders, arguing that the current government had chosen to isolate itself.
“We know what you’re against; now tell us what you’re for,” Obama said. “For reasons known only to them, the leaders of Iran have shown themselves unable to answer that question. You have refused good-faith proposals from the international community. They have turned their backs on a pathway that would bring more opportunity to all Iranians and allow a great civilization to take its rightful place in the community of nations. Faced with an extended hand, Iran’s leaders have shown only a clenched fist.”
Obama said the United States was prepared to help the Iranian people by offering more educational and cultural exchanges.
“Even as we continue to have differences with the Iranian government, we will sustain our commitment to a more hopeful future for the Iranian people,” Obama said. “For instance, by increasing opportunities for educational exchanges so that Iranian students can come to our colleges and universities and to our efforts to ensure that Iranians can have access to the software and Internet technology that will enable them to communicate with each other and with the world without fear of censorship.”
In an early reaction to Obama’s video message, Iran’s state-run Press TV said that Obama did not specify “what concessions Washington is actually prepared to make” to open talks.
“Although in Washington there is still talk of dialogue with Tehran, it remains to be seen how far U.S. officials are prepared to go to gain Tehran’s confidence,” the report said.
Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful uses, though the United States and allies question whether the goal is some form of nuclear weapon.
The U.S. has called for tougher sanctions against Iran unless it gives up its nuclear ambitions, though it remains unclear whether other nations, such as Russia and China, support that action.
-- Michael Muskal
Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal
