Will
the 131 members of the House,
including 114 Democrats and 17 Republicans, now issue a statement admitting
they had been duped?
Iran's Hassan Rouhani: Israel an 'old wound that should be removed'
Hassan Rouhani, the incoming Iranian president, has lashed out at Israel calling it an "old wound" that should be removed as the Islamic regime marked Jerusalem Day by staging rallies throughout Iran.
Mr Rouhani raised hopes of a change in Iran's outlook when he won election in June on calls for "moderation" and "hope" but his hardline language on the eve of elction is a demonstration that Iranian politics is fundamentally radical.
A report in the ISNA news agency said Mr Rouhani took part in an annual pro-Palestinian rally in Tehran on Friday.
"The Zionist regime has been a wound on the body of the Islamic world for years and the wound should be removed," he said.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, responded by saying Mr Rouhani had shown his "true face".
"The true face of Rowhani has been revealed earlier than expected," he said.
"Even if the Iranians work to deny these comments, this is what the man thinks and reflects the regime's plans," he said.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the man he will replace on Sunday as Iranian head of state, told a rally that Israel would be uprooted from the Middle East.
"I will inform you with God as my witness, a devastating storm is on the way that will uproot the basis of Zionism," Ahmadinejad said.
He added that Israel "has no place in this region".
Mr Ahmadinejad's presidency has been dogged by his repeated attacks on Israel most notoriously his remarks that the Jewish state should be "wiped off" the map. The statements compounded Iranian isolation at a time when Iran was already under increasing pressure on the world stage as a result of its defiant pursuit of a nuclear programme despite UN sanctions.
Mr Rouhani has indicated that he will try to mend broken diplomatic relations when he takes office. On his Twitter feed he has boast that he will use his inauguration on Sunday to reach out to the international community. "40 states to attend Rouhani's inauguration on Aug 4th," he said. "Foreign guests participating in Iranian Presidential inauguration for the first time."
State television showed hundreds of thousands of people marching across the country, chanting "Death to Israel" and "Death to America".
The demonstrators also denounced any renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
In his remarks, Mr Ahmadinejad accused Israel and its Western supporters of fomenting discord in the Middle East, saying "it was their dream to see the will of regional countries bent on destroying (Israel) diverted towards civil war".
Including 18
Republicans.
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131 members of the House, including 114 Democrats--a majority of
the conference in the House--and 17 Republicans, have signed a letter to Barack
Obama asking the president to engage with the newly elected president of Iran,
Hassan Rouhani. Read the text of the letter below:
Dear President Obama,
As Members of Congress who share your unequivocal commitment to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, we urge you to pursue the potential opportunity presented by Iran's recent presidential election by reinvigorating U.S. efforts to secure a negotiated nuclear agreement.
As you know, on June 14 the Iranian people elected Hassan Rouhani president with over 50 percent of the vote in the first round, overcoming repression and intimidation by the Iranian government to cast their ballots in favor of reform. Dr. Rouhani campaigned on the promise to “pursue a policy of reconciliation and peace” and has since promised “constructive interaction with the outside world.” As Iran’s former lead nuclear negotiator, he has also publicly expressed the view that obtaining a nuclear weapon would run counter to Iran’s strategic interests and has been critical of the nuclear “extremism” of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
As Members of Congress who share your unequivocal commitment to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, we urge you to pursue the potential opportunity presented by Iran's recent presidential election by reinvigorating U.S. efforts to secure a negotiated nuclear agreement.
As you know, on June 14 the Iranian people elected Hassan Rouhani president with over 50 percent of the vote in the first round, overcoming repression and intimidation by the Iranian government to cast their ballots in favor of reform. Dr. Rouhani campaigned on the promise to “pursue a policy of reconciliation and peace” and has since promised “constructive interaction with the outside world.” As Iran’s former lead nuclear negotiator, he has also publicly expressed the view that obtaining a nuclear weapon would run counter to Iran’s strategic interests and has been critical of the nuclear “extremism” of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
We are mindful of the limitations of the Iranian presidency within
the country’s political system, of the fact that previous Iranian presidents
elected on platforms of moderation have failed to deliver on promised reforms,
and of the mixed signals that Dr. Rouhani himself has sent regarding Iran’s
nuclear ambitions. It remains to be seen whether his election will indeed
bring significant change with regard to Iran's relations with the outside
world. His government’s actions will certainly speak louder than his
words.
Even so, we believe it would be a
mistake not to test whether Dr. Rouhani’s election represents a real
opportunity for progress toward a verifiable, enforceable agreement on Iran’s
nuclear program that ensures the country does not acquire a nuclear
weapon. In order to test this proposition, it will be prudent for the
United States to utilize all diplomatic tools to reinvigorate ongoing nuclear
talks. In addition, bilateral and multilateral sanctions must be calibrated
in such a way that they induce significant and verifiable concessions from Iran
at the negotiating table in exchange for their potential relaxation.
We must
also be careful not to preempt this potential opportunity by engaging in
actions that delegitimize the newly elected president and weaken his standing
relative to hardliners within the regime who oppose his professed “policy of
reconciliation and peace.” Likewise, it will be critical for the United
States to continue its efforts to foster unprecedented international
cooperation on this issue so that the international community remains united in
its opposition to Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.
We look
forward to working with your administration on this important issue in the
months ahead.
