I’ve been talking to people on the ground in Tehran. The political classes are gagging to talk to Obama. There’s a tremendous political struggle going on not to be the group that doesn’t get to talk to him.
It’s all very Iranian. Ultimately it will be down to the spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, to decide how to respond to Obama’s open hand. But in the meantime former Iranian president Rafsanjani is urging a government of national unity to provide the forum to engage with America.
In short, my friends are telling me Iran can’t wait to do business.
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Interesting. Thanks, Jon
This has to a piece of rare good news in the Middle East, although as ever, words need to translate into actions.
Let’s hope Obama is sincere and that the Iranian moderates (and vast majority of the people?) can persuade the hard-liners to at least open talks.
Obama is asking the Iranian to unclench their fist while stretching one hand out and holding a big stick in the other hand. ..”the USA deposed the only democratic government Iran has ever had”- in collusion with GB- just over 50 years ago. To be precise in 1953.
Will he apologies to the people of Iran when it agents deposed the popular and democratically elected Mossadegh?
Jon Snow wrote “In short, my friends are telling me Iran can’t wait to do business.”
And yet, and yet. Iran having its own domestic civil nuclear power is terribly popular on the Iranian street. And Iran having its own nuclear bomb is also terribly popular on the Iranian street – something even Obama isn’t going to be happy about.
After all, Israel has the bomb and with it is perceived by Arabs and Iranians as a threat to them all.
I can’t see the blessed Obama attempting (or succeeding) in negotiating away the Israeli bomb.
I entirely understand why Iran is enthusistic about having nuclear power – you only have to look at the damage done to those without it… by those with it – to see why ie: Israel to Palestine, US to Iraq etc.
As to the ‘blessed Obama’ – I see his election as a positive, wonderful and loud reaction from the ‘people’ …that will sadly not likely live up to expectation.
Sad to be in agreement with your comment Simon – wish it wasn’t so.
Tina Louise wrote:
“As to the ‘blessed Obama’ – I see his election as a positive, wonderful and loud reaction from the ‘people’.”
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it was no such thing. How quickly the history of the 2008 election slips from memory.
McCain was looking very much on course for victory. What happened was that the economy tanked (And McCain had a silly reaction to that).
It’s only because of the financial meltdown that Obama was elected.
There has been no great shift in the politics of the American people – loud or otherwise. OK, there has indeed been a change in congressional elections over the last six years, but it’s highly unlikely that there’s been any substantial change in presidential electoral politics. It was just the economy.
Normal (ie right wing – in our terms) US politics will resume once the recession goes away.
Setting aside perceived political clout, super power status and whatever other egos around, surely talking with Iran must be a better thing than the posturing and saber rattling that we’ve seen for years. Maybe it was the US in the past that had the clenched fist.
The Iranians sense another Carter and will use this as they have done before – as a stalling exercise. Whilst the democrats talk and have their photos taken with Islamic leaders to the approval of the likes of the Obama-sycophants at C4News, the Iranians will be doubling their effort to acquire nukes.
The neo-left and their baffling alliance with Muslim groups appear to be Iran’s new cheerleaders and are willing them on to get nukes.
It’s pretty hard to distinguish the left from Islamic radicals these days. The left have become as extreme, use the same rhetoric as Islamic extremists and the same insidious references to Israel and Nazism.
Barry wrote:
“The neo-left and their baffling alliance with Muslim groups…”
Well there’s a kernel of truth in this. (Ken Livingstone et al.)
I too – as a leftie – cannot understand how anyone on the left can be friends with radical or political Islam. In so many places, it’s treatment of women and girls (even sometimes their very education) should be anathema and rule it out of polite society. It’s another example of how religion poisons society and public life.
From the left, the heroic Christopher Hitchens http://www.hitchensweb.com has made this point repeatedly (even if he was on the wrong side in the Iraq war).
I understand Hitchens’ coinage Islamofascism is to be banned by the Obama administration. I can’t think why.
Interesting link regarding BBC’s Mark Thompson
Hopefully, diplomacy with Iran can silence Hamas, and direct and disciplined diplomacy with the new Israeli Government can stop their surge through the West Bank and Gaza. Who knows…perhaps diplomacy with Iran will open up new doors to the Middle East for president Obama’s administration.
We live in such an exciting time.
Obama has this ability to make everything sound like the big easy….even if he – sort of – is from Illinois.
It all sounds so…obvious and straight-forward. Like – why couldn’t anyone have said this before? It makes such sense and – it wasn’t all that difficult!
Makes me wonder what Bush is thinking about when going to sleep… (Why couldn’t I have thought about that?)
It also makes me feel a lot safer on the tube or on the buses in London. It might sound naive, but it is as if all the risks of terrorism have almost vanished.
Lots more struggle and obstacles to go through, but – good luck to you Barack Hussein Obama!
Jon:
Maybe the U.S. is on the correct course and will be able to talk to the Iranian government in no-time down….
That would be excellent thing following 30+years of problematic relations between Washington and Tehran.
By the looks of things in Iran, The U.S. will have to wait until the elections in the country to talk to the next Iranian Administration.
~Dennis Junior~
Just watched Obama’s interview with al-Arabiya, and was very encouraged. His measured, open responses really suggest that he is willing to co-operate rather than coerce and to listen rather than dictate – as he himself specifically said.
While he still outlines that America will be closely allied to Israel (and who would be surprised at that), the consideration and thought he clearly gives to the wider region and it’s peoples is SO refreshing. You just can’t imagine his predecessor ever engaging in such a way, and, while this is still early days, the signs continue to be good.Here’s hoping that those on the other side of the debate can, as you proclaim above, Jon, come to the table and ‘do business’.
Jock out
you should read “all the shah’s men -an american coup and the roots of middle east terror”. Obama should read this book before saying anything about Iran. a predecessor of his said: ‘There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know’- Harry Truman
Jon, I am an Iranian and a big fan of yours since I came to UK in mid 90s. Loved your reports from Iran, specially that 1 week! You better know how nice and intelligent normal Iranians are. I think Iran and US need each other big time!
Iran did not suffer much during credit crunch since it was already screwed way before! and for once, not being close to US helped! Now US needs to make money and create jobs. Mullahs love money too and young generation of Iranians need job that can be created once giant American companies open their offices there. I think US lost billions by not doing business with Iran. Something that Germans, Chinese and French did and loved every minute of it! I believe it would be great for both sides to grow up and learn to deal with eachother.
Keep up the good work. You RAWWWWK! ;-p
Regards
Jon Snow:
I think that the Mullahs in Iran, wanted to have a good relationship in the future with the United States….
Fantastic news that they are all so keen to talk. Talking has never hurt anyone and has healed so many differences. Imagine the difficulties with your neighbour when you refuse to talk to each other over a single matter.
It was all sounding so positive but now it seems that Iran are naking requests that the US will be unable to fulfil. It always seems to be one step forward two steps back. Don’t get me wrong – I really hope they do manage to start sorting thimgs out!
Ahmadinejad’s response seems to suggest otherwise
Let’s not forget that there are upcoming elections in Iran. So everything that happens there has to be viewed throught the elections lens.
Sounds like something good.
To Darius:
Absolutely – well put.
It is pretty easy to tell the left from Islamic radicals Barry – just harder to tell any radical from another.
If you were a non-nuclear power (like say Palestine of Iraq) wouldn’t you want some of that power when those with it brandish it at the expense of your children (ie: US and Israel)?
You said:
“It’s pretty hard to distinguish the left from Islamic radicals these days. The left have become as extreme, use the same rhetoric as Islamic extremists and the same insidious references to Israel and Nazism.”
…what you are hearing Barry is the same level of passionate desire for an end to unjustified aggression – easy mistake for you to make in your interpretation.
I think that the Mullahs in Iran, will be willing to talk to President Obama in the near future….
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