A Tale From Two Cities

Washington and Tehran. Here's the headline from the WAPO story: "Iran Signals Willingness to Talk to U.S. in Fair Atmosphere." Wow! That sounds fairly positive, unlike the tone I've outlined in several earlier posts about how Iran has been responding to Obama's overtures.

Here's the Tehran Times's coverage of the same Ahmadinejad speech:

TEHRAN - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran is safe from any foreign military threat since the country has become a responsible superpower.

“Today, I officially declare that Iran has become a real and righteous superpower, and the shadow of threats over Iran has been removed forever,” the president stated at a rally in Tehran marking the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Ahmadinejad also said Iran would welcome a “fundamental” and not “tactical” change by the new U.S. administration and was ready for dialogue provided talks were held in a “fair atmosphere and with mutual respect.”

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Monday that the United States is looking for opportunities for “face-to-face” dialogue with Iran after nearly three decades without diplomatic ties. “There’s been a lot of mistrust built up over the years, so it’s not going to happen overnight,” CNN quoted Obama as saying during his first news conference. Ahmadinejad went on to say “belittlement, threats, and monopolization of science” are the arrogant powers’ means to dominate nations, but the Iranian people have surpassed all these obstacles and are now filled with self-confidence. He pointed to Iran’s recent satellite launch, saying Iran is now one of only eight countries that possess the complete cycle of launch pad, rocket, reception station, and satellite.

Iran launched its first domestically manufactured satellite, called Omid (hope), into orbit on February 2. The satellite, carried on a Safir-2 rocket, is meant for telecommunications and research purposes. Today the world is about to enter the era of logic, thought, and dialogue, and the era of force and domination is over, Ahmadinejad added.

Note Ahmadinejad's use of the phrase about the "monopolization of science." That needs to be read as American insistence that Iran not develop the capacity to build nuclear weapons.

Note also that Iran's willingness to talk reflects its confidence in its new found and self-declared status as a "real and righteous superpower."

Even less positive is the report from the FARS News Agency. Ahmadinejad's statement came at a rally at which Iranians were "chanting anti-US slogans."

"It is quite clear that real change must be fundamental and not tactical. It is clear the Iranian nation welcomes real changes. The Iranian nation is ready to hold talks but talks in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect," Ahmadinejad told a mass rally at Tehran's Azadi square. Millions of Iranians chanting anti-US slogans took to the streets of the capital and other cities of Iran on Tuesday for the annual demonstration to mark the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

In fact, at the rally Ahmadinejad came up with a new demand:

Referring to US President Barack Obama's slogan about "change in US policies", Ahmadinejad noted, "…if you (the US administration) are seeking change, try and punish the agents behind the recent wars in the region because Saddam (former Iraqi dictator) was not the sole war criminal."

The Iranian president called for trial and punishment of former US President George W. Bush, his administration, companions and accomplices as well as leaders of the Zionist regime (of Israel) for their crimes against humanity.

For reasons I cannot fathom, non of this made its way into the WAPO report.

So where does that leave Obama? Well, the Iranians are ready for talks as long as the US: lift sanctions, unfreeze Iranian assets, apologize for past actions, stop all talk about regime change in Tehran, view Iran as a "victim" of, rather than an exporter of terrorism, free the Iranian "diploamts" under detnetion in Iraq, remove the "pressure" of the Jews from the backs of American voters, and bring Bush and members of his administration and the leaders of "the Zionist regime" to trial for war crimes.

Why doesn't this crap get reported by the American media? The fact that the Iranian leadership insists on looking a gift horse in the mouth isn't Obama's fault. But the reality is that the abysmal Iranian reaction to his sincere and well intentioned approaches could be and was predicted by many, making our new president appear . . . somewhat naive. Nevertheless, all of this says far more about the American press than it does about the American president.