Ahmadinejad Welcomes New U.S. President-Elect
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad welcomed U.S. Preisdent-elect Barack Obama in a statement today, suggesting a possible improvement of U.S.-Iranian relations. No Iranian leader has offered such positive comments to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 establishment of Iran as an Islamic Republic. Despite recent tensions with Iran regarding their nuclear program and refusal to stop their uranium enrichment program, Ahmadinejad says he “welcomes basic and fair changes in U.S. policies and conducts,” in contrast to the Bush administration which he has publicly criticized on numerous occasions. Ahmadinejad said he hoped that an Obama administration would replace “Bush’s defeated policies” with those more focused on justice, human rights, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations, especially those in the Middle East. He additionally stated that he believes Obama could be an important force “in future relations between the U.S. and Asia and the Middle East.” Ahmadinejad’s unexpectedly warm attitude toward Obama, coupled with Obama’s foreign policy stance that he would meet with leaders of hostile nations without preconditions, could potentially allow for some progress in the “historically chilly” relations between the two countries for the first time since the Carter administration over 30 years ago. Obama has previously stated that “the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them — which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration — is ridiculous,” accentuating the differences between himself and the policies of Bush and McCain. Analyst Saeed Leilaz believes Obama’s election will lead to a decrease in radicalism in northern Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea. It seems that along with much of the United States, Iran is also hopeful that Obama could turn around the highly negative perception of the Untied States that has only gotten worse over the past eight years. The pressure is on.
Kayla Cahoon
