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Iran will speak to us, but only upon "preconditions." That, says the Iranian Vice President, is the only U.S. "preparation" of interest. TEHRAN (FNA)- Vice President for Media Affairs Mehdi Kalhor said on Saturday that Iran has set two preconditions for holding talks with the United States of America.
In an exclusive interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency, he said as long as U.S. forces have not left the Middle East region and continues its support for the Zionist regime, talks between Iran and U.S. is off the agenda.
It is the Americans who are in dire need of reestablishing ties with Iran, he underlined.
Iran is not obliged to reestablish ties with the U.S., he said.
"If they take our advice, grounds for such talks would be well prepared," he said.
It is stupidity to hold talks without any change in U.S. attitude, he underlined.
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I'm sure the Iranians understand these statements are postures, devoid of any real policy implications. The same can be said of much of what US polititians say. Recall that Obama's support for direct talks with Iran was a political tactic intended to distinguish his foreign policy from Hillary's. Since he can't retract it, he has embraced it but I doubt he feels a particualr affinity for such talks.
ReplyDeleteThe oustanding question is how best to limit Iranian power (including nuclear), or how best to bring its power in line with Western interests.
Embraced it? He still denies it, and did so expressly during the last debate, as did Biden during his debate, each implying somehow that he never said "at the Presidential level," when he did unequivocally. Nevertheless, you raise the real issue. Do we treat Iranian pronouncements as "postures devoid of real policy implications," or as threats sufficient to influence real policy choices? If we have learned anything from the 20th century, it is that the statements of madmen, even the most unimaginable threats, should have "real policy implications."
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