Iran's leaders,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei(below) and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad quickly rebuffed Obama's offer of diplomatic dialogue on Friday.The response was more than just a dismissive slap at the outreach, it was a broad lesson in the mind-set of Iran's all powerful theocracy and how it will dictate the pace of any new steps by Obama to chip away at a nearly 30-year diplomatic freeze.
It's sign of weakness by the Obama administration in my opinion. I don't think the idea of starting dialogue is a bad idea, but to allow Iran to dictate any of the terms, would be.
Some think it's just the first step in the bargaining."Iranian leaders are not about concessions at this stage.It's all about ideology from the Iranian side," said a professor at the United Arab Emirates University.
For Khamenei and his inner circle, that means staying true to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the political narrative of rejecting the United States.Any quick gestures to mend ties with Washington would be perceived by hard-liners as a
betrayal of the revolution.
Khamenei has set the bar impossibly high-demanding an overhaul of U.S. foreign policy, including giving up "unconditional support" for Israel and halting claims that Iran is seeking nuclear arms.Iran insists its nuclear program is only for peaceful energy purposes.
"Have you released Iranian assets?""Have you lifted oppressive sanctions?""Have you given up making accusations against the great Iranian nation and its officials?",Khamenei said in a speech this week. The crowd chanted,"Death to America."
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