Rufus said that I had a failure of imagination. He was right. This video is hard to believe. It is treacle. (Think Of George Bush's Ramadan party or James Baker taking the Ayatolloh a cake.)
“We know that you are a great civilization, and your accomplishments have earned the respect of the United States and the world,” Obama said.
“There are those who insist that we be defined by our differences.”
“But let us remember the words that were written by the poet Saadi, so many years ago: ‘The children of Adam are limbs to each other, having been created of one essence.’”
“On the occasion of your New Year, I want you, the people and leaders of Iran, to understand the future that we seek,” Obama said. “It’s a future with renewed exchanges among our people, and greater opportunities for partnership and commerce” and “greater security and greater peace.”
Silly us. It was all a big misunderstanding. Let's hear some Kumbaya.
Warming up over at the State Department
UPDATE:"In an unusually swift reaction to Mr Obama's overture, Aliakbar Javanfekr, an aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said Iran welcomed "the interest of the American government to settle differences".Telegraph
But he said that the US government "should realise its previous mistakes and make an effort to amend them".
In an almost simultaneous announcement, from Iran's energy minister, Parviz Fattah, said that the country would "finish and operate" its controversial Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant by the end of the year.
"Iran has chosen a direction for achieving peaceful nuclear energy. We have mainly reached this aim," he said at the World Water Forum in Istanbul.
"Exactly 20 days from now we will have another celebration for celebrating the achievements we have gained for peaceful nuclear energy. You will hear about the news," he said.
"Iran will finish and operate the Bushehr nuclear plant by the end of this year."
