News

Jaleh

The colonial era is long gone. Look at India, China, South Korea, Brazil, etc. None of their people are still stucked in the past. They have moved on.

After 1982, when the regime rejected Saddam's peace offer, which included a hefty reparation offer, the Iran-Iraq war became a "khomeini imposed" war for the next seven years. A war imposed by the regime which allowed foreign powers to feast on Iranian and Iraqi blood.

You blame the sanctions for many of our ills. Why aren't sanctions imposed on South Korea or Spain or many other countries? Why on Iran? Why should the Iranian people pay the price for an irresponsible goverment? Why can't Iranians live in peace with the rest of the world, including Western and Eastern countries? Why South Korea, Spain, Indian and many other countries are not having such problems?

You wrote, "Iran has developed an independent foreign policy". Unfortunately, you are only seeing the surface. Iran has become more dependent on the Russia/China/India block than you realize. These countries are parasitically feasting on Iranian resources given to them by the IRI at cheap prices.

What do you call an oil contract in which the price of oil is locked at the current price of the contract's date? The IRI is selling out Iran's riches allowing the Russia/China/India block exploiting (estesmaar) the defenseless Iranians.

You wrote "(Iran) has become the largest car exporter in the Middle East"

Iran's car industries were more advanced than South Korea's in the late 70s. After 30 years, Iran is still montaging, assembling, cars, as opposed to building them as the Koreans are. The only thing that is changed is that Iran is montaging more cars. You call this advancement? I call it an insult to Iranians' true potential.

You claim that there are petrochemical industries in Iran. Where? What petrochemical industry do we have that could be worthy of speaking? For crying outloud, we don't even have its refineries mother industry to meet our domestic demand. Jaleh, how could you not see these?

You wrote, "Iran has developed a defense industry... including the production of planes, tanks and navy ships... its advancement in missile technology..."

Even if the most backwarded country of the word would invest billions of dollars, they could come up with a world war II, or at best 50s technology weaponry. Is this how low you think of Iranians capabilities? There is nothing to be proud here.

Just think what a progressive regime could have done in this area with the hundreds of thousands of Iranian brains that today have left the country. I am sure that we all could have been proud of our true potentials, something that the IRI has surpressed for so long.

nascent nuclear technology? "Nascent"? Why? Iran could have had "operational" nuclear technology by the early 80s, had it not been for the irresponsible IRI sending us back. And I am not talking about some outmoded and old nuclear technology. I am talking about the most advanced of its time. Can't you see how the IRI has hurt Iran's progress in this area too?

"starting a space technology..." Uganda has started its space technology too. Bolivia too. All of the world has already started its space technlogy, that is to say if you call sending any mooshak up in the air "space technology", well anyone can do this dear. Anyone.

You wrote, "the handful of universities have increased astonishingly... the number of hospitals, highways, bridges, dams have grown at a very respectable rate,"

I disagree. The "rate" at which the number of universities, hospitals, bridges, etc, and their quality were increasing, dropped significantly since after the revolution. At the past rate, and considering that we did not have any brain drain, today we truely could have had some of the best universities of the world. Additionally, we could have had modern hospitals everywhere, not just two in Tehran, more highways, and so on. Again, the IRI significantly slowed our progress in all of these areas.

you consistently underestimate Iranian ingenuity and their true potential and what they really are capable of achieving.

You wrote, "Iranians have done all of that despite miserable conditions mostly imposed by the west..."

Imposed by the West? Or imposed by the irresponsible IRI? Again, why nothing stopped South Korea, Spain, Argentine, Brazil and many other countries? Why these "miserable" conditions don't exist for them?

You ask me why are we not appreciating everything that has been done? Because we could have done hundreds of times better. You have unfortunately developed the habit of underestimating Iranains and what they could truely achieve. You have learnt to be content with the absolute minimum.

You also asked me,"is your hatred of the regime so much that you can close your eyes to realities inside Iran?"

Conversely, I ask you, Is your hatred of the West so much that you can close your eyes to realities inside Iran, and what your brothers and sisters are enduring on a daily basis?

Today a cloud of misery, hopelessness, fear, corruption, unhappiness and desparation has casting itself on the people of Iran.

It is sad that you are insensitive to their pain. It is sad that IRI's chest beatings make you content, even if it is at the cost of our people suffering every day of their lives.

Re: Q

I am proud of my country. Don't decieve yourself (or others?) by trying to make Iran and IRI equivalent. They are not the same.

Iranians have made many achivements DESPITE the backwarded nature of the IRI regime. I am proud of it. But I am ashamed of the IRI for putting so many restrains on Iranians' potential and rightful place in the world. You should be too.

Iran's pre-revolution as well as its ancient history are not fantasy. They are real and here to stay. Get used to it.

PS Jaleho

What happens to a 90 pound weakling who picks a fight with somebody like Mike Tyson?

If you are teh 90 pound weakling in question, and you were talling Mike Tyson he "couldn't do shit" while you were spitting in his eye, I assume you would be relying on his self-restraint to preserve your miserable life. What if he didn't decide to take it easy on you just because you were obviously way out of your league? What if he decided to crush you like a bug, instead? Make an example of you?

And what would you call the 90 pound weakling who decides to rely on his opponent's self-restraint, so taht he could behave as offensively and absuively as he wanted to with impunity?

Suicidally stupid? Because, Mike Tyson is not known for his self-restraint. And neither is the US, anymore. 

Jaleho

As you see for 30 years they have been saying that "US can not do shit about Iran" and they were PERFECTLY CORRECT.

I see. So Iranians like being pariahs? Iranians like being the most hated country on earth (even more hated than the US, a remarkable accomplishment for a minor league player)? Iranians like having no country that is willing to take their side? Iranians like knowing that if the US does invade, that nobody is going to complain? I bet Iranians really enjoyed the whole Iran/Iraq war (the one that would never have happened if the US had told Saddam "oh no you don't!) too?

And all that was before Iran started building nuclear weapons. When the US could afford to go with a policy of containment. 

You
on the other hand, have been dreaming about imminent attack on Iran and
changing its regime to one you like for all of that 30 years.

That is untrue. I have never wanted the US to attack Iran, and that isn't what I want now. I want Iranians to clean up their own house. However, you say that is never going to happen. So in my view, if you are correct then the alternative is war. And war is what we will have.

Now who is suicidally ignorant?

You are? What happens to a 90 pound weakling who picks a fight with somebody like Mike Tyson? What are the odds that Iran can withstand a US invasion? Do you really believe there is any hope at all the the IRI will continue to survive for more than a couple weeks if the US invades Iran? And how many Iranians will die in the process? Do you think that even if Iranians are as successful as Iraqis have been at inflicting political embarrassment on the US, that it will make Iranians feel any better? In your opinion, do Iraqis feel good about having made the occupation of their country unpleasant for the US? Iraqis are happy campers these days?

Suicidally ignorant, man. That is you. And that is the "average" Iranian, according to you.

Programmer Craig

you siad about Iranians:

"And by the way, how is it that these really smart average Iranians can be so suicidally ignorant?"

As you see for 30 years they have been saying that "US can not do shit about Iran" and they were PERFECTLY CORRECT. You on the other hand, have been dreaming about imminent attack on Iran and changing its regime to one you like for all of that 30 years.  Now who is suicidally ignorant?

So, you can keep on dreaming for another 30 years, but if I were you I'd keep the volume of repeated empty threats lower since frankly it makes you look pretty bad and as funny as Baghdad Bob. 

Anonymous for tonight, Q

Frankly, I don't get the relevance of your post at all? We are talking about very tangible and concrete state of affairs in Iran.

Your post on the other hand has few contradictory and confusing questions and answers (did you paste part of a back and forth in a blog?), some general reliable data of eia about world's growing energy need (Iran among them) without any clear connection to any argument, couple of links to an article which doesn't work, but from reference to the article  you could infer that it can be a good argument on why Iran's search for nuclear energy is very sensible!

The other non-working articles are grouped with one which talks about the "twin-peak-oil," a loosely defined terminology you can use anyway you wish, most serious readers don't even bother with peak-oil as a viable "theory", it is just something people throw around to support a particular argument.

Finally, there's a working link at the end of your post. That link is from march of 2005 and argues why US will attack Iran in a matter of months! Type of article that would make people like Programmer Craig shiver with excitement, but lacks any validity as proven by it date. So, I don't know why would one want to weaken his/her argument by posting a link like that!

PS to Q: Sorry, can't stop the sin :-)

Jaleho

And, I told you that  the average Iranian is smart enough to know that US talk of war is pure BS and empty threat,  and that Iranians know that infact there will NOT BE SUCH A WAR since US can not afford such a war and it only barks toothlessly.

That seems like a profoundly stupid opinion to have. Will that be the excuse of people like you, when continued incitement to war by the IRI actually DOES result in war? You'll just say "I was too damned stupid to realize they might actually attack! I'm so sorry"?

How do you think that will work out for you, Jaleho?

And by the way, how is it that these really smart average Iranians can be so suicidally ignorant? And also, how can such smart Iranians believe that officials of the Islamic Republic tell them the truth about the US, when they don't tell the truth about anything else?

I'm sensing a Baghdad Bob moment coming up here fairly soon, regardless of who wins in November. Where do you think the mullahs will run to? Iraq? Or will they just find some ratholes to hunker down in, like Saddam did?

Jaleho, don't commit the sin

the mob has issued a fatwa that no one must be proud of Iran unless you help them overthrow the government. Otherwise, anything you say about what's happening inside Iran MUST be negative. No exceptions! You can quote all the statistics that you want, but reality is meaningless. They'll just find other areas, where Iran "sucks" and expect you to repeat it.

You can be proud of the ancient Iran. You can be proud of some fantasy future and fantasy pre-Revolutionary Iran. But you can not be proud of your country at this moment. It's NOT allowed.

Get with the program, man.

Jaleho

Here is a great blog by Not Anonymous regarding the current IRI situation. There is more and I am sure Jamshid will respond accordingly as well.

I have to disagree with you; I would also call it sheer incompetence and utter stupidity. I think the mullahs are looting the oil revenues at a higher rate and not re-investing the revenues to maintain their only source of profit.

This is quite frightening for a nation who's main source of revenue is oil. Iran has been investing in everywhere else in the world except Iran to the determinant of the Iranians future.

Two years ago, Roger Stern an economic geographer at Johns Hopkins University published that the Islamic Republic could soon run out of oil to export. "Iran earns about $50 billion a year in oil exports. The decline is estimated at 10 to 12 percent annually. In less than five years, exports could be halved, and they could disappear by 2015.

Stern faults the inadequate investment (hostility to foreign investment to develop new oil resources) and mismanagement (poor state planning) and sheer negligence by the mullahs as the main causes of declining oil exports. The decline is estimated at 10 to 12 percent annually. Stern also informs us that the poor managment and inadequate care and maintenance of the refinaries contribute significantly to the loss of revenue and waste of precious oil, "If we look at that shortfall, and failure to rectify leaks in their refineries, that adds up to a loss of about $10 billion to $11 billion a year." "That is a picture of an industry in collapse."

First, the regime has not been investing enough to keep their basic infrastructure going. Their income from oil is just enough to cover maintenance, but not future investments. So, by trying to bring up the old maritime platforms as producers, they are actively removing money from the maintenance budget.

Second, the entire petroleum infrastructure is going to pot. The very pinnacle and most complex piece of the infrastructure is the refinery: if you do nothing else, you keep the refineries going as the most value added is there. Any modern, well run refinery system does not *lose* oil. The entire supply and refining system in Iran is losing 3-4% of its oil above and beyond the depletion rate of its field capacity. The added subsidies to gasoline and natural gas are killing the refineries, which cannot sustain themselves on that economic footing without other monetary inputs. The natural gas problem is even worse, as it is the #1 easiest and cheapest method of 'rejuvenating' old oil fields. Plus Iran is hopping to let liquid natural gas futures and contracts. To do this there will be *no* cheap oil sustainment and more expensive methods will need to be employed. In point of fact they may not be able to let any contracts on natural gas based on domestic consumption alone.

Third, the entire petro-infrastructure has seen no new additions on it for at least 4 years and most likely 8 years. Japan has shut off ALL new investments in this area and the amounts that Iran is trying to bring online no where meet current consumption increases. Gross supply,then, at best will remain flat with diminishing older fields losing production, no new projects to be online before 2010 and actual maintenance losing oil in the sytem. And as the older maritime equipment needs an overhaul, bringing it up again only means a faster date to get that started. From that the expectation is that gross supply will *not* remain steady and will actually begin to decline.

Fourth, the first indicator or warning sign is that Iran can't meet contractual obligations. They have not met their OPEC export quota for 18 months.

When production crosses consumption downwards, Iran becomes a net oil IMPORTER. Their refinery system is already so bad off that they are talking about buying gasoline to import and selling it at cost... considering the subsidized gas is 34 cents/gallon and the world market is about 5 times that, the economic shock of even a slow transition will be huge as money starts to flow out of Iran to buy gasoline.

The refineries are the key: they are the most integral part of adding value to the crude oil and get a high return on investment. When those start to fail, that indicates a system-wide problem in lack of skills and maintenance. No modern Nation loses *any* oil in the pipeline system or refining system, unless it is venting of natural gas that cannot be used or captured. It isn't just the nice economic trouble numbers out at 2012-19 that are worrying, it is the fact that before that happens the entire system reaches a tipping point and Iran changes from oil export on contract to being forced out of OPEC and onto the spot market because it cannot meet export quotas and is seen as an unreliable Nation for meeting contractual obligations. Things get very ugly then. Especially if the refineries have to be shut down and gasoline imported. And there is no cheap rejuvenation of older oil fields with natural gas. And maintenance of the basic pipeline and pumping system declines steadily.

The refineries are near that point already. The oil fields are already experiencing the fact that more expensive rejuvenation needs to be used because natural gas cannot be taken from the domestic use side. And the infrastructure is already losing 3-4% of all oil pumped out of the ground.

These are not little post-it note warnings: these are huge billboards in neon brightly flashing *Danger Ahead*.

What happens when this house of cards falls in on itself is of speculation. Even if they stopped subsidies *today* and took the resultant economic downturn, new projects will not come online until 2010 if the system worked well. It does not work well. This is the strangest form of economic suicide that has ever been described: willful neglect of a cash cow that drives the National economy to undermine one's own Nation.

When the refineries die or are closed, the rest of Iran is not far behind.

//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic...

//www.jhu.edu/news_info/news/home06/jan06/mid...

//www.pnas.org/content/104/1/377.abstract?max...
That is debatable.

In ten years since 1998, the IRI work has resulted in increasing Iran's known oil reserves from 92 billion to 138 billion, a 50% increase. That needed internal investment that the IRI provided. But, developing this oil needs foreign investment and technology.

Please provide a link/source, and If you don't mind please explain "IRI's work"?? Whose work?? What company did this work?? How do you "increase oil" reserves? Or do you mean discovered oil reserves??

International energy outlook:
//www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/highlights.html

//www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/index.html

Energy forecast and analysis for Iran:

//tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/country_energy_da...

//tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/country_energy_da...

//usasearch.gov/search?affiliate=eia.doe.gov&...

IRan has the "typical twin-peaked [oil production The first peak was Campbell notes that Iran, a co-founder of OPEC in 1961, has the "typical twin-peaked [oil production] profile of an OPEC country":-

The first peak was passed in 1974 at 6.1 million barrels per day, falling to a low of 1.2 million barrels per day in 1980, before recovering to 3.4 million barrels per day in 2002. Some reports suggest that depletion of present reserves is running as high as 7%, which may reflect operational shortcomings and lack of investment ... [P]roduction could in resource terms rise to a second peak in 2009 at almost 5 million barrels per day before commencing its terminal decline at 2.6% a year, but operational and investment constraints may prevent such a level being reached in practice, with 3-4 million barrels per day peak being perhaps more likely.

//www.energybulletin.net/node/4634

Dear Jamshid

Iran has been under colonial rule for few centuries, how much progress do you want to see in a mere thirty years, ten years of which the country was devstated by an imposed war with the intention of breaking it completely, and all of that 30 years a vicious sanction has been imposed on its people?!

In a short span, Iran has developed an independent foreign policy,

has become the largest car exporter in the Middle East,

many technologies have flourished including the petrochemical that you say it does not exist (you can make money on Iran's stock market knowing that!),

most household appliances that were imported before are made in Iran now,

Iran has developed a defense industry of its very own including the production of planes, tanks and navy ships,

its advancement in missile technology has made it a big enemy in the west,

it has  a nascent nuclear technology,

it is starting a space technology,

the handful of universities have increased astonishingly to provide higher education for average masses, and the quality of present students in some of the universities are as good as best American schools,

the number of women in arts, cinema, literature, science and higher education has become a respectable percentage from a meager few privileged of the past,

the number of hospitals, highways, bridges, dams have grown at a very respectable rate,

Iranians have done all of that despite miserable conditions mostly imposed by the west which has tried to kill the revolution systematically, and the miserable condition which internal idiots have subjected these people to. Why are we not appreciating everything that has been done?! Is your hatred of the regime so much that you can close your eyes to realities inside Iran?

programmer Craig

That's not what I said PC. You were referring to my statement about average Iranian political savvy, and given that, if they would want war with US to solve the nuclear issue.

And, I told you that  the average Iranian is smart enough to know that US talk of war is pure BS and empty threat,  and that Iranians know that infact there will NOT BE SUCH A WAR since US can not afford such a war and it only barks toothlessly.

You also continued with your warmongering dreams:

"When the war comes, I will remind you that "the US can't do shit".
"

And like I told you before, I have been yawning the past thirty years when the cowboys have been continually making such threats. Please DO wake me up when the US attacks Iran! 

Jaleho

You could have answered this question:

Do you think the average person in Iran wants war to be the method for resolving the nuclear issue, Jeleho?

With a simple "yes".

So, why do you accuse people on this blog of being "warmongers"? You are the one who wants war. And, according to you, that is what the average Iranian in Iran wants as well. When the war comes, I will remind you that "the US can't do shit".

Jaleh

You are one of the most misguided persons I have known in this site. I say this because it seems that you have good intentions, but your actions along with many others are hurting Iran.

The US can't do shit? Why do you think Iran imports its gasoline? Why can't Iran have petrochemical industries? Why can't it have nuclear reactors without any fuss? Why most of Iran's "brains" are "stolen" by the US? The US has done a lot of shit in the past 30 years against Iran.  You are just in too deep a dream to recognize it.

This is the result of seeing things throught the lens of oghdeh instead of reason. You people have hurt Iranians more than you could ever understand.

Programmer Craig

The average person in Iran has enough political savvy to know that EMRICA HICH GHALATI NEMITAVANAD BOKONAD, which they repeat almost in every Friday prayer for the past thirty years. FYI it means:

The US can't do shit.

Like I told you before, for 30 years they know that all the barking coming from US and Israel regarding Iran attack and regime change is just that.....toothless barking. They know that if they could do it, by now they would have done it many times starting with hostage crisis.

I also reminded you about the operation "Eagle Claw" if you remeber, but parts of our discussion got deleted, so I am not sure how much of it you got. But, Iranians for sure have seen the American Eagle Claws once first hand and now through the debacle in Iraq. Yes, they are not only politically savvy, they are quite experienced!

Jaleho

I completely agree with your point about the political savvy of the average person in Iran after the revolution.

Do you think the average person in Iran wants war to be the method for resolving the nuclear issue, Jeleho? Or is it just people like you and the usual suspects on this site who seem to relish that aletrnative, and not the typical guy on the street in Tehran?

strange

From the article:

"America has no choice but to look to Iran for dialogue" to help solve crises in Iraq, Lebanon, the Middle East peace process,
and Iran's own nuclear issue, says Sadegh Kharazi, Iran's former ambassador to Paris.

Yeah, right. Lebanon became an Arab problem several months ago. The US has no interests in Lebanon, other than seeing Iranian influence there (via Hezbollah) destroyed. Will the IRI help us destroy the IRI's influence in Lebanon? No? Well, life goes on. "Middle-East peace process" is supposed to be some kind of joke I think. Americans don't believe such a process exists, nor do we think it ever will, regardless of what the IRI does. Iraq? I suspect the IRI may find Iraqis not as eager to be part of Iran as they may believe. Iraqis are Arabs, in case people have forgotten. It is in the IRI's own self interest to tread lightly in Iraq. 

Which leaves the nuclear problem as the only *real* issue to deal with between the IRI and the US. And what evidence is there that the IRI will ever give ground on that?  I'm afraid there isn't much hope for diplomacy anytime soon.

"But
they want that dialogue without paying a price," says Mr. Kharazi. "Why
does America [on one hand] make positive language, but on another put a
lot of sanctions upon Iran? This is a double-standard [so] there isn't
any trust on the Iranian side."

Well, we paid a pretty heavy price for trying to engage the Islamic Republic diplomatically last time, which was 30 years ago. The IRI still owes us for that one, so maybe they can extend us some credit next time around? Or they could just extradite everyone involved with the hostage crisis to stand trial for kidnapping and terrorism and maybe we can call it even. It *really* is unfortunate that there isn't any trust on the Iranian side. But there is enough trust to send that assclown Ahmadinejad to New York, right? Why is that? Why doesn't the IRI expect us to kidnap the Iranian delegation to the UN and hold them hostage? It is what the IRI would do. We can trust them, on that, because they have a long history of hostage taking.

Nice of you Fred! & yaroo Irooni

Offering an article from Christian Science Monitor which is one of the few media outlet in the US which naturally can not be bought by Zionists and rather reflects the State Department's point of view usually?! The content must be not pleasing for you. You must repent by 5 Forward articles, 4 NYTimes,  and 7 Jerusalem posts :-)

and Iranian yaroo, you said:

"(One thing I noticed when I traveled to Iran was that taxi drivers in
Tehran had more "savad-e siasi" than our supposed "opposition" in the
U.S. and Europe. The quality of the people posting on Iranian.com (by
whom I mean "Fred", Farhad Kashani, and Jamshid) reflects that fact
perfectly." 

I completely agree with your point about the political savvy of the average person in Iran after the revolution. It is precisely that political savvy which has thawrted western efforts to overthrow the revolution, despite all their financial help to sold out groups and years of squeezing Iranian people economically and by imposing a bloody war to make them yield.

AND, I hear your plea for your comment not to be deleted! In fact,  it is this site which by invisible censor sieves the posters gradually and makes it look as if Iranians are the bunch of Zionits you mentined, few Bahais, and delusional former Shahis who all have anti-IRI sentiments in common and gather here to chat and pat each other on the back.

That's why your type of comment which makes this subtle points clear, and the numerous valuable articles that diverse people post here becasue it is "iranian" without the desire to be part of the regular chat, are so valuable. It shows that the few regulars of the Iranian.com by no mean are a reflection of the Iranian community. I hope you don't stop your comments, even if some of it get deleted at will!!

Re: Yaroo Irooni Ast

Obviously you have not visited Iran for decades. Most of the taxi drivers you talk about refer to the Shah as "khoda biaamorz". So much for your "evidence".

You cannot fool anyone by using the words "Iran" as a replacement for "IRI" in order to gain sympathy. Iran and IRI are two different distinct and separate entities.

I agree that "Iran" is neither evil nor confrontational, but the "IRI" is.

Lastly, thank you, I rather be a member of a failed opposition than be a treasonous supporter of the IRI.

Jamshid, what about the parasites who work for U.S. and Israel?

The U.S., Israel, and U.S. puppet Arab dictatorships (e.g. Saudi Arabia, etc.) have no responsibility for "the environment of tension and confrontation" in the Mideast. Iran is the center of the world conspiracy against Uncle Sam's attempts to establish world peace; Iran is also the origin of all evil. Please restore Reza, Farah, and Ashraf Pahlavi to Niavaran Palace so that America's Thousand Year Reign of Peace can be established in the Mideast and around the planet.

(One thing I noticed when I traveled to Iran was that taxi drivers in Tehran had more "savad-e siasi" than our supposed "opposition" in the U.S. and Europe. The quality of the people posting on Iranian.com (by whom I mean "Fred", Farhad Kashani, and Jamshid) reflects that fact perfectly.

Please post my comments in their entirety, as I have refrained from using profanity.

Farhad Kashani is right: U.S. government is peace-loving

Iran's regime is a war-mongering state, because it invaded innocent Saddam's regime in 1980. Currently, war-mongering Iran is occupying Iraq. The United States is the world's Number One peace-loving government. The U.S. government does not start wars and does not invade other peoples' countries; only Iran does

The corrupt and dependent

The corrupt and dependent IRI regime cannot survive even one day without the environment of tension and confrontation they have created in order to keep the masses busy, while the regime and its supporters parasitically feast on those masses.

War mongering is in the very

War mongering is in the very nature of the Islamic regime, all they're doing is buy time and declare a propaganda victory by sitting down talking with the U.S.

Fred, I'm confused

I thought IRI wanted war with America. Are you saying they want Peace now? That's quite a compliment from you, I did not anticipate the positive assessment from you of all people.