Q&A:"Iran Won't Wait for Obama to Talk to U.S."
Inter Press Service / Omid Memarian
18-Jul-2008 (4 comments)

IPS: Why should the Iranian authorities agree to the proposal for a U.S. Interests Sections?

HA: It is no longer fashionable in Iran to say we don't talk or negotiate with the U.S. or that the U.S. is our enemy. Such an attitude does not exist in the country anymore. Ever since the topic of a U.S. Interests Section in Tehran has emerged, I notice a lot of excitement among people. They feel like something is happening. They become happy when they hear positive news about any improvement in Iran-U.S. relations. They become deeply sad when they hear about a war or alienation.

IPS: Is there a will among Iranian conservatives to extensively discuss the concerns existing between the two countries?

HA: Ahmadinejad is not the most radical Iranian conservative. There are others more radical and more conservative than him. Those groups may not be interested in dialogue, but they are not in power at this time. They can only complain, grumble, insult others, and accuse them. They can't, however, stop this movement. In fact, the only group capable of pushing this idea forward is in power.

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Mehdi

Wow, this is a very illuminative interview

by Mehdi on Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:31 PM PDT

Amazing how much falsehood goes around instead of facts.


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Thanks Muslim

by Esmaiil (not verified) on Fri Jul 18, 2008 03:07 PM PDT

Thanks Muslim. I agree that whatever can stop a war is good. I read one of Amirahmad's interviews once in which he was saying that when countries are isolated, they can commit worse atrocities to people without the international community's knowledge, so it's better to have international relations in order to have better human rights treatment in Iran.


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Iranian Muslim

Amirahmadi

by Iranian Muslim on Fri Jul 18, 2008 02:18 PM PDT

He is a professor at Rutgers University.  And his words, at the least the ones I've read, are making war less likely.  I support that aspect of what he does. So should the rest of us.


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Amirahmadi

by Esmaiil (not verified) on Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:39 AM PDT

I knew something was up when I heard this guy had started travelling to Tehran again. So, is he really a university professor?


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