Word: khamenei
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Barack Obama's Persian New Year message to the leaders and people of Iran appears to have had a significant impact in Tehran. That much was clear by the speed with which Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatullah Ali Khamenei, responded. Obama's call for a "new beginning" was released early Friday morning, and Khamenei answered, unusually quickly, in a live televised address on Saturday that offered the most detailed response yet from Iran's leader to a series of rhetorical gestures from the new U.S. Administration. The essence of Khamenei's answer was that it would take more than "changes...
...Khamenei said his regime would judge the Obama Administration by its actions rather than by the content of its speeches. And he made clear that as far as Tehran was concerned, Washington's actions remained hostile, despite the friendly words, emphasizing that Obama has reaffirmed U.S. sanctions against Iran. "They chant the slogan of change, but no change is seen in practice," he said. "We are observing, watching and judging. If you change, we will also change our behavior. If you do not change, we will be the same nation as 30 years ago [when Iranians overthrew the U.S.-backed...
...Moussavi's appeal lies in the fact that was a popular Prime Minister during the Iran-Iraq war, and is credited with having done a good job managing the nation through some of its most trying economic times. During his tenure, the current Supreme Leader, Ayatullah Ali Khamenei, had been president, and when the two men disagreed, Moussavi is said to have often won the support of then Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founding father of the Islamic Republic. Arriving to deliver his first speech as a presidential candidate on Saturday in the south of Tehran, Moussavi was greeted...
...whom should the U.S. talk? A direct conversation with the Supreme Leader may not be feasible in the short term, but one expert who has advised the Obama Administration on Iran policy argues that the U.S. can still talk over Ahmadinejad's head to Khamenei. "We should aim our rhetoric at Khamenei," says the expert, who asked not to be named. "He will decide whom to appoint [to talk with...
...Mann Leverett, who conducted secret negotiations with the Iranians on behalf of the Bush Administration between 2001 and 2003, says her Iranian counterparts made sure to report to Khamenei or his trusted advisers before and after every conversation with U.S. officials. She points out that two former Foreign Ministers - Ali Akbar Velayati and Kamal Kharraji - are among those advisers. Both men have had some experience in dealing with the West...