Transcript
16.30 GMT-12:30 PM/EST
On August 22nd, in a televised interview on The Charlie Rose Show, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discussed Iran’s relationship with the U.S.
Soundbite (Ahmadinejad): “In Iraq we were very forthcoming and helpful, in Afghanistan we also helped; I stated for two consecutive years that in the United Nations I am prepared to have this debate and talks in the presence of the media… I created golden opportunities for the U.S. government to change the conditions.”
However, the United States has repeatedly accused Iran of meddling in Iraq by helping to fund and train Shiite militias and shipping armor-piercing bombs for attacks against US troops.
Furthermore, in May, a report by AFP had the US military saying that missiles have been smuggled into Iraq by groups in Iran, and that Iranian weapons have also been seized by Afghan forces from Taliban fighters.
On May 25th, Afghanistan’s Deputy Defense Minister Yusuf Noorestani, criticized Ahmadinejad’s comments about the necessity for foreign forces to leave his country and called those remarks “biased” and “an interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.”
While the Iranian president refers to “golden opportunities for the U.S. government to change the conditions”, Iran has not yet fully addressed the international concerns in regards to its nuclear program.
Soundbite (Rice): “Indeed, I have said that if Iran suspends its enrichment and reprocessing activities, I will join my UN Security Council colleagues, I’ll meet with my Iranian counterpart, I’ll do it- anytime, anywhere, on any issue.”
On June 23rd, an editorial in the Washington Post said that the U.S. may soon decide to open an interests section – staffed by US diplomats – in Tehran.
Though Rice declined to comment on the article, she did tell reporters that “the United States, has been, for some time, trying to reach out to the Iranian people in various ways.”
In July, Ahmadinejad was reported by various media outlets to have looked favorably on a potential U.S. request to open an interests section in Iran.
But on August 25th, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hassan Qashqavi, said that “no formal request has been made regarding the matter” and that “all things said about it was more speculation on the part of the media.”
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