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Last update - 16:06 09/12/2008
Iran sees Obama as worthy leader, but is it enough?
By Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, Iran 

On the eve of Id al-Adha and the pilgrimage to Mecca, Ali Khamenei, Iran's spiritual leader, aired his political-ideological views in public.

In his blessing to the pilgrims he spoke of the failure of "arrogant America's" plots; the incurable problems and chaos inside the Zionist regime; the rise of Islam in neighboring states; Iran's amazing technological progress, achieved under severe economic sanctions, and the American warmongers' economic and political defeat.

The last point shows that Iran sees Barack Obama not as one of the warmongers but as a worthy American president, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote him in his congratulatory note.
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But can this distinction ensure successful negotiations between Iran and the United States, as Obama wishes? Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Sunday that Iran would not stop enriching uranium and that Obama's carrot and stick approach was unacceptable.

On the other hand, Iran is well aware of its economic difficulties - high inflation of about 30 percent, oil prices diving to $40 a barrel while the Iranian budget was planned on $60 a barrel; a huge unemployment rate; a $40 billion trade deficit and some $17 billion in defaulted debt payments.

Iran faces presidential elections in six months, and economic woes will be the main campaign issue. Obama's hint of economic incentives is the "carrot" that he hopes will induce Tehran to change its policies. This is the heart of the American proposal, whose innovation is Obama's
willingness to open direct talks.

Iran, for its part, assumes the U.S. has no military option against it and that Israel would not attack without America's backing. Obama wants to shift the military focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, and Iran understands that he needs its cooperation with Iraq for this. Finally, Iran assumes Russia and China will continue to protect it from embargoes. This leaves a gaping gulf between the Iranian and American approaches.

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      1.   Nothing will enough, Zvi Bar`el, get this into your Leftist brain 01:54  |  Genuine Tosefta 09/12/08
      2.   GLUG GLUG GLUG, the ships going down 02:27  |  VIPER 09/12/08
      3.   Bomb Iran 05:20  |  Bobby from Canada 09/12/08
      4.   Haaretz wants a war between Israel, the US and Iran 05:33  |  Mark Lincoln 09/12/08
      5.   Iran will be right IF Obama gets behind the Saudi Plan 11:38  |  Ivar 09/12/08
      6.   Iran is heading for an Economic Downfall ... 11:47  |  Josephus 09/12/08
      7.   The Saudi Plan........ 12:08  |  Honesty 09/12/08
      8.   Ayatollahs vs Obama 13:08  |  Brod 09/12/08
      9.   There is a power struggle in the Gulf 13:44  |  Mark Lincoln 09/12/08
      10.   Mark Lincoln #9 14:21  |  Brod 09/12/08
      11.   Peace = End of Israeli & Saudi Religious Zeal & Restore Rights to 15:47  |  Monitor 09/12/08
      12.   Bobby from Canada 16:09  |  Persian Kitty 09/12/08
      13.   9, Mark L 18:30  |  Harry 09/12/08
      14.   #10 Brod...thanks, on my way to the library 18:48  |  Lynn 09/12/08
      15.   #5 Ivar....are you someone 18:49  |  Lynn 09/12/08
      16.   What planet Harry? 19:57  |  Mark Lincoln 09/12/08
      17.   To Mr. Lincoln 04:05  |  Will 10/12/08
      18.   Bobby, shame on you 02:52  |  Bobak 11/12/08
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