Iran: Obama no better than Bush
Obama: Time running out for nuclear deal with Iran; Medvedev: Further Iran sanctions possible.
By News Agencies Tags: Israel news Iran nuclearU.S. steps to renew sanctions and seize a New York skyscraper linked to Iran show that President Barack Obama is no better than his predecessor George W. Bush, Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said on Sunday.
Larijani's statement, which was followed by chants of "Death to America" among MPs in the legislature, was the latest from Tehran voicing disappointment in the new U.S. administration's policies toward the Islamic Republic.
It came as Obama, during a visit to Asia on Sunday, said time was running out for diplomacy in a dispute over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes but which the West suspects has military aims.
Since taking office in January, Obama has sought to reach out diplomatically to Iran, but the dispute over Tehran's atomic activities continues.
"After one year of giving speeches and baseless slogans, it is a disgrace to see the behavior and the attitudes of this president are not better than his predecessor's," Larijani told parliament, the official IRNA news agency said.
U.S. prosecutors filed a civil lawsuit on Thursday to seize control of a New York City skyscraper they say is owned by companies illegally funneling money to the Iranian government.
The suit seeks to revoke the Alavi Foundation and the Assa Corporation's ownership of a 36-storey building at 650 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The original lawsuit filed in December only sought Assa Corp's building share.
Prosecutors said both companies were sending money to Bank Melli, owned by the Iranian government. The U.S. Treasury has designated the bank as a weapons proliferator and banned U.S. citizens from dealing with it.
Also on Thursday, Obama renewed some long-standing U.S. financial sanctions against Iran. Obama notified Congress that, as expected, he was extending a set of existing U.S. measures against Tehran for another year, saying: "our relations with Iran have not yet returned to normal."
The sanctions that Obama renewed, which involve certain frozen Iranian assets, stem from a "national emergency" the U.S. government declared in November 1979 near the start of the Iran hostage crisis. Such sanctions have to be extended annually by the U.S. president to remain in effect.
Larijani said: "Extension of restrictions and sanctions against the Iranian nation for another year, and also blocking the accounts and assets of the Alavi Foundation in America, show how deep are the changes in the United States."
He also accused Washington of "childish actions" after Iran's disputed June election as well as "irrational proposals" on the nuclear issue. This showed that the "claimed changes by Obama were nothing but deceiving signals," Larijani said.
Obama: Time running out for nuclear deal with Iran
Obama warned on Sunday that time was running out for Iran to sign on to a deal to ship its enriched uranium out of the Islamic Republic for further processing.
Standing beside Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, after the two leaders met Sunday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Obama said: "We are now running out of time."
"Unfortunately, so far at least, Iran appears to have been unable to say yes to what everyone acknowledges is a creative and constructive approach," Obama said.
Medvedev, for his part, said he still hoped to convince Iran to send its enriched uranium to Russia where it could be further processed to fuel an aging medical reactor in Tehran.
But if that plan fails, Medvedev said, other options remain on the table. The Russian leader has said further sanctions against Iran were possible if it did not open its nuclear program to inspections to prove it was not trying to build a bomb.
Under last month's proposal, Iran would export some 75 percent of its low-enriched uranium abroad to be turned into fuel for a Tehran research reactor.
Diplomats have said Iran's counter-offer would leave it enough of the uranium to convert into bomb material, a non-starter for France and the United States.
Iran insists it is enriching uranium only for power plant fuel, not for nuclear warheads. But its history of nuclear secrecy and continued restrictions on United Nations inspections have raised Western suspicions Iran is latently pursuing nuclear weapons capability.
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U.S. President Barack Obama speaking with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Singapore on Sunday. |
| Photo by: (Reuters) |
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Obama no better then his predecessors... really. Maybe Larijani would rather deal with Rush Limbaugh, who considers scoring OxyContin as a moral imperative. Obama, the Democrat may need to finally get-over his Oedipus complex. But that's certainly better then the Republican George W, who counted on Big-Daddy and friends to get him out of every jam. Or Cheney, the over-weight Machiavellian who's got his own control and legacy issues. The problem with Tehran is that they seem not sure of which way to turn and the threat to their power is internal.... from their own youth.
For Obama, being compared to Bush is a compliment, and if someone were to compare him to Dick Cheney, that would be a HUGE compliment, even though one that Obama is far from deserving.
The Iranians have no need for uranium because it will take decades before the nuclear installations network is in place, meaning Iran has no immediate use for the enriched uranium it has accumulated. This is the main reason why many in the West and elsewhere know the only use for the uranium is for the production of nuclear weapons. What is the purpose of having a stockpile now if not for other purposes.
It was predicted 400 years ago that the eagle and bear will get together and will destroy the evil Islam with the help of others who had enough ,and than it will be peace in ME forever.It happen before about 600 years ago and it will happen again.The Islamic fanatics are pushing for it!!!
Different langauge same old policies backaged better than dumbo ,the same of the old right wing and opperissive stuff.The european will live to regret it for givining him the Noble Peace Prize.
Why don't you invade Iran and remove the nuclear material yourself? You can go through Jordan, around Syrian defences. Then up through Syria into Turkey and then into Iran through the top. Once in Iran you can tell the Iranians to sit pretty or you will destroy their cities. Then remove all nuclear material and go home.
The Regime and its IRG military clout will be shackled to a great extent while its populace would benefit from all the lifted sanctions offered in exchange. From this brutal, corrupt Regime's point of view that's not a goodwill offering at all but a non-starter and therefore no acceptance. Only an imminent threat from overhead MOPs about to be released with satellite guided precision over key known and unrevealed nuclear infrastructure sites across Iran will make them shake their heads and come to their senses. Anything less and they'll gladly choose to keep allowing their populace to bear the grief of their militant ventures.
The politicans of the world are put of synch with their people...no more so than in the US
Just because one is capable, does not mean he will do. The US has a history of neglecting others wishes if they did not comply with their own, that hasn't changed one jota and propably never will. For the US every non-american citizen is second class and deserves to be treated this way, better not trust them, if you can.
I thought the president's speech to the Islamic world was supposed to inform them that the United States was no longer to be called the Great Satan? That's what the news media here told us. Isn't this the same golden boy who had the Europeans saying "wow" even to the point where they gave him the Nobel Peace Prize?
"Asking to send a country`s deterrant out of the country is madness. Would Israel comply with such a deal?" Then again, Israel is not publicly calling for the destruction of another state. Rather it is the other way around.
Like it or not Obama is going thru the right channel to have all nation on board. Not like bush and your goverment that like war before all the diplomacy are exusted.
except to wait till it will be too late to do anything. Gog and Magog war here we come.
Witk all due respect to his good intentions for the raprochement among world's nations, Obama is finally starting to realize that his noble goal can not be realized when you are dealing with dictators, thugs and racists such as Ahmadinejad. As they say better late than never!
Asking to send a country's deterrant out of the country is madness. Would Israel comply with such a deal? I doubt it. It's like placing one's money in a Swiss Bank account when one needs it for operating cost. Get real Obama? Dutch .
Russians "overboard". Playing for time just like Iran and then more useless sanctions which the Russians will pobably violate under the table. Then there is China !
reminds me Bush Junor and his gang. Obama, will he finally not be more than another warmanger? Or, does he still controll his administration?
What is with the change of heart? Could it be that the Russians finally understand the implications of a nuclear Iran such as the Chechen rebels acquiring a nuclear device and a mushroom cloud over downtown Moscow?