TEHRAN, Iran — The Obama administration is reaching out to Iran.
In return, Iran is — well, it’s complicated.
The Islamic republic sentenced an American journalist to eight years in prison and launched a fervent new campaign to brand U.S. ally Israel as racist. And in the middle of all that, it said it was ready for a new beginning in relations with the U.S. after three decades of diplomatic stalemate.
The mixed messages and flip-flopping are evidence of a tug-of-war within Iran’s ruling class between those who want to move closer to Washington and those resisting the change, all tremendously complicated by June 12 presidential elections. Both domestic and international considerations play strong roles.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is running for another term, is a deeply polarizing figure who has called for Israel to be wiped off the map, denied the Holocaust and insists Iran will never give up uranium enrichment.
His top opponent is former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, a reformist who supports better ties with the United States and appeals to many younger voters, 40 percent of the electorate.
by the associated press
In return, Iran is — well, it’s complicated.
The Islamic republic sentenced an American journalist to eight years in prison and launched a fervent new campaign to brand U.S. ally Israel as racist. And in the middle of all that, it said it was ready for a new beginning in relations with the U.S. after three decades of diplomatic stalemate.
The mixed messages and flip-flopping are evidence of a tug-of-war within Iran’s ruling class between those who want to move closer to Washington and those resisting the change, all tremendously complicated by June 12 presidential elections. Both domestic and international considerations play strong roles.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is running for another term, is a deeply polarizing figure who has called for Israel to be wiped off the map, denied the Holocaust and insists Iran will never give up uranium enrichment.
His top opponent is former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, a reformist who supports better ties with the United States and appeals to many younger voters, 40 percent of the electorate.
by the associated press
