This has to be done to be fair to fair to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He seems a bit more moderate than Ahmadinejad. DO you think his reaching-out to Obama is genuine?

9/24/2013 2:21:45 PM

[b]President Barack Obama will not meet with Iranian President hassan Rouhani, White House officials say.

9/24/2013 3:10:39 PM

the President of Iran could be Papa Smurf and it wouldn't matter because the Ayatollahs ultimately call the shots. so Obama could reach out or not reach out and it won't matter the slightest.

9/24/2013 3:14:05 PM

It'll matter a little tiny bit. They haven't met in 36 years.

[Edited on September 24, 2013 at 3:39 PM. Reason : ]

9/24/2013 3:23:58 PM

Its a big step, you have to start communication somewhere

9/24/2013 4:18:09 PM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24235932

The hypocrisy is sickening.

Quote :

"However, President Rouhani's address failed to impress Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who described it as "cynical... full of hypocrisy". "It had no practical suggestion to stop Iran's military nuclear programme and no commitment to fulfil UN Security Council decisions," he said in a statement."

Oh really? What about Israel's established military nuclear capability? Oh yeah, forgot, Israel gets a pass because it is protected by a country whose leader also made a hypocritical statement at the same place:

Quote :

"Mr Obama referred to Iranian suffering from chemical weapons at the hands of Iraq when he said the ban on chemical weapons was "strengthened by the searing memories of soldiers suffocated in the trenches; Jews slaughtered in gas chambers; and Iranians poisoned in the many tens of thousands"."

Oh really? You mean poisoned by weapons provided by your country knowing full well they would be used for that reason?

What a great world we live in.

9/25/2013 8:25:53 AM

This is what he said.

Quote :

"President Rouhani said the "so-called Iranian threat" was imaginary. "Iran poses absolutely no threat to the world or the region," he said. "Nuclear weapon and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran's security and defence doctrine, and contradict our fundamental religious and ethical convictions. Our national interests make it imperative that we remove any and all reasonable concerns about Iran's peaceful nuclear programme." To this end he said Tehran was prepared to engage "immediately in time-bound and result-oriented talks to build mutual confidence and removal of mutual uncertainties with full transparency". He criticised the use of international sanctions against Iran, comparing them to the punitive measures used against Iraq while Saddam Hussein was in power. "These sanctions are violent - pure and simple," he said, adding that it was not political elites that were affected "but rather... the common people". President Rouhani said that, while condemning any use of chemical weapons "we welcome Syria's acceptance of the Chemical Weapons Convention"."

Sounds nice.

9/25/2013 9:02:25 AM

He actually acknowledges the Holocaust

http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/25/irans-new-president-yes-the-holocaust-happened

9/25/2013 11:18:34 AM

or maybe he doesn't

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/26/iranian-media-says-cnn-lied-rouhani-does-not-believe-in-holocaust

9/26/2013 12:54:43 PM

Billy Graham is asking him to free the imprisoned American pastor

http://www.wral.com/billy-graham-writes-letter-to-iranian-president/12927507/

9/26/2013 1:17:30 PM

Highest level talks between Iran and USA going on right now.

Hope they bear fruit and mark the start of normalizing of ties.

9/26/2013 5:02:58 PM

hope Khamenei is in on this

9/26/2013 6:44:48 PM

9/26/2013 7:21:34 PM

So he and Obama did talk. First time presidents have spoken since '79.

9/27/2013 4:28:57 PM

Exchange between twitter founder and rouhani.

10/1/2013 5:53:18 PM

i thought that was a fake account

10/1/2013 6:25:33 PM

I read that as well, although not in relation to this story. Who knows.

10/1/2013 6:50:21 PM