Does the United States owe the Iranian people an apology for the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup that overthrew that nation’s democratic government? And is there any justification for the way American diplomats at the U.S. Embassy on Tehran were taken prisoner in 1978? According to this news account from Iran’s PRESS TV of a speech by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, the answers to both questions are yes – and if America’s new president wants to improve relations, he’ll have to issue an apology for America’s past misdeeds. Some might regard Khomeini’s words as a provocation. Others might see them as an overture to Barack Obama that talks could come if America acknowledges its ‘wrongdoing.’.
“Speaking six days before the U.S. presidential election, the Leader said that Iranian “hatred” toward the White House is a result of America’s plots against the people of Iran over the past 50 years. … Iran holds the United States responsible for a CIA-launched coup in 1953, against the then-democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq. The coup marked the CIA’s first successful overthrow of a foreign government, after which the United States restated its close ally the Shah, Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, in Iran. Ayatollah Khamenei said it was disappointing that American politicians have never expressed regret over their past anti-Iran actions. “Instead, they continue to adopt the same arrogant attitude,” the Leader said.”
“His Eminence said that the capturing of the U.S. Embassy – which was a center for espionage – on November 4, 1978, was the result of the collective sense of responsibility on the part of the prominent youth of the time.”
Then talking of Obama, the ‘Supreme Leader’ hints that Iran would like talks to include more than its nuclear program:
“American Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has pledged to directly and diplomatically engage with Iran should he take office, raising the prospect of closer Tehran-Washington relations. But according to Senator Obama, diplomatic methods would only be used to address Iran’s nuclear program.”
October 29, 2008
Islamic Republic of Iran – Original Article (English)
Ayatollah Khamenei has said that the dispute between the United States and Iran is very deep-seated. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution says that the United States must apologize to the Iranian nation for its wrongdoing, if it wishes to have closer ties to Tehran.
Tehran and Washington severed diplomatic ties in 1979.
In a Wednesday address to Iranian scholars and students, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution asked why there is such a divide between Iran and the United States, drawing attention to the causes for the Iran-America conflict. “In order to answer this question we must deeply reflect upon the issue. That’s because the conflict goes beyond differences of opinion on certain political issues – and relates to how the victory of the Islamic Revolution put an end to U.S. control over its main foothold in the oil rich Middle East region.
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