U.S. Overtures Highlight Divisions In Iran

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In The Media

U.S. Overtures Highlight Divisions In Iran

President Obama's Nowruz message to the Iranian leadership and people was dismissed by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, but many Iranians appear dissapointed by his response.

By Karim Sadjadpour

Published on Mar 24, 2009

Source: NPR's Morning Edition

President Obama sent a video message to Iran on Nowruz, the Persian New Year, seeking to ease long-strained relations between the two nations. Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour decribes the administration's overture as a departure from past U.S. policy to Iran and one that puts the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, in a difficult position. Although Khamenei quickly dismissed the overture and called for concrete actions from the United States and not just rhetoric, his reaction is not representative of the will of his people.

About the Author

Karim Sadjadpour

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

Recent Work

Q&A
What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
Q&A
How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps
- Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour

Political Reform Foreign Policy Middle East Iran United Arab Emirates

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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