U.S. Has 'Questions' On Iran Elections

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In The Media

U.S. Has 'Questions' On Iran Elections

The Obama administration has wisely taken a cautious approach to reacting to the unrest in Iran and allegations of election fraud.

By Karim Sadjadpour

Published on Jun 15, 2009

Source: CBS News

In response to the unrest in Iran following the country's presidential election, the Obama administration has taken a very cautious approach in reacting to the allegations of fraud. Karim Sadjadpour agrees with this approach:

"I think the administration is calibrating the mesasge correctly. Meaning, we don't want to denounce these elections and insert ourselves into that political process which is playing out in Tehran. Histrorcally, we have unwittingly hurt those whom we've tried to help in the past. So I think the adminstration's message is well calibrated, expressing an interest and also a concern that the results of these elections, the will of the Iranian people is not bourne out. But certainly we shouldn't prematurely endorse the results of these elections or denounce them."

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 North America United States Middle East Iran

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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