December 23, 2016
by Warren L. Nelson
President Obama Friday condemned the Islamic Republic as having “blood on its hands” for leading “atrocities” in Syria, the first time Obama has ever condemned Iran in such strong language. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenehi responded to the criticism by swiftly condemning ….. British Prime Minister Theresa May,
For almost eight years, Obama has treated the Islamic Republic very gently, occasionally chiding it for human rights violations, but always avoiding harsh language. At the same time, Khamenehi and other regime officials have almost daily assailed the Obama Administration, accusing it of hating not only the Islamic Republic but the Iranian people and Islam as well and insisting that Obama always speaks unkindly of Iran
But with only five weeks left in his term, Obama ended his effort at courtesy, seemingly conceding that eight years of effort had failed. The issue was the “savage assault” on the Syrian city of Aleppo by the Syrian government “and its Russian and Iranian allies.” In unusually strong language for Obama, he said of Iran: “This blood and these atrocities are on their hands.” It was by far the harshest language Obama has ever applied to Iran from the White House podium.
The Islamic Republic appeared to be stunned. As of Tuesday, four days after Obama’s remarks, no Iranian official had responded. The Iran Times could not find a single reference to Obama’s remarks in the Iranian media, which suggests that state censors forbade any reporting on Obama’s comments.
Instead, the media was filled with anger at British Prime Minister May, who attended a meeting of the Persian Gulf Arab leaders earlier in the month and announced that she was prepared to help them in confronting Iran’s “expansionist” policies.
The day after Obama spoke of Iran’s “bloody hands,” Khamenehi slammed May for her remarks 10 days earlier rather than Obama’s remarks of one day earlier. May had told the Persian Gulf Arab leaders that London would work with them to “push back against Iran’s aggressive regional actions, whether in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria or in the [Persian] Gulf itself.”
She said, “I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the [Persian] Gulf and the wider Middle East.
Khamenehi responded Saturday, saying, “In recent days, the British have quite brazenly called the oppressed and dear country of Iran a threat to the region. But everyone knows that, to the contrary, it is the British that have always been the origin and source of threats, corruption, risk and misery.”
He continued: “Our enemies, even when they claim to be soft-mannered and present a kindly countenance, are, in the depth of their nature, wild and violent. People must be prepared to encounter these vile, irreligious and unjust enemies.”
Khamenehi said the West seeks to divide Muslims. “British Shiism and the American brand of Sunnism are the two blades of the same scissors, which should be blunted by the Muslim nations themselves.”
Oddly, Khamenehi sidestepped the renewal of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) by the United States. Earlier, he said its renewal would be a violation of the nuclear agreement, although it is not a violation. The law was formally renewed Tuesday, but Khamenehi has been silent about it.
Obama had the choice of vetoing the bill, signing it into law or allowing it to become law Tuesday by doing nothing. Although he had been expected to sign it, he instead just let it become law unsigned. There is no legal distinction.
Another Iranian diplomat last week quietly contradicted Khamenehi and said the renewal of the law was no violation of the nuclear deal. According to the daily Vagha-ye Ettefaqiyeh, Hamid Baeidinejad, who was one of the senior negotiators of the agreement, said December 6: “It is right that the ISA, due to be signed off by the US president, will be extended for another 10 years. But snapping back the sanctions stipulated in the nuclear agreement and suspended there would need a separate decision by the US administration.” He said there is only a violation of the agreement if the sanctions lifted by the nuclear deal are re-imposed. That is the opposite of what Khamenehi and President Rohani have told the Iranian public.
Here is the full segment of Obama’s Friday press conference in which he talked about blood being on the hands of Iran.
“The world, as we speak, is united in horror at the savage assault by the Syrian regime and its Russian and Iranian allies on the city of Aleppo.“ We have seen a deliberate strategy of surrounding, besieging, and starving innocent civilians. We’ve seen relentless targeting of humanitarian workers and medical personnel, entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble and dust. There are continuing reports of civilians being executed. These are all horrific violations of international law.
“Responsibility for this brutality lies in one place alone—with the Assad regime and its allies, Russia and Iran. And this blood and these atrocities are on their hands.
“We all know what needs to happen. There needs to be an impartial international observer force in Aleppo that can help coordinate an orderly evacuation through safe corridors. There has to be full access for humanitarian aid, even as the United States continues to be the world’s largest donor of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people. And, beyond that, there needs to be a broader ceasefire that can serve as the basis for a political rather than a military solution….
“Over the long term the Assad regime cannot slaughter its way to legitimacy. That’s why we’ll continue to press for a transition to a more representative government. And that’s why the world must not avert our eyes to the terrible events that are unfolding. The Syrian regime and its Russian and Iranian allies are trying to obfuscate the truth. The world should not be fooled. And the world will not forget.”