This allegation has long been a part of the Republican’s narrative accusing Obama of weakness in dealing with Iran.
Romney said, “When the students took to the streets in Tehran and the people there protested, the Green Revolution occurred. For the president to be silent I thought was an enormous mistake. We have to stand for our principles, stand for our allies, stand for a strong military and stand for a stronger economy.”
Obama responded in the debate only briefly by saying, “I was very clear about the murderous activities that had taken place and that was contrary to international law and everything that civilized people stand for.”
Actually, there were two issues the Administration faced when the protests erupted after the 2009 elections in Iran. The first was how to address the regime’s suppression of the protests; the second was whether to endorse the protesters.
Obama was very vocal in condemning the repression. But he was silent on the protest movement itself. Many Republicans in Congress criticized Obama for that silence.
Several months ago, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explained that silence. She said the US government approached protest leaders both inside Iran and outside and they almost uniformly asked the United States to remain silent, saying they feared being tabbed as American lackeys if Obama spoke out in support of them.
Later, some demonstrators in the street addressed that silence, chanting to the Obama Administration, “Are you with us or with them?” Many in the GOP picked up that chant and criticized Obama for not endorsing the movement. But Obama stuck by the request of opposition leaders and never endorsed the movement.
However, Obama had a lot to say about the Iranian government’s suppression of the protests.
At a news conference June 15, 2009, two days after the first protests erupted in the streets, the president started out by saying that it was up to the Iranians to decide whom their leaders should be and that the United States respected Iranian sovereignty.
Then he commented:
“Having said all that, I am deeply troubled by the violence that I’ve been seeing on television. I think that the democratic process—free speech, the ability of people to peacefully dissent—all those are universal values and need to be respected. And whenever I see violence perpetrated on people who are peacefully dissenting, and whenever the American people see that, I think they’re, rightfully, troubled.”
Obama went on at some length. He said he considered some of President Ahmadi-nejad’s statements to be “odious.” He said he would continue to pursue a “tough, direct dialogue between our two countries,” but added: “I think it would be wrong for me to be silent about what we’ve seen on the television over the last few days…. They should know that the world is watching.
“And particularly to the youth of Iran, I want them to know that we in the United States do not want to make any decisions for the Iranians, but we do believe that the Iranian people and their voices should be heard and respected.”
At a news conference eight days later, Obama spoke out even more strongly against the crackdown on the protests.
“The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.
“If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights and heed the will of its own people,” Obama said.