June 20-2014
An American Christian minister who recently visited Iran has gotten himself in trouble with the Islamic Republic by claiming to be carrying a message from Iran back to President Obama.
Joel Hunter is a nationally famous evangelical minister with a megachurch in Florida and a national audience for his sermons.
While visiting Iran last month, the Iranian media described Hunter as Obama’s “spiritual adviser.” The Iranian media didn’t say where they got that description, but left the impression it came from Hunter himself.
Hunter is by no means a spiritual adviser to Obama, though he has been appointed by Obama—along with many other ministers, priests, rabbis and mullahs—to serve on a federal panel that advises faith groups helping out with charitable work.
After his visit ended, VOA interviewed Hunter and said he reported he was conveying a message from President Rohani to Obama.
He seemed to have second thoughts about saying that and told VOA, “I probably shouldn’t have brought that up at all. That was a message given to me in privacy, so I can’t tell you any more about it.”
At a news conference Saturday, the Los Angeles Times asked Rohani about this message to Obama. Rohani was not pleased.
“I have neither received nor sent a message by any priest or monk or whomever you meant,” Rohani said. “But to make it clear for all, I should say: If a message is to be exchanged between me and Mr. Obama, it will not be complicated. He will write a letter and I will do the same.”
He said Obama had sent him a letter after he won election last June. “I replied. And then I sent him another message that he answered,” Rohani said, revealing for the first time that he had both answered Obama’s congratulatory message and initiated another exchange.
He made a point of saying he and Obama had no need for any intermediaries like Hunter.
He also made clear that times have changed since the two countries did not communicate with one another very often over three decades. He pointed out that officials of the Foreign Ministry now meet with American diplomats on almost a weekly basis and messages can easily be passed back and forth at those meetings. The diplomats also exchange almost emails daily.
Hunter was a member of a religious delegation—one of three in recent weeks to visit Iran from the United States—and met with religious leaders in Qom, with Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani and with some aides to the president and Supreme Leader.
In the interview with VOA, Hunter said, “All I can tell you is, I was speaking to the president’s chief of staff. His chief of staff relayed a message that he’d just gotten off the phone and, so, I don’t know what exactly is going on. I know I probably should not have brought it up because there are delicate political nuances to be negotiated here. And so I’m sorry if I put someone in a bad position over there.”
Hunter also said the issue of the three Americans citizens being held in Iran was discussed. He said the Iranian officials he met with “were very receptive” to the discussion. “They even guided us toward the proper person, told us how to make our requestÖ. We felt like they were very hospitable when we were making our plea.” He did not say who the “proper person” was.
On dealing with Iran generally, Hunter said, “Their leadership is religious, so, therefore, if there is to be trust gained, if there is ultimately peace between our countries, it will more likely happen because religious leaders have had a conversation than only if political leaders have tried to negotiate some policy or something.”
Hunter is a conservative pastor from the evangelical brand of Protestantism that has emphasized topics like opposition to both abortion and gay marriage. Hunter has gotten much attention in recent years because he has said that evangelicals must not concentrate exclusively on such issues but must also address topics like poverty.