LOS ANGELES, March 2 (UPI) -- The pattern of statements by Iranian leaders as well as subjects highlighted in Iran's press continues to suggest a hardening of both national policy and popular sentiment against the United States as the likelihood of a U.S. military strike against neighboring Iraq comes ever closer.
The official Islamic Republic News Agency reported Feb. 4 that Iran would not use the occasion of that month's NATO summit to hold any talks with he United States.
Iranian government spokesman Abdullah Ramezan Zadeh in his weekly press briefing announced Iran would in fact participate in the NATO meeting, which concentrated on security in the Persian Gulf. And he mentioned that Iran's goal to take part in the meeting was to inform others of its viewpoints and influence the decisions of the forum.
However, it was striking that, as Zadeh had indicated, Iranian leaders did not try and use the meeting to open any new channels or seek any exploratory dialogue with the United States.
Indeed, Iranian leaders instead have kept up a critical chorus at the massive U.S. diplomatic offensive to justify any attack on Iraq. Regarding Secretary of State Colin Powell's report to the U.N. Security Council on Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction, Ramezan Zadeh commented that the United States should have submitted its evidence, if any, to the Security Council earlier.
He said Iran would not oppose any decision by the Security Council in dealing with Iraq's development of WMD but would not at the same time deem it necessary to change its policies on the issue, IRNA reported Feb. 5.
The daily newspaper Entekhab indeed reported on Feb. 6 Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's recent televised interview with British left-wing Labor Party politician Tony Benn. Entekhab went so far as to repeat Saddam's denial of having any relations with the al Qaida organization responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 destruction of the World Trade Towers and the assault on the Pentagon.
This willingness to report Saddam's case in his own words was striking in a nation that had suffered well over half a million dead in its eight-year conflict against Saddam's Iraq from 1980 to 1988.
Iranian leaders in fact appear more concerned about future U.S. threats to the region and -- perhaps, they fear to them -- than to Iraq at the moment. And they are also taking pains to retain excellent relations with nations such as Russia, China, India and such European nations as France and Germany.
Thus, on Feb. 3 IRNA reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi had asked Russia to show more sensitivity towards the issue of U.S. unilateralism.
In contrast to the increasing Iranian willingness to turn publicly to Russia as a counterweight to U.S. power, the Iranian press has been heating up its attacks on President George W. Bush. Iran Daily on Feb. 5 commented that the Bush's anti-Iran statements showed his ignorance of realities inside Iran.
The paper wrote: "U.S. President George Bush's anti-Iran comments in his State of Union address deserves further scrutiny." It argued that a majority of impartial observers had agreed the democratization trend in Iran was not the same as in many other regional countries that have had a long-term friendship with the U.S. superpower. Therefore this raised the question "whether Bush thinks the drive for democracy in those states is more meaningful than Iran? Will it be unfair to say Bush prefers silence about the so-called regional campaign for democracy because some regional powers are US allies?" the paper asked.
Iran Daily went on to note that a majority of Iranians had freely voted for more moderate domestic policies in recent Iranian elections and then concluded that the support of the voters for reformers plans had been reflected in Iran's political system. Therefore, the paper concluded it was clear from Bush's rhetoric neither he nor his advisers had yet come to terms with the realities in the country, especially the degree to which its political system effectively reflected the wishes of its people.
Indeed, Iranian leaders appear to have reacted against the president's recent rhetoric by approving a bolder public diplomatic offensive against the United States.
IRNA reported on Feb. 5 that Iran's Parliament had decided to allot a credit of $1.5 million out of the new annual budget to publicly campaign in the international arena against U.S. plots. The Parliament in an open session declared that this sum would be spent on lodging complaints against the United States with international tribunals.
On Feb. 7, the daily Ettela'at indicated the eagerness of Iran's leaders to forge closer ties with the giant 15-nation European Union. It reported a recent interview that EU Commissioner for External Affairs Chris Patten gave to IRNA commenting on Iranian-U.S. relations. Patten told the news agency he recognized the importance of Europe-Iranian relations and the necessity of expanding them.
According to this report, Patten argued that improving Europe-Iran ties was an essential prerequisite to improving U.S.-Iranian relations and he added: "There are are some people inside Tehran and Washington who are not willing to build this bridge between Tehran and Washington."
Therefore, Patten concluded, "a great deal rides on our own relationship, but we should make it work. If we do not make it work, there could be those in Iran and those in Washington who say -- see it is impossible to build these bridges." But, he concluded: "I think it is possible to build the bridges."
(Mojdeh Sionit is a former Iranian journalist now resident in the United States.)
