TEHRAN, March 21, (Agencies): Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his new year address to the nation on Sunday accused the US president of plotting against Iran as crowds of worshippers shouted “Death to Obama!”
In his defiant outburst, the all-powerful Khamenei dismissed President Barack Obama’s frequent offers of dialogue with Iran which began with last year’s historic Nowrouz greeting marking the Persian new year.
Khamenei’s personal tirade comes as Tehran is locked in a stalemate over its nuclear programme, with Washington pushing for a fourth round of sanctions against the Islamic republic.
He lashed out at the Obama administration in his speech, broadcast live on state television, saying after last June’s presidential election, the United States had taken a “worst stand” against Tehran.
He said Obama’s offer last year of a “new beginning” with Tehran turned out to be “deceptive,” as he had thought at the time that it would be.
“The US government and new administration claimed they wanted to have fair and correct relations, wrote letters and sent messages and even shouted through loudspeakers ‘we want to normalise relations with the Islamic republic,’ but unfortunately in practice they did the opposite,” Khamenei said.
“The US president called the (post-election) rioters human rights activists.
“You take the side of rioters and call it a civil movement. Are you not ashamed? You are in no position to speak of human rights. Did you reduce the killings in Iraq and Afghanistan?” Khamenei asked as worshippers, their fists raised, chanted “Death to Obama! Death to America!”
Khamenei, who is also Iran’s military commander-in-chief, said that Iran “condemns” such “arrogant” powers.
“You cannot talk about peace and friendship and at the same time plot and plan sedition and think that you can hurt the regime of the Islamic republic of Iran,” he said.
A significant part of his speech focused on the controversial re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying the nation’s “enemies had plans” to derail the poll but that this was prevented by a massive voter turn-out.
“By resorting to violence, they wanted to change the result of the election. they wanted to trigger violence by bringing people to the arena and by burning buses... but the Iranian nation triumphed,” the cleric said.
“They wanted to divide the people between majority and minority... and to spark a civil war, but the nation was alert. If they had been able to do so, the US and Zionist regime would have sent troops to Tehran’s streets, but they knew it would hurt them. So they spread propaganda and supported the rioters.”
Obama on Saturday reached out to the Iranian populace rather than to their leaders.
“Even as we continue to have differences with the Iranian government, we will sustain our commitment to a more hopeful future for the Iranian people,” he said in a Nowrouz message released by the White House.
“Over the course of the last year, it is the Iranian government that has chosen to isolate itself, and to choose a self-defeating focus on the past over a commitment to build a better future.”
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a Persian New Year message on Saturday that Iran will “cut the hands” of anyone who tries to harm the Islamic republic.
“The Iranian nation will guard its national security with full strength and will decisively cut any unclean hand from any part of the globe which tries to harm it,” Ahmadinejad said in a message broadcast on state television.
The hardliner reiterated that his re-election in June last year was a “true” example of democracy for the world.
“The decisive vote by the nation for the president clearly outlined what path the government should take,” said Ahmadinejad, whose win has sparked one of Iran’s worst political crises with the opposition charging it was rigged.
“The enemy tried to hide the success of the Iranian people with dust, but in reality they were rubbing their own faces with dust ... They should know that the Iranian nation is more determined than last year to pursue its high goals.”
Meanwhile, the European Union will announce plans on Monday to take steps against Iran’s jamming of foreign satellite broadcasts, a move that shows a willingness to take firm unilateral measures against Tehran.
The initiative is separate to US-led efforts to secure another round of UN sanctions against Iran’s nuclear programme, but it is an indication that the EU would be prepared to act on its own against Iran if a UN resolution fails.
The draft of an EU foreign ministers’ declaration to be issued on Monday expresses “grave concern” at measures taken by the Iranian authorities to block citizens’ access to foreign TV and radio satellite broadcasts and to the Internet.
“The EU is determined to pursue these issues and to act with a view to put an end to this unacceptable situation,” reads the draft, obtained by Reuters. Diplomats said the intention was to take concrete action, not just issue a verbal warning.
It is not clear what steps EU member states could take to stop the jamming, which involves Iran’s blocking of transmissions by French satellite operator Eutelsat and affects the BBC and Deutsche Welle, among other broadcasters.
But French newspaper Le Figaro reported last week it could include blocking the export of equipment made by companies such as Siemens and Nokia that makes it possible to intercept email and mobile phone conversations.
In that respect, the EU’s move would constitute a testing of the waters of how further, deeper sanctions could be imposed against Iran’s uranium enrichment programme by the West if UN-backed sanctions were to fail.
“UN sanctions on Iran are a separate issue, but you could see this (the EU move on Iranian jamming) as part of overall efforts to lay the ground for tighter sanctions going forward,” a senior EU diplomat said.
Winning UN Security Council backing for a fourth round of sanctions remains the priority for the United States, Britain, France and Germany — the four countries driving the effort to secure a resolution.
But the originally hoped-for February deadline for getting a deal has passed, with China remaining adamantly opposed and Russia also reluctant, if more amenable than Beijing.