Washington: ‘Hussein’ now is U.S. president

Barrack Hussein Obama was sworn in as president Tuesday – using his middle name in the oath of office – and stretched out his hand “to the Muslim world.”

He never mentioned Iran – but the paragraph addressed “to the Muslim world” sounded like he really had Iran in mind.

The speech was geared chiefly to an American audience, with numerous references to American history that would draw a blank from most non-Americans and repeated exhortations to Americans to work together.

But midway through the speech, Obama inserted a direct message to one part of the world.

“To the Muslim world,” Obama said, “we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”

Obama started by offering “mutual respect,” which is what the Islamic Republic says Washington denies Iran.

And when he cited those who “seek to sow conflict,” who “blame their society’s ills on the West,” and who address America with a “fist,” he could easily have had President Ahmadi-nejad in mind.

The absence of a mention of Iran – or any other country – was normal for an inaugural address. However, President George H.W. Bush, in his 1989 inaugural, named Iran and made a direct offer of improved relations. It went nowhere.

A major theme of the Obama address was that America must lead by example, not by issuing orders. “Our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please,” he said. “Our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.”

Obama also signaled a likely end to tough domestic security measures that have swept up many Americans from the Middle East, treated them like second-class citizens, and crumpled civil liberties, in the eyes of many.

“We reject the false choice between our security and our ideals,” Obama said. “Our founding fathers ... drafted a charter [the Constitution] to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.”

Tehran: Don’t expect any better relations

As President Obama took the reigns of authority in the United States, the reaction to him in Tehran was decidedly hostile and confrontational.

In recent weeks, as the media around the world have turned progressively more wide-eyed and celebrity-obsessed, greeting Obama more as a savior than a politician, the Iranian media and political figures have shifted in the opposite direction.

It is as if the establishment in the Islamic Republic sees Obama’s global popularity as a threat, which it probably does.

More and more Tehran media commentaries denigrate Obama and dismiss him as a tool of capitalist moguls in America. The theme is that it doesn’t matter who is in the White House, power is in the hands of greedy billionaires—the picture of America that the Soviet Union painted for seven decades.

For example, Majlis deputy, Bijan Nobaveh of Tehran said, “For Americans, it is not important that a cowboy like Bush, an actor like Reagan or a clown like Obama holds the office. What is important for them is attaining their interests in any way.”

On policy, the Islamic Republic has painted Obama as supporting Israel’s attack on Gaza because he remained silent about Gaza before his inauguration. “Obama’s silence can be interpreted as an approval of Israel’s attacks on Gaza,” the Mehr news agency said last week, even though Obama remained silent on all current issues between his election and inauguration. That is standard practice in the United States, where the president-elect avoids upstaging the outgoing president.

The prospect for talks between Iran and the Obama Administration did not look good either. Deputy Foreign Minister, Mehdi Safari, said the day before Obama’s inauguration, that Iran would not allow Obama to set any preconditions for talks, Obama has already said publicly that he would set no preconditions, but Safari insisted the Islamic Republic could set pre-conditions, and would.

Majlis Deputy, Fatameh Alia suggested that one precondition should be that Washington

free all the billions in frozen Iranian funds that it holds. Actually, almost all of those billions were unfrozen in 1981 as part of the hostage settlement. Less than $100 million remains frozen, including real estate like the embassy and consulates around the country. The freeze is maintained by the U.S. government, because without it, the multitude of people who have won suits against Iran could attach those assets. So, it is not in Iran’s interest that they be unfrozen.

President Ahmadinejad himself took a relatively mild approach on the Thursday before Obama’s inauguration, saying he did not want to “judge ahead of time.” But he also insisted that Obama totally change American policy and, in effect, withdraw from the world. “Any government that comes to power in the United States should limit its influence to its own borders,” Ahmadinejad said, a surprising standard considering that the Islamic Republic insists it has the right to influence other countries.

“The root of all problems and all wars in the world is the unwanted meddling of the United States in world affairs,” Ahmadinejad declared.