Barack Obama recorded a videotaped message in celebration of Nowruz. Obama spoke directly to the leaders of Iran.
So in this season of new beginnings I would like to speak clearly to Iran's leaders. We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community. This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect.
You, too, have a choice. The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations. You have that right -- but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization. And the measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create.
Haven't Iran's leaders made that choice? They are supporting Hamas, Hezbollah, and yes, al Qaeda.
According to the State Department's list of state sponsors of terror:
Iran remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism. Its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) were directly involved in the planning and support of terrorist acts and continued to exhort a variety of groups, especially Palestinian groups with leadership cadres in Syria and Lebanese Hizballah, to use terrorism in pursuit of their goals. In addition, the IRGC was increasingly involved in supplying lethal assistance to Iraqi militant groups, which destabilizes Iraq.
And, as former CIA Director Mike Hayden put it before he left: "It is the policy of the Iranian government, approved to the highest levels of that government, to facilitate the killing of Americans in Iraq."
It's become uncool to remind people of these inconvenient facts. But they are facts. And ignoring them is dangerous.
