President Obama appeals to Iran's leaders through a video released for the Persian new year

“President Barack Obama told Iran’s people and leaders that the United States wants to engage with their country and end decades of strained relationship, but not unless their officials stop making threats,” reports the Associated Press. “Obama on Friday released a video message with Farsi subtitles that urged the two countries to resolve their long-standing differences. His video was timed to the festival of Nowruz (no-ROOZ), which means ‘new day.’ It marks the arrival of spring and is a major holiday in Iran.”

Excerpts:

• “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…..We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist….”
• “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….”
• “For nearly three decades relations between our nations have been strained. But at this holiday we are reminded of the common humanity that binds us together.”

What the President and his senior advisors are missing — and what I explain in detail in the new book — is that the leaders of Iran have already made their choice. They believe the end of the world is at hand, that the Islamic Messiah’s arrival is “imminent,” and that the way to hasten the coming of the “Mahdi” or the “Twelfth Imam” is to annihilate Israel and the United States and destroy Judeo-Christian civilization as we know it. They fear the fires of hell if they “disobey” what they believe Allah has told them to do. The sooner Washington understands that, the sooner they can begin coming to grips with the fact that the regime in Tehran today is far more dangerous than the one we faced thirty years ago this spring when the Ayatollah Khomeini rose to power and we severed all diplomatic ties.

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HEADLINES TO TRACK:

• Joshua Fund update: Unemployment in Israel surges to 6.8% — more than 200,000 without jobs.
• Iran leader says world can’t stop nuclear progress: Khamenei hails last month’s tests at Bushehr power plant as result of ‘progress of our scientists’; Ahmadinejad: Global powers reached ‘dead end’
• INSIDE THE REVOLUTION: “Iran’s reformist challenger to Ahmadinejad — Mir Hossein Mousavi“
• As Khatami Bows Out [of race for Iranian presidency], Ahmadinejad’s Foes Seek to Unite
• A heart-breaking story: On-going Shalit saga a heart-breaking story because Gilad is not home yet — negotiations break down to bring Israeli POW back home from clutches of Hamas
• Assad: Olmert agreed to give up all of the Golan — adds peace deal was within reach
• Netanyahu advisors tell him to push ahead with Syria track
• The Orange Tree Is Texting Again — “A sensor developed by Israeli scientists sends text messages to farmers when crops need water, or to homeowners when the Ficus is thirsty.”
• OVERLOOKED?: Israel Sees Energy Independence in Natural Gas Offshore Fields