Where’s the Coverage? Iran’s Supreme Leader Hates America
Today, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei called America an “arrogant power,” tweeting “Americans, Zionists and global arrogant powers are interested in neither the #Shia nor the #Sunni. 20/3/08”. The other day, he accused the U.S. and U.K. of fomenting ethnic hatred, “The British r specialists on creating sectarian conflicts among religious sects;they taught the Americans how 2 do so.”
This charge that the US is using undercover mercenaries to incite sectarian violence repeated a similar sentiment from the day before. And January 9 was a banner day for the supreme leader, who on that single day:
• Accused the United States of crimes against humanity: “Drone attacks on ppl of #Afghanistan/ #Pakistan &1000s unknown crime means agnst humanity that’ll B exposed 2posterity,r listed on US’s log.”
• Characterized the U.S. as the world’s biggest violator of human rights: “#US has no right to talk abt #HumanRights!US govt’s the biggest violator of human rights in the world.Aren’t they ashamed of talking abt it?”
• Called America a Satan: “We had announced previously that on certain issues, if we deem it proper we would negotiate with this #Satan to deter its evil.”
• Described the U.S. as Iran’s enemy: “The enemies think that they imposed #sanctions and #Iran had to negotiate. No! This is not true!”
• Twice!: “1 of the boons of the recent #talks was that the enmity of #US authorities w/ #Iran,Iranians & #Islam & Muslims was elucidated to everyone.”
Even as the interim nuclear agreement with Iran negotiated by Secretary of State John Kerry is set to go into effect next week, these harsh public comments attracted hardly any media attention and no outrage from the administration.
Contrast this media and political silence with the attention paid to statements made by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. In a private conversation, he expressed skepticism about the John Kerry-led Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Ynet news quotes Ya’alon:
The only thing that can ‘save us’ is for John Kerry to win a Nobel Prize and leave us in peace…. American Secretary of State John Kerry, who turned up here determined and acting out of misplaced obsession and messianic fervor, cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians…. There are no actual negotiations with the Palestinians. The Americans are holding negotiations with us and in parallel with the Palestinians. So far, we are the only side to have given anything – the release of murderers – and the Palestinians have given nothing.
These comments attracted a lot of media coverage and criticism from the American administration. State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki called the remarks “offensive and inappropriate,” and the United States demanded an apology. The Israeli Ministry of Defense subsequently issued an apology:
The defense minister had no intention to cause any offense to the secretary, and he apologizes if the secretary was offended by words attributed to the minister.
Israel and the United States share a common goal to advance the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians led by Secretary Kerry. We appreciate Secretary Kerry’s many efforts towards that end.
Ya’alon’s comments may be “offensive and inappropriate” but calling America an arrogant human rights-violating Satan that foments ethnic violence and commits crimes against humanity is certainly worse.
Where’s Ayatollah Khamenei’s apology? And… where’s the coverage?
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