Iran: New Day Coming?

• Share

A moderate Iranian leader? to most Americans, that's an oxymoron. And President Mohammed Khatami didn't do much to change it in his ballyhooed interview with CNN last week. His style was genial, all right, but his policies were rigid. Everything was America's fault, he insisted. The U.S. was hostile, trying to dominate Iran and giving "unbridled support" to Israel, "a racist terrorist regime." He saw no need for resuming political ties with Washington, and felt that Iran would do just fine working with the Europeans and others "who are far more advanced in their foreign policies than the U.S."

And yet, and yet. Viewed from the Iranian end of the telescope, Khatami was taking big risks just to sit down for what he billed as a message to "the great American people." With a bit of potted history, he elaborated on why "the American civilization is worthy of respect." He had a good word for the Puritans, the Declaration of Independence and Abraham Lincoln. Somewhat condescendingly and totally preposterously, he granted the "legitimacy" of the American government. But he said he wanted to crack the "wall of mistrust" between Iran and the U.S., even though it was caused by American misdeeds. So, while government-to-government talks were not on the agenda, a "dialogue" could begin with cultural exchanges among scholars, journalists, artists and tourists. Who knows, he implied, where that might lead?

Khatami's interview was probably not the sudden overture it seemed to be but a response to U.S. signals. Last May, President Bill Clinton said he saw Khatami's surprising landslide election over a hard-line opponent as a hopeful sign. "I have never been pleased about the estrangements between the people of the U.S. and the people of Iran," Clinton said. "They are a very great people, and I hope that the estrangements can be bridged." According to the Washington Post, Clinton followed up later through Swiss intermediaries with a letter to the Iranian government proposing direct talks. Khatami chose to reply on television, which may be safer for him than dallying secretly with evil Washington.

Even such tenuous feelers toward the U.S. put Khatami on the other side of the political barricades from his nation's supreme leader, Ayatullah Ali Khamenei. Spiritual chief Khamenei and other militant hard-liners still prefer shouting sulfurous slogans at the "Great Satan" and setting fire to Old Glory. Khatami has been walking a line between the Iranian reformers and mossbacks from the day he was elected. At an Islamic summit in Tehran last month, Khatami reportedly passed the word that he intended to reshape and moderate Iran's foreign policy, but it would take him two years to build up enough domestic strength to pull it off.