AFP: Iran's Khamenei slams US as Obama reaches out

AFP: Iran's Khamenei slams US as Obama reaches out

Obama doesn't get the fact that America is hated not because of Bush, but because it stands for freedom. That is what is hated about us. The only way that he can change that is by changing our system of government where people will no longer be free. His declarations that we are one of the largest Muslim nations is not only false but a crude attempt at appeasing terrorists and supporters of it. The only thing that he can do is make an attempt at controllingthe populace through economic sanctions which he is desperately trying now.

TEHRAN (AFP) — Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei fired off a new salvo against the United States on Thursday, saying it was detested across the Middle East, just as President Barack Obama was holding out his hand to Tehran.

"The nations in the region hate the United States from the bottom of their hearts because they have seen violence, military intervention and discrimination," Khamenei said.

He was addressing thousands of Iranians on the 20th anniversary of the death of the Islamic republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and just days before a presidential election.

"The new US government seeks to transform this image. I say firmly, that this will not be achieved by talking, speech and slogans," he said.

Washington has had no diplomatic relations with Tehran since the seizure of the US embassy after the 1979 revolution that ousted the US-backed shah. It has also pushed for UN sanctions imposed on Iran, spurred by Western and Israeli suspicions that the country is seeking nuclear weapons.

In a major speech in Cairo, Obama said the nuclear showdown with Iran had reached a decisive point but that Tehran had the right to peaceful nuclear power if it abided by international treaties.

"It is clear to all concerned that when it comes to nuclear weapons we have reached a decisive point.

"This is not simply about America's interests. It is about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path."

The West fears that Iran's nuclear drive could be a cover for efforts to build an atomic bomb, but Tehran insists it is aimed purely at generating electricity for a growing population.

Talks between world powers and Iran over its nuclear programme have been on hold since September.

In April, Iran said it was ready for "constructive dialogue," while vowing to continue with its nuclear activities which have been the subject of a UN nuclear watchdog investigation for several years.

Obama reaffirmed America's commitment to seeking a world free of nuclear weapons, and in an apparent reference to Israel, widely believed to be only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, Obama said he understood protests "that some countries have weapons that others do not."

"Any nation -- including Iran -- should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."

Khamenei, who has the final say on Iran's strategic issues, made his remarks shortly before Obama's address.

"They have done things that have deeply hurt the nations in the region ... Things are not going to be changed by speeches. (Obama) has to do it in practice," he said.

"Even if he delivers hundreds of speeches and talks very sweetly, there will not be a change in how the Islamic countries perceive the United States."

Khamenei's latest outburst comes despite a series of diplomatic overtures from Obama after three decades of severed ties.

Iran's spiritual guide also accused the United States of lying about Tehran's nuclear programme.

"They lied about our intention; they concealed the truth about it. They stood against the legitimate rights of our nation," he said.

"We have said several times that we want the nuclear energy for industrial and peaceful purposes. But they continuously say that Iran is seeking nuclear bombs. By doing this, they are hated by our nation."

Khamenei also accused the US military of "bombing innocent civilians in Afghanistan. What is the difference between this killing and killing by terrorists?"

He said that in Iraq, the United States was "supporting the Baathist elements", in referance to members of executed dictator Saddam Hussein's Baath party, many of whom are returning to government jobs in the new Shiite-led regime of Iraq.

"He (Obama) has to change these things," said Khamenei.