A CNN interview with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani quickly made international headlines after the new president reportedly recognized the Holocaust, however, the semi-official Iranian FARS News Agency said Wednesday the report is “fabricated.”
On CNN.com’s home page Wednesday morning, the main headline for Christiane Amanpour’s interview with Mr. Rouhani read, “Iran’s New President: Yes, the Holocaust Happened.”
FARS denied the translation, saying the network added the word ’Holocaust,’ among other conciliatory phrases, to its translation,” The Algemeiner reported.
“The CNN aired its interview with Rouhani on Tuesday but the news channel added to or changed parts of his remarks when Christiane Amanpour asked him about the Holocaust,” FARS said.
According to FARS, Mr. Rouhani’s statements were as follows: “I have said before that I am not a historian and historians should specify, state and explain the aspects of historical events, but generally we fully condemn any kind of crime committed against humanity throughout the history, including the crime committed by the Nazis both against the Jews and non-Jews, the same way that if today any crime is committed against any nation or any religion or any people or any belief, we condemn that crime and genocide. Therefore, what the Nazis did is condemned, but the aspects that you talk about, clarification of these aspects is a duty of the historians and researchers, I am not a history scholar.”
CNN’s translation reads (emphasis added): “I’ve said before that I am not a historian and then, when it comes to speaking of the dimensions of the Holocaust, it is the historians that should reflect on it. But in general I can tell you that any crime that happens in history against humanity, including the crime that Nazis committed towards the Jews as well as non-Jews is reprehensible and condemnable. Whatever criminality they committed against the Jews, we condemn, the taking of human life is contemptible, it makes no difference whether that life is Jewish life, Christian or Muslim, for us it is the same, but taking the human life is something our religion rejects but this doesn’t mean that on the other hand you can say Nazis committed crime against a group now therefore, they must usurp the land of another group and occupy it. This too is an act that should be condemned. There should be an even-handed discussion.”
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According to FARS, the word “Holocaust” and the statement “Whatever criminality they committed against the Jews, we condemn,” are the “worst parts of the fabrications which totally change what His Excellency President Rouhani has said.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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