OPINION:
In response to the historic agreement designed to limit its ability to construct a nuclear weapon, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, “Our relations start afresh today. We seek more closeness, unity, brotherhood, and better relations,” to which I respond,”Beg pardon”?
Iran speaks out of both sides of its mouth and it is difficult to know which of its dual postures is to be believed. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the true power in the country and he continually professes his contempt for us, “The Great Satan,” and the “smaller Satan,” our staunch democratic ally Israel, both of whose destruction he seeks. Let us also be mindful of the fact that Iran is a nation which commits egregious human rights violations and executes an extraordinary number of individuals, including political prisoners and those who are gay.
It would be nave to express certainty that an agreement with an exporter of terrorism would be successful, but we now must give it a chance. Let us hope that it will somehow bring about the new era to which Mr. Rouhani pays lip service and that he and his people are serious in extending a hand to the West.
OREN M. SPIEGLER
Upper Saint Clair, Pa
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