Iran's Supreme Leader Slams Obama Overture

(NEWSER) - President Obama talks a lot about "false choices," and he's usually just blowing smoke rhetorically, but now he's got one regarding Iran, writes Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard. “The president thinks he’s stuck with a dilemma,” Barnes writes: “Either support the democratic forces” or “preserve his chance to negotiate” with the regime on larger issues such as nuclear weapons. “The two options aren’t mutually exclusive,” Barnes says. “The choice is indeed false.” More»

Supreme leader slams US before Obama speech

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s speeches may be “beautiful,” but it’s not enough to win over the Muslim world, Iran’s supreme leader said in his own speech today, Reuters reports. “The nations of this part of the world...deeply hate America because during many years they have seen violence, military interference, rights violations, discrimination" from it, said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. More»

Development could lead to direct talks between old enemies

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is moving his efforts to improve relations with Iran beyond mere speech-making, the Guardian reports. The State Department is drafting a letter to Iranian leaders to assure them the US is not looking to overthrow the curent regime, just change its behavior. The letter—a response to a congratulatory letter sent by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—could pave the way toward face-to-face talks. More»

At NATO summit, Obama supports 2014 pullout

(NEWSER) - President Obama met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai today at the NATO summit and urged world leaders to agree on post-2014 Afghanistan, MSNBC reports. "What this NATO summit reflects is that the world is behind strategy we've laid out," Obama said of the plan to pull out coalition troops in two years. Standing with Obama in Chicago, Karzai said he looked forward to a time when his nation "is no longer a burden on the shoulder of our friends in the international community." More»

Executive order fingers entities backing Iran, Syria, but could be enlarged

(NEWSER) - If you use technology to help a repressive regime commit human rights abuses, you'll find yourself slapped with US sanctions. That's the message from President Obama, who this morning announced a new executive order specifically targeting those backing Iran and Syria via technology, though it could be expanded to other regimes, reports the Washington Post . The new sanctions will include a US visa ban and financial restrictions on a number of Syrian and Iranian businesses and government agencies, along with a lone Syrian individual. More»