Obama: A Transition Must Occur Within Iran

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, in an interview with the media website 'Mic', called for 'change in Iran's policies and leadership' and a change in the 'rhetoric and behavior' of Iranian leaders towards other countries. In this interview published on Monday, August 10, he answered questions from the interviewer as well as several questions from young Iranians inside and outside Iran, and young Israelis and Americans. The President of the United States stated: 'I have said many times that Iran is a country with extraordinary blessings. It is a country with an ancient culture and very intelligent and talented people, and I wish well for these people.' A transition must occur within Iran, even if it is gradual. A transition during which it is understood that the slogan 'Death to America' and the denial of the Holocaust by Iranian leaders, and the threat to destroy Israel and providing weapons to Hezbollah, a group listed as terrorist, and actions of this kind, make Iran, in the eyes of a large part of the world, a rejected country. Barack Obama added: 'I promise you that the moment the Iranian regime abandons this kind of rhetoric and behavior, Iran will immediately gain more influence and power in the eyes of the world due to its vastness, talent, and resources.' He continued: 'And my hope is that such an event will happen. This requires a change in Iran's policies and leadership. A change in mindset regarding Iran's approach to the rest of the world and their approach to countries like the United States.' He added: 'And perhaps it is this new generation that can realize this.' In a recent interview with CNN, Obama clarified that the improvement of relations between the United States and Iran will not happen immediately and may not happen at all. In another part of his interview with Mic, Obama mentioned that 'we still have issues with Iran regarding a large number of topics' and stated that if an agreement was not reached through negotiation, a possible alternative would be a military attack on Iran. He added: 'This could lead to another war in the Middle East at a time when we are trying to fight the Islamic State [ISIS] and are engaged with unstable countries like Yemen and Libya.' The President emphasized: 'If Iran, as the largest Shia country, establishes better relations with predominantly Sunni countries like Saudi Arabia, this could have a beneficial impact on the region, and the result would be that our fight against ISIS becomes much easier.' 'It is true that under the agreement reached, Iran can install stronger centrifuges for uranium production within 15 years, and at that stage, it will have the potential to abandon engagement and pursue nuclear weapons. The President added that 'at that stage, we will also have the capability, and perhaps more capability than now, to stop Iran, and in the meantime, we have bought 15 years of time during which we know exactly what they are doing.' Obama emphasized that he believes the use of military options should always be the last priority, not the first. However, he stated that 'if necessary, we still have the capacity for military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and we will always keep this capacity in reserve.' Various American officials have always spoken about the military option against Iran; Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, reacted to these statements on July 20, saying: 'Those who talk about force and insist on maintaining a previously ineffective option lack the capacity and ability to manage, advance, and stabilize diplomacy.' In this context, Barack Obama announced the possibility of improving relations between the United States and Iran, comparing American Republicans to Iranian hardliners. What will happen if two-thirds of the U.S. Congress rejects the nuclear agreement? The changing landscape of 'proxy wars'; the war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalization of Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis.