Rafsanjani's Interview with USA Today

As I mentioned before, I spent a couple of years during the late `70s in LA. This was during the Iranian crisis. Many of my friends were Iranian children of ex-pats who barely escaped with their lives. Some were even attacked here by some dubious characters.... So I just happen to have a certain affinity for them.

So, I was more than a little interested in what Rafsanjani had to say last week during an interview with Barbara Slavin (bold added by Docter Zin):

Slavin: Would you be prepared to reopen a dialogue with the United States?

Rafsanjani: The first step has to be from the U.S. part. They have to show positive signs for us so we can believe they are sincere. The main thing would be our assets. That would be the best positive sign. This is a very wrong action that they have betrayed our trust. When I talk about the assets, that was at the beginning of the talks. I was president then. I'm not president now. When I said it, this would be a sign of goodwill to begin the talks.

Slavin: Should Iran show goodwill by using its influence over the Palestinian groups to stop violence against the Israelis?

Rafsanjani: The Palestinian groups do not listen to us. We only help them in a humanitarian aspect like other countries, but they have no obligations towards us.

[...]

Slavin: Isn't your real problem with the United States? You know the Europeans are never going to attack Iran.

Rafsanjani: We say they (the United States) wouldn't dare to attack us and they have tested it once (the failed hostage rescue in 1980). Before the U.S. was in Iran, they had all the means here and we threw them out with our bare hands.

[...]

Slavin: What about Iran's connection with al-Qaeda? There have been persistent reports that Iran has several high-level al-Qaeda people under house arrest in Tehran and won't turn them over.

Rafsanjani: Who created al-Qaeda? In fact they (the United States) were the ones who provoked al-Qaeda to come and give us trouble. These are all rumors (about high level al-Qaeda people here). When al-Qaeda was on the run from Afghanistan crossing through Iran, some were arrested and they are imprisoned. Some of them are charged with some actions in Iran.

These folks are a good people, there's not doubt. Unfortunately, the US did mess with them during the Shah's regime as we are want to do some times... But until their radical Shia form of government stops oppressing their folks, we will always be at odds.