Former US Official: President Obama Should Send Congratulatory Message To Rohani

New York, June 30, IRNA -- John W. Limbert, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran in the US State Departmentˈs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs on Saturday proposed that President Barack Obama should send a congratulatory message to Iranian president-elect Hassan Rohani. In an exclusive interview with IRNA, Limbert termed the impact of Iranˈs presidential election on nuclear talks as important, criticizing US unilateral sanctions against Iran. He suggested that Iran and the US go beyond nuclear talks and address mutual concerns such as campaign against extremism and Persian Gulf security. He did not rule out the possibility of his reappointment to the post. He strongly criticized the White Houseˈs double standard policy to put Tehran under pressure of sanctions and at the same time seek to negotiate with the country, saying the Obama administration has actually done nothing but intensifying sanctions on Tehran and ˈI have seen no effort to engage in talks with Iran.ˈ He said that the outcome of presidential election in Iran was unexpected and came as a surprise to US officials, adding ˈI have given up predicting Iranˈs developments because you should always expect a surprising event in Iran.ˈ Asked whether he expected a surprising event in Iranˈs nuclear issue, Limbert said that Iran demands lifting of sanctions and the US cannot do so as long as Tehran has not taken certain steps. So Iran-US ties are hostage to Tehranˈs nuclear program. He hailed Rohaniˈs familiarity with Tehranˈs nuclear program, saying, Rohani as a former chief nuclear negotiator can help advance nuclear talks. He said that Iranˈs nuclear dossier is not a technical but a political issue, so there are some restrictions on the way to solve the issue./end