Iran tells Obama to understand the ‘new Middle East’

September 22nd, 2009 Ahmadinejad tells AP Iran is an opportunity for USNEW YORK — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (ah-muh-DEE'-neh-zhahd) says his country is not a threat to the United States as President Barack Obama has said, but "an opportunity." In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, the Iranian leader refused to give an explicit opinion of his American counterpart. "Is this a question to test my IQ?" he said in response.

June 26th, 2009 Obama renews criticism of Iran in wake of violenceWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says the United States and Germany "speak with one voice" about the civil unrest that erupted in Iran in the wake of a disputed presidential election. Joining German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House, Obama stated again his belief that the Islamic government in Tehran must "respects the rights and heed the will of its people." Speaking of the violence there, the president declared, "We see and we condemn it." Obama and Merkel were expected at Friday's talks to hold to their differing views on the Afghanistan war and economic policy in the midst of worldwide financial problems.

June 25th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Thursday called on his US counterpart Barack Obama not to interfere in Iran's internal affairs following unrest over alleged election fraud, the state-run Fars news agency reported. The news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that Obama should stop interfering and indirectly demanded an apology from the US president for meddling.

June 17th, 2009 LONDON - Iran is mastering nuclear technology and believes firmly in having the option of a nuclear weapon, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, said in a BBC interview Wednesday. "It is my gut feeling that Iran would like to have the technology to enable it to have nuclear weapons," ElBaradei said.

June 8th, 2009 JERUSALEM - Saudi leader King Abdullah has urged US President Barack Obama to impose a solution on the Middle East conflict if necessary. During Obama's visit to Riyadh last week, the Saudi monarch reportedly told the US leader that Arab patience was wearing thin and that a solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict would serve as the "magic key" to solving all regional issues, such as the Iranian nuclear threat and the rise of Hamas and Hizbullah, Saudi newspaper Al Hayat reported on Sunday.

June 5th, 2009 DRESDEN - US President Barack Obama Friday said the time was ripe to take action to push forward the Middle East peace process. "The moment to act is now," the president told a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after talks in the East German city of Dresden.

June 4th, 2009 CAIRO - In a much-anticipated speech to the Muslim world from Cairo Thursday, US President Barack Obama urged Iran and other countries to abandon their nuclear weapons programmes. He acknowledged the US role in "overthrowing a democratically elected government" in Iran.

June 4th, 2009 Obama: US committed to working with MideastCAIRO — President Barack Obama says the United States is committed to working in partnership with the countries in the Middle East. The U.S. president said he sent that message when he met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

May 27th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian and English archeologists have discovered the Middle East's oldest village that dates back to at least 9800 BC in western Iran. According to Press TV, the unique archeological discovery reveals Iran was the main Neolithic center of the Middle East.

May 25th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Monday invited US President Barack Obama to a debate at the UN in New York. "I want a debate with the US president at the UN in New York so that the whole world could listen and make its own judgement," Ahmadinejad said at a press conference in Tehran.

May 18th, 2009 JERUSALEM - Ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, US President Barack Obama has said he understands why Israel considers Iran an existential threat. "I understand very clearly that Israel considers Iran an existential threat, and given some of the statements that have been made by [Iranian] President [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad, you can understand why," The Jerusalem Post quoted Obama, as saying.

February 6th, 2009 MUNICH - US President Barack Obama's desire to boost dialogue in the Middle East is 'positive', but it must be followed with a complete change in US diplomacy, Iran's parliament speaker has said. 'In the last year, the US has burned many bridges.

January 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Barack Obama gave his first formal interview since becoming president Monday with Al-Arabiya television, in an attempt to send a signal of the importance of US policy in the Middle East by calling for 'a new partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interest'. The administration's new Middle East envoy George Mitchell was to arrive in the region Tuesday with planned stops in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

January 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US president-elect Barack Obama indicated that his administration would move 'swiftly' with new tactics in its approach to Iran to head off the impending nuclear crisis and block Tehran's support of terrorism. Speaking Sunday in an interview with ABC news, Obama said he expected Iran to be 'one of our biggest challenges' when he takes office Jan 20.

January 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US president-elect Barack Obama Sunday promised to begin immediate engagement in finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict when he becomes the US president later in January. Speaking on US broadcaster ABC, Obama said: 'What I am doing right now is putting together the team so that on Jan 20, starting on day one, we have the best possible people who are going to be immediately engaged in the Middle East peace process as a whole.' Obama spoke of 'engaging with all of the actors ...