Arash Aramesh

In response to President Obama’s announcement that a new U.S. policy to narrow the conditions in which the United States would use nuclear weapons against another state does not apply to countries such as Iran and North Korea, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that Obama was an “amateur” and people with “much thicker necks” than Obama have not been able to do a “damn thing” against Iran.

According to IRNA, the Islamic Republic’s News Agency, Ahmadinejad said that the United States is “doomed to fail” and that “no power on earth has the guts to attack Iran.”

Raja, a pro-government site with close ties to the Ahmadinejad administration, covered Ahmadinejad’s speech in detail and wrote, “President Ahmadinejad warned Obama to be careful and not follow Bush’s path; he shouldn’t just accept whatever piece of writing they put in front of him.”

According to Fars, a pro-government site with intimate ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran’s minister of foreign affairs, said at a press conference April 7 that the United States must commit to getting rid of all nuclear weapons in the world.

Mottaki added, “We try to encourage the Americans to be more realistic and keep in mind the interests of the countries in the region as well as the interests of the American people.” He asserted, “The world now knows what an American democracy is. An American democracy means taking advantage of everything in order to serve the interests of the United States.”

Another member of the cabinet made comments April 7, showing the government in Tehran is uneasy with the idea of a possible military strike on Iran. In response to a question about a potential Israeli strike, Brig Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s minister of defense, said, “If this happens, Iran’s response will be in a way that there may be not traces left of this regime [Israel].”

Vahidi added: “We believe that the Americans are much wiser than to think of attacking Iran. The Israelis have also announced that they do not have the ability to confront Iran.”

Tensions between Iran and the West over Iran’s nuclear program have been worsening in recent months. The West has managed to convince two of Iran’s main supporters, Russia and China, to go along with a form of international sanctions against Iran. This has lead Iran to feel more isolated globally.

Ahmadinejad’s harsh rhetoric coupled with comments made by his cabinet members are mainly believed to be for domestic consumption. These remarks rally Ahmadinejad’s base of supporters by making Iranians feel they are led by a strong and decisive president who stands up to the most powerful nation on earth.