Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, up for reelection later this year but appearing on ABC's This Week this Sunday, sought to portray Barack Obama as the leader most tepid about thawing or resetting U.S.-Iranian relations.
Asked about a video message that Obama recorded to the Iranian people earlier this year calling for less brinkmanship between the two countries, Ahmadinejad responded that he had sent a communique of his own, one that, he complained, went unreturned.
"I sent a congratulatory message to Mr. Obama," he told host George Stephanopoulos. "This was a major decision, although the Iranian people were very much dismayed with the conduct of previous U.S. administrations. And I was criticized here at home, in Iran. Nevertheless, I did that. I am yet to receive a response."
Later in the interview, Ahmadinejad again expressed his personal disappointment in not having his outreach returned by the president.
"Iran and U.S. relations are dependent on the decision taken by the U.S. administration," he said. "Mr. Obama sends us messages of friendship but in the communique issued by the five plus one, enmity can be seen. So this is a dual route, if you will... I have sent a message to Mr. Obama myself. We welcome change. We are praying to the All Mighty for that. And we will help to bring change about."
As for a forum in which Iranian and U.S officials could have started a dialogue -- the recently completed Durban II conference on world racism -- Ahmadinejad lamented the fact that Obama decided to pull out of the event. The White House had been concerned that world leaders would use the affair as a means to level anti-Zionist diatribes, a concern that was realized during Ahmadinejad's speech. Asked why he continued to deny the Holocaust, the Iranian leader responded:
"When I was talking against the Zionist regime in the racism conference, the first proviso for successful talks would be to give the other party the freedom to speak. Mr. Obama has the right to have his own opinion, obviously. He is ready to express his points of view. But the Geneva conference had been organized to combat racism, to oppose racism. My point of view is that the Zionist regime is the manifestation of racism."
Watch video of the interview:
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