Iran Deems Mention of Friendship "Unforgivable"

By Michael Medved

A hopeful signal from an Iranian official produced an enraged response from the nation's parliament that shows the true nature of that regime. Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, Vice President for Tourism, gave a speech in which he declared, "We are a friend of all people in the world, even Israelis and Americans."

Parliament then voted by an overwhelming margin to denounce these words as "an unforgivable mistake" and to demand that President Ahmadinejad dismiss the tourism chief immediately--even though that official is related to the president by marriage, with his daughter having married Ahmadinejad's son. Of Parliament's 290 members, 200 signed the statement declaring it "unforgivable" to even discuss friendship with Israelis or Americans.

This should serve as a powerful lesson to those who believe that our problems with Iran can be readily solved with more negotiation.