"By prematurely calling for enagement [with Iran] I think we run the risk of demoralizing the opposition and the millions of people who took to the streets and who continue to reject the legitimacy of the Ahmadinejad government; we implicitly endorse an election that is still being hotly contested in Tehran and tip the balance in favor of the hardliners."
Karim Sadjadpour, Interview, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 16, 2009.
"President Obama has said that if Iran is serious about negotiations, it should respond by the end of September to his overtures for talks. That's fine but he shouldn't go further than that or let the Iranians stall with more non-answers to the prorposal delivered months ago by the European Union's chief diplomat Javier Solana. If the Iranians want talks, let them chase the West this time. If not, Obama should push for tougher scantions that will deepen Iran's crisis.
David Ignatius, "A Waiting Game with Iran," Washington Post August 2, 2009.
