Days after the collapse of diplomatic moves for a “historic handshake,” President Barack Obama picked up the phone on Friday and spoke with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani — the first telephone conversation between Presidents of the two perennially feuding nations in 34 years.
If the initiative for the missed handshake opportunity came from the Americans in response to Rouhani’s recent diplomatic overtures, the suggestion for a telephone talk emanated from the Iranian camp. President Obama promptly accepted the suggestion. And at 2.30 pm on Friday, after concluding his summit and working lunch with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Obama placed the phone call. Rouhani was in a limousine at the time, heading to New York airport after attending the UN General Assembly session.
It was a 15-minute conversation, inclusive of the time taken for a two-way translation by an interpreter. About an hour later, Obama turned up at the White House Press Room to make the announcement. But the news has already been broken by Rouhani’s Twitter account, apparently managed by a former’s campaign aide, who remains in close contact.
The call, according to the tweets, ended with Rouhani telling Obama “Have a Nice Day!”, and the latter responding with, “Thank you. Khodahafez”. “The two of us discussed our ongoing efforts to reach an agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme,” Obama told the White House reporters. “I reiterated to President Rouhani what I said in New York —while there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward, and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution.”
“We’re mindful of all the challenges ahead,” Obama said, noting: “The very fact that this was the first communication between an American and Iranian President since 1979 underscores the deep mistrust between our countries, but it also indicates the prospect of moving beyond that difficult history.”
A little earlier, Rouhani, in what represented a complete break with predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called the United States a “great” nation. As he wrapped up his visit with a news conference, Rouhani expressed the hope that his New York trip would be “a first step for a better relationship between the two great nations of Iran and the United States of America”.
The Obama-Rouhani telephone talk came a day after Secretary of State John Kerry along with several US partners held “constructive discussions” with the Iranian Foreign Minister. Obama said he has made clear that the US respects the right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear energy by meeting its obligations. “So the test will be meaningful, transparent, and verifiable actions, which can also bring relief from the comprehensive international sanctions that are currently in place,” he said.
“I believe we’ve got a responsibility to pursue diplomacy, and that we have a unique opportunity to make progress with the new leadership in Tehran. I also communicated to President Rouhani my deep respect for the Iranian people.