US Foreign policy and the Iranian Progressives

Saint Michael Traveler

Do we bear some responsibility for election and re-election of Ahmadinejad? Yes we do!

Paul Findley in his article “ Cool Clinton Response to Khatami Initiative Shows Israel-Inspired Dual Containment Policy Not Yet Dead”, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 1998, Pages 32, 101,
“If President Clinton does not quickly come up with a generous, cooperative response he will leave a sorely embarrassed Khatami hanging, twisting in the wind—an easy target for the radical religious leadership within Iran that opposes any rapprochement with the United States and seems to have control over most foreign policy questions. The hard-liners in the Iranian government will have a field day and may well be able to discredit the new president, despite the 70 percent vote he received.”




Progressive Iranian Movement

Our past political mistakes, and financial burdens we have placed on the Iranian people will not advance our long term American interests. To assist the Progressive movement in Iran, allow a greater exchange between the two societies, remove the burdens placed on the Iranian people by economic sanctions and restrictions. It is foolish to punish the people for our disagreements with their government. By removing the burden, we allow change in demographics of Iran toward a larger middle class; thus, it will shift the internal Iranian policy from Traditionalists toward the Progressives. We must support the Iranian Progressives. The Progressives are young, better educated and often the middle class segment of the Iranian population. Iranian Traditionalist (religious, very nationalistic, often poor, and under educated) voted for re-election of Ahmadinejad.

We will not advance our American interests, or the Progressive Iranian movement, by listening to those who advocate a more aggressive policy toward Iran.

President Obama and the Republicans: Iran

Dear Mr. President Obama

If we really want to help any progressive Iranian movement, may I suggest that we should stay out of the Iranian internal politics. We Americans hate any nation meddling in our internal affairs. Progressive Iranian population, the last thing they would need is the label of being attached to the Uncle Sam. President Bush's meddling in Iran worked against the progressive section of the Iranian society. I have used the term progressive, not moderates. Iranian Traditionalist (religious, very nationalistic, often poor, and under educated) are the majority of the Iranian population. The Progressives are young, better educated and often the middle class segment of the Iranian population. A search in demographics and the statistics of the Iranian population would support my statement.


The Iranian election was about who will control the democratic Iranian society, the Traditionalists or the Progressives. The Progressives, as a minority of the population, lost the election to Ahmadinejad. We will not advance our American interests, or the Prgoressive Iranian movement, by listening to the Republicans who advocate a more aggressive policy toward Iran. Your diplomatic approach to Iran will disarm the members of the Traditionalists and advance the progressive movements.

The change in demographics of Iran toward a larger middle class will shift the internal Iranian policy toward the Progressives. Our past political mistakes, and financial burdens we have placed on the Iranian people will not advance our long term American interests.

Roxana Saberi: Guilty or Innocent

Saint Michael Traveler

Based on Iranian reported sources, Iranian-American journalist Ms. Roxana Saberi has implicated herself by her testimony.

Roxana Saberi, 31 had reported for the BBC and National Public Radio. She was sentenced in an Iranian court for spying for the US to eight years in prison.

Guilty or innocent, she is also a victim of the political conflicts between USA and Iran.


Our previous attempts to undermine the Iranian government by creating conflict in Iran have sharpened Iranian government scrutiny of all Iranian-Americans traveling to their homeland. It is a common knowledge that our past foreign policies about Iran have severely hurt Iranian-Americans both in USA and Iran, in addition to hurting common Iranian people.

Since 1979, among those who were profiled and scrutinized were Iranian-Americans. Many Iranian-Americans, including those who were born in the United States, lost their jobs, demoted, ostracized, discriminated and forced into isolation

Post September 11, USA sensing danger from those whose aim was to hurt our country created scrutiny and security apparatus against those perceived to be dangerous to us. Is it understandable that Iranian government senses the same security risks about Iranian-Americans considering USA and Israeli overt and covert attempts to destroy Iranian government?


We hope Iranian President Ahmadinejad will pardon Ms. Roxana Saberi now.
We hope President Obama will stop the dirty trick agenda of the past-Presidents since 1979, and will establish now a formal political relation with Iran.

Diplomacy with Iran

Robert Naiman in Just Foreign Policy Blog "Kinzer Goes to Washington, Seeking Real Diplomacy with Iran" stated that: “The Bush Administration’s conception of “diplomacy” with Iran on the nuclear file is: how can we compel the Iranian leadership to abandon the enrichment of uranium on Iranian soil?” But the Bush Administration’s direction is not limited to uranium enrichment; the Bush Administration wants a system like Iranian pre-revolution government under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Pre-1979, the majority of Iranian foreign policies and many domestic policies were either dictated, or had to have approval from Washington. The Bush Administration wants to revisit 1953 regime change in Iran. Even then, Shah was frustrated with the Israeli Lobby influence in Washington.

Majority of Americans reject President Gorge Bush national and foreign policies. Many Americans would not approve President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's outspoken approach to Iranian foreign policy. But these two men are not the nations; they have limited terms of office.

Our present policy using the financial leverage and threat of physical attack has backfired over the last 20 years. This policy has promoted an opposite effect to the response we had anticipated; it has mobilized Iranian people in support of their government

Our national interests dictate that we start a frank dialogue with Iranian people and reestablish diplomatic relations. The negotiations are not between President George Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It is between American and Iranian people. Both nations have competent diplomatic corps.

Iranian people all along have expressed their friendship toward the American people; while strongly have rejected the bullying policy toward their country.

Dialogue and frank diplomacy should create a positive response from Iranian people.