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Obama Misses TargetWith Nowruz Message

Sasan Aghlani writes that the message delivered in US President Barack Obama's annual Nowruz speech indicates that he fails to understand his target audiences and the effects of sanctions on Iran.
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks after addressing the nation about the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, August 31, 2010. Obama declared the U.S. combat mission in Iraq ended on Tuesday, but said the U.S. commitment to Iraq has not ended as he urged its leaders to quickly form an inclusive government.  REUTERS/Jim Young   (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT MILITARY IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2HRTE

It is becoming increasingly clear that despite whatever good intentions US President Barack Obama may have, his attempt at a rapprochement with Iran consists of little more than a series of gestures notable more for their style than substance. Cases in point are the speeches he has given each March to mark Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. Although some view these messages as an olive branch that Iran consistently brushes away, others see them simply as a public relations exercise.

Implied in the assessments of Obama’s speeches is that Iran’s leaders are among his target audience. Keeping this in mind, his message this year was couched in the assertion that Iran’s leaders are the real root of the problem between Iran and the West concerning Tehran's nuclear program. At the same time, he spoke to the Iranian people in seeking to justify continued sanctions, which have failed to halt Iran’s nuclear program, but have caused the price of fish, a staple of Nowruz celebrations, to soar.

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