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A Rebuff From Iran

Ali Larijani, the bellicose speaker of the Iranian parliament, isn't impressed by Obama's message to his people:

The president’s video took the form of congratulations on the Iranian New Year. “Our problem with America is not an emotional problem that could be solved by sending congratulations,” Mr. Larijani said. “America must know that this is a complex problem that goes back 30 years.”...

"The problems will not be solved by them altering the words or selecting the terms they use,” Mr. Larijani said, apparently a reference to Mr. Obama’s praise of Iran’s culture and history.

But then I don't think Obama's audience was people like Larijani so much as regular Iranians and other foreign leaders.

--Michael Crowley