Ahmadinejad: US is collapsing
Photo: Reuters
Ahmadinejad: Obama needs Iran
Iranian president writes letter to US counterpart saying he owes his success, power to Iran. 'We don't need you to do anything for us to come out of isolation, rather we want to help you come out of isolation,' he says
WASHINGTON – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to the US president saying, "We don't need you to do anything for us to come out of isolation, rather we want to help you come out of isolation."
The letter, carried Friday by IRNA, has not yet been sent to Barack Obama, but parts of it have been exposed by Ahmadinejad in an interview with Iranian television.
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The Iranian president claimed Obama's success depended on the Islamic Republic. "Obama has only one way to remain in power and be successful. This way is Iran," he said.
"Obama should start cooperation with Iran in practice. I have written a letter to Obama which will be published soon."
Ahmadinejad balked at a general consensus between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, on the worsening of sanctions on Iran for its disputed nuclear program.
"The time when they imagine that they can do any harm on Iran is over," he said. "Once, the US was at the height of glory. Now they are collapsing. They have many economic and cultural problems. They have security problems in the world and their influence in Iraq and Afghanistan is vanishing."
Quoting from his letter, the hardline leader said the US wanted to control the Middle East, but could not do so without Iran. "I sent him a message and told him that we welcome change, but we didn't see any genuine change. Superficial changes do not matter," he said.
It wasn't the first time the Iranian president had opted to send an epistle to the president of the United States. In 2006 Ahmadinejad wrote to George Bush suggesting they turn over a new leaf in relations between the two countries. Bush, who considered the republic part of the "axis of evil", ignored the letter.
