Iran’s “new hardline President” has openly called for the destruction of the Jewish state through terrorism and fire (this distinguishes him not at all from Iran’s “old moderate President”, who only called for the destruction of the Jewish state through fire, albeit nuclear fire):
Iran’s hard-line president called for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and said a new wave of Palestinian attacks will destroy the Jewish state, state-run media reported Wednesday. “There is no doubt that the new wave (of attacks) in Palestine will wipe off this stigma (Israel) from the face of the Islamic world,” Ahmadinejad told students… “Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation’s fury”
It’s impossible to underestimate the gravity of this situation – this is an open and explicit call for war by a nation actively developing nuclear weapons. And spare us the pedantic Anthony Cordesman “Iran has a rational foreign policy” musings – does anyone doubt that this country under this leader would refrain from using nuclear weapons against Israel? It might sound strange to Western ears, but the leaders of the Islamic Republic genuinely believe that they have a divine mission to wipe Israel off the map:
Ahmadinejad also repeated the words of the founder of Iran’s Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who called for the destruction of Israel. “As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map,” said Ahmadinejad.
Last week, the United States Secretary of State called for direct contact and engagement with Iran, while today Russia said that Iran is not a threat. Apparently, threatening to destroy another country because its filled with Jews makes you neither a pariah nor a threat.
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