Barack Obama’s offer of a hand of friendship to Iran after 30 years of hostility may have met with a sceptical public response from Tehran. But now a rapprochement of sorts may be under way amid evidence that the US president’s can-do electioneering tactics have struck a chord with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Obama’s signature campaign slogan, Yes We Can, has been replicated by the Iranian president in a promotional video issued for Iran’s presidential poll on June 12, when Ahmadinejad is seeking re-election.
The video features a cover picture of Ahmadinejad wearing his trademark white jacket and pointing to the Farsi phrase Ma Mitavanim (We Can) on a blackboard. The film is aimed at students and capitalises on his former status as a university lecturer.
Its release coincides with that of another campaign video apparently attempting to trump Obama by recounting Ahmadinejad’s visit to Turkey.
Obama won international acclaim during a visit to Turkey this month for declaring that the US was “not at war” with Islam and stressing that there were Muslims in his family.
Ahmadinejad’s visit last August was arguably less successful. The Islamist president was deprived of full state honors after declining to pay homage to the tomb of Turkey’s secular founder, Ataturk, in Ankara. He also endured the indignity of Turkey withdrawing from an anticipated lucrative natural gas contract, partly because of American pressure.
There was further discord when Istanbul residents complained of huge traffic jams caused by security measures for the visit.
The films have been distributed during Ahmadinejad’s recent public appearances in and around Tehran. Another video focuses on his provincial trips across Iran, a hallmark of his presidency.
Ahmadinejad’s surprise election win four years ago was partly attributed to a promotional film that depicted him as a humble man who empathised with the poor.
{The Guardian/Elisha Ferber-Matzav.com Newscenter}
