“Iranian Hardliners Reject Any Talks with the U.S.” By Thomas Erdbrink

In Iran, angry celebrations arose in front of the U.S. embassy as the “Day of the Fighting the Global Arrogance” passed. This great arrogance? More commonly referred to as the “Great Satan”, the United States is ridiculed on the day the American Embassy was overrun on November 4th, 1979 by the very people who did it, the Iranian youth. In light of these events, Thomas Erdbrink of the New York Times writes his article, “Iranian Hardliners Reject Any Talks with the U.S. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Just last month, it was reported that Washington and Tehran were “testing the waters for peace talks.” However, Iranian patriots stand firm, saying that America must learn to behave itself.

In light of these events, Erdbrink writes with a sense of wariness. He classifies Iran as a country with strong nuclear ambitions that “will not resume ties with America,” and as a country that calls the American Embassy “the castle of Satan.” A country with such hatred, and with such nuclear potential, Erdbrink realizes, is not to be dealt with lightly. The commander of a paramilitary group, Mohammed Reza Naghdi vehemently stated: “Hear me now, we condemn all sorts of secret talks!” This is an attitude that spans the nation; Naghdi is merely the medium for conveying it. Essentially, Erdbrink brings American attention to this Iranian issue by using his tone.

Finally, Erdbrink finishes with a quote that adds a sense of hopelessness to the whole situation. A writer in Iran woefully said: “It doesn’t matter for us who wins the U.S. elections next week. Who leads America is unimportant, its policies never change.”