“I think these two guys [Rouhani and Zarif] might honestly try to reflect a different Iran,” an Israeli official, speaking not for attribution, told Al-Monitor Thursday. “The problem is that [Supreme Leader Ayatollah] Khamenei and The Revolutionary Guards are still in command and haven’t showed any sign of changing their priorities,” including “nuclear weaponry, [and] supporting terror in the region.”
Read more: http://backchannel.al-monitor.com/index ... z2eA5joDgWThe stunning exchange of direct Twitter diplomacy from Tehran that began Wednesday with Rouhani wishing Jews everywhere a blessed Rosh Hashanah has set off amazement in the social media universe. It has also revealed a deep vein of wariness and mistrust, that remain a legacy of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial and threats to Israel, and the avowed hostility between Israel and Iran.
The outreach from Rouhani and Zarif, particularly to the Jewish people, signals the “most significant public diplomacy outreach since the revolution,” journalist Robin Wright said Thursday on Twitter. “It signals intent for a serious [diplomatic[ effort, even if issues [are] no easier.”
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