海角大神

Hard-line Iranian revolutionaries chanted 鈥淒eath to America鈥� and burned US and Israeli flags after Friday prayers in Tehran today, one week after a historic phone call between Iran鈥檚 new President Hassan Rouhani and Barack Obama broke a 34-year taboo, heralding the promise of a new era of contact and nuclear diplomacy.

But Friday prayer leaders this week pledged to 鈥渟upport the wisdom鈥� and 鈥減roblem-solving鈥� mission of Mr. Rouhani. And聽from a letter of support from 230 of 290 members of Iran鈥檚 conservative parliament聽to a resurrected debate about the pitfalls of the "Death to America" chant, analysts say hard-liners bent on perpetual conflict with the West remain headline-grabbing noisy 鈥� and still burn the Stars and Stripes 鈥� but have little influence right now.

Hard-line circles have criticized Rouhani鈥檚 new policy of outreach to the US and the West; the centrist cleric was greeted upon his return from a groundbreaking week at the United Nations General Assembly by a few dozen protestors who threw eggs and a shoe at him, disgusted that he was undermining Iran鈥檚 1979 Islamic revolution.

But while conservative Iranian newspapers, politicians, and some Revolutionary Guard officers have criticized Rouhani, the hundreds of supporters who also greeted him at the airport 鈥� among them the top foreign policy advisor to Iran鈥檚 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 鈥� indicate the scale of support inside Iran for Rouhani鈥檚 policy of 鈥渕oderation鈥� and effort to lift crippling US-led sanctions.

鈥淣ormally you would expect much stronger criticism, an onslaught against Rouhani, and it hasn鈥檛 happened,鈥� says an Iranian political scientist currently in Washington, who asked not to be named. Rouhani has 鈥済one farther鈥� than any of his predecessors in reaching out to the US since his surprise mid-June election victory over a slate of conservative candidates.

鈥淓ven these people [extremists] are under pressure; they know the tide is against them, both in terms of political momentum, post-election, and the broader sense that societal demands are much more serious than what they can offer,鈥� says the political scientist. 鈥淭hese reactions are expected, and they signify that the extremists know they are in trouble.鈥�

For now, Ayatollah Khamenei has spoken of a 鈥渉eroic flexibility鈥� in reengaging with the outside world, and ordered all power centers in Iran to support Rouhani鈥檚 government.

Even though Tehran鈥檚 Friday prayer faithful were twice led in chants of 鈥淒eath to America鈥� today, the actual sermon given by Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi said the US and Iran should 鈥渏oin hands鈥� to overcome sanctions, and called on Obama to 鈥渃ome and work with鈥� Rouhani to find solutions that might 鈥渟ave the region and the world from a dead-end and a crisis,鈥� according to an Associated Press translation.

Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi, a member of an advisory council to Khamenei, also spoke from the podium today, saying the US needed Iran鈥檚 help in Syria and that 鈥渉onestly鈥� Iran also needs the US to 鈥渞emove these oppressive sanctions.鈥�

The crowd erupted in another chant of 鈥淒eath to America,鈥� and Mr. Harandi replied: 鈥淚 did not raise that slogan that you are chanting,鈥� the AP reported.

Hoping for 'we told you so' moment

Hardliners have scuppered past efforts by Iran to reach out to the US, most famously in the first years of the presidency of reformist Mohammad Khatami, which began in 1997. At home and abroad, Mr. Khatami鈥檚 agenda of change and openness was squashed by hard-line tactics and often violence.

Iran鈥檚 political pendulum swung far to the right during the last eight years under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which were marked by combative rhetoric about the decline of the West and frequent Israel-bashing. Mr. Ahmadinejad made several outreach attempts 鈥撀爄ncluding writing letters to Presidents George W. Bush and Obama 鈥� but those were overshadowed by deep disagreements over Iran's controversial nuclear program, a covert war waged by the US and Israel against Iran, and ever-increasing sanctions.

A series of nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers that began early last year made little progress. Saeed Jalili, a conservative candidate who ran against Rouhani in the most recent election, led the Iran team, although he will be replaced by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the next round of talks, which will be held in Geneva on Oct. 15 and 16.聽

Some Iranian news websites identified one of the anti-Rouhani protestors at the airport as a senior worker in Mr. Jalili鈥檚 election campaign.

鈥淣o one expects Iranian opposition to the easing of tensions with the United States to go away,鈥� notes Farideh Farhi, an Iran expert at the University of Hawaii, in an analysis written from Tehran this week. 鈥淥ver 4 million people voted for Saeed Jalili [who was] deemed as the candidate who would continue Mahmoud Ahmadinejad鈥檚 path.鈥�

鈥淏ut there is also no denying that at least for now, the detractors are in the minority and mostly focused on the na茂ve nature of the current Rouhani policy and the presumed trust he may have in the possibility of real change,鈥� writes Ms. Farhi. 鈥淭hey are preparing the ground for their 鈥榳e told you so鈥� six months from now.鈥�

The 100-days push

Rouhani鈥檚 diplomatic team is trying to deprive their detractors of exactly that satisfaction, hoping that a broad and speedy diplomatic push will yield concrete results. Rouhani promised economic improvement in the first 100 days after his Aug. 4 inauguration. He says Iran鈥檚 nuclear negotiations could be completed within just three to six months, and implemented within a year.

Reporting on his New York visit, which not only yielded the 15-minute call with Obama, but also a 30-minute private meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Mr. Zarif on the nuclear issue, Rouhani spoke in Tehran Wednesday of the 鈥渘ew circumstances that exist regarding Iran.鈥�

Iran made progress, but Iranians 鈥渕ust know that the foreign policy matters ahead are not a smooth road,鈥� Rouhani warned. 鈥淲e have a difficult road ahead and cannot resolve problems of eight or ten years in ten days. There are many ups and down in the world of politics.鈥�

And those don鈥檛 just come from abroad. Hard-liners have been lining up to express distaste, if not outright opposition, to Rouhani鈥檚 efforts to erase extremism. In the past week, one group created what it called a 鈥淧reservation of National Interests Committee鈥� and complained of the Obama-Rouhani phone call: 鈥淚t was natural for a shock to enter the children of the revolution.鈥�

Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, praised Rouhani鈥檚 efforts in New York, saying they had 鈥渕oved in the path of the Islamic revolution.鈥� But he added that the Obama call 鈥渟hould have been postponed until after America showed practical measures.鈥�

Among steps Maj. Gen. Jafari said he expected to see first were a 鈥渃omplete鈥� lifting of sanctions and the US 鈥渄esisting in its unfriendliness and plots against the people of Iran [and] allowing Iran鈥檚 nuclear program鈥︹��

Questioning 'death to America'

Rouhani鈥檚 outreach has even resurrected debate about the utility of chanting 鈥淒eath to America.鈥� This week former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani 鈥撀爓hose support, along with that of Khatami, ensured Rouhani鈥檚 victory 鈥撀爏aid that even the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had doubts about the slogan.

Rafsanhani first stated the controversial claim many years ago in his memoirs. This week it drew a predictable response, with one representative of Khamenei to the Revolutionary Guard stating that Iran鈥檚 differences with the US have been principled and historic, 鈥渁nd the [different] roots of these outlooks will remain until the end of time.鈥�

鈥淎nytime over the last 16 years since Khatami鈥檚 election, when there was discussion of reducing tensions and changing the rhetorical symbolism of this tormented relationship, [there were] attempts to eliminate 鈥楧eath to America,鈥欌�� says the Iranian political scientist. He added that a sense of 鈥渙verwhelming change鈥� too soon could 鈥渢hreaten people.鈥�

鈥淚 would be careful if I were Rouhani鈥�not to do all of this at the same time,鈥� says the political scientist. 鈥淭oo much is happening right now, so they have to be careful they don鈥檛 scare Khamenei as well, that things are getting out of hand.鈥�