Iran’s election spoils U.S. neocons’ plans for a new war: LA Times

TEHRAN,June 23(MNA) – The election of moderate Hassan Rohani as Iran’s new president is no good news for the neoconservative hawks in the United States who have been eager for a military adventure in Iran, the Los Angeles Times wrote in an article published on Friday. Following are excerpts of the text of the article: The election of Hassan Rohani as president of Iran is good news for Americans, except for the neoconservative hawks who brought us the war in Iraq and have been especially eager for another military adventure in Iran. In Iranian terms, Rohani is a moderate. In the Iranian media, he is called the “diplomat sheikh” and the “sheikh of hope.” In his initial news conference after the election, Rohani said he would work to build trust between Iran and the United States, Britain, and other Western powers with the goal of lifting the international sanctions that have hurt Iran’s economy. Neoconservative think tanks, such as Project for the New American Century, and thinkers, such as Bill Kristol, have been agitating for at least a preemptive air strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Rohani won an outright majority against five conservative candidates, and that gives him significant leverage. The U.S. needs to give Rohani and the more progressive side of the Iranian populace a chance to reform their system… the Obama administration needs to mount an all-out diplomatic offensive to see if this small bit of good news can lead to something even better. The neocons, meanwhile, will have to back down, retire to their think tanks, and hope for the worst before they start rattling their sabers again.