‘Happy Birthday, Iran’: Israeli Ambassador Sends Tehran His Warmest
Ron Dermer marked the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution with a sarcastic video.
Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer has in recent weeks emerged as a deeply controversial figure in Washington. Engineering an invitation -- behind the back of the White House -- for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress has earned him a confrontational reputation, one that he bolstered Wednesday with a sarcastic video message to Iran on the anniversary of its revolution.
Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer has in recent weeks emerged as a deeply controversial figure in Washington. Engineering an invitation — behind the back of the White House — for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress has earned him a confrontational reputation, one that he bolstered Wednesday with a sarcastic video message to Iran on the anniversary of its revolution.
Wednesday marks the 36th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, and Dermer congratulated the country on the occasion by posting a video that attacks Iran for its poor human rights record.
Dermer and Netanyahu have spent months trying to build opposition to the Obama administration’s nuclear talks with Iran. Israeli officials argue that the West is at risk of being duped by Iran, and have publicly pressured the White House to abandon the negotiations or hold out for much tougher terms. That, in turn, has helped to drive Netanyahu’s relationship with President Barack Obama to a new low.
Videos like this — coming in the midst of a major diplomatic push to strike a deal before a June deadline — probably won’t help matters.
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