‘Happy Birthday, Iran’: Israeli Ambassador Sends Tehran His Warmest

Ron Dermer marked the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution with a sarcastic video.

452858204crop
452858204crop

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.

Twitter: @EliasGroll

More from Foreign Policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?

The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.
Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World

It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.

Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.