Former United Nations ambassador John Bolton slammed "dupes" who thought Iran president-elect Hasan Rowhani's victory would bring about any significant moderation in the Middle Eastern nation Monday on Fox News, particularly in light of the former nuclear negotiator's statements that Iran would not back down in its pursuit of a nuclear weapons program.
There was no difference in issues of American strategic interests between Rowhani and incumbent Mahmound Ahmadinejad, Bolton said, and he discussed Rowhani's tactics as nuclear negotiator that bought Iranian scientists more time to resolve uranium issues as an example of the foolishness of trusting him.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
The Obama administration and its European allies—surprised and encouraged by Hassan Rohani's election as Iran's next president—intend to aggressively push to resume negotiations with Tehran on its nuclear program by August to test his new government's positions, U.S. and European diplomats say.
"If you believe Rowhani is any kind of a moderate, I have a bridge to sell you," Bolton said. "There may be diferences among the candidates in terms of tactics or personality or image ... but on the big questions that involve American strategic interests, there is no difference whatsoever."
America Live host Megyn Kelly cited Rowhani's statement that his victory was also one of "moderation over extremism," and Bolton again countered by citing Rowhani's 2004 speech where he trumpeted Iran using the diplomatic cover after its promise to suspend uranium enrichment to make its greatest scientific advances in uranium conversion.
"This is something Iranians perfected over a ten-year period, using negotiations to provide time, and I have no doubt that as president, Rowhani will do the same thing ... There are dupes in the West who will believe this is a new opening for nuclear negotiations," Bolton said. "He hasn't even made a secret of it, and I think now that those who hear his words and actually believe him deserve some kind of prize for fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."
The New York Times, which referred to Rowhani as a moderate in its headline, reports:
For all his reformist credentials, Mr. Rowhani backs the nuclear program, which Iran contends is for peaceful uses but which the West believes is aimed at producing atomic weapons. In a 2004 speech, not made public until years later, he boasted that even when Iran had suspended uranium enrichment, it was able to make its greatest nuclear advances because the pressure was off.
Many Westerners are already suspicious of Rowhani because of his record of deceit, the Washington Free Beacon reports:
Rowhani, who served for years as Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, is expected to present a friendly face to the world as Tehran’s military leaders quietly fulfill their nuclear ambitions, experts said.
"President-elect Rowhani campaigned proudly on his record as Iran’s nuclear negotiator during the time that Iran secretly advanced its nuclear weapons capability and deceived the international community to avoid harsh sanctions," Mark Wallace, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in a statement.
Wallace and others said they expect more nuclear subterfuge going forward.
Rowhani "has promised more of the same, but this time the international community is on notice of his past deceit," said Wallace, currently CEO of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI.)