Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Criticizes U.S. President Obama for Interfering in Iran's Elections Dispute: "He Has Removed His Mask"

Following are excerpts from an address by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which aired on IRINN, the Iranian News Channel, on June 25 and 27, 2009.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Mr. Obama is surprising. Why did he interfere? He said they would bring about change. Why did he interfere? Why does he express an opinion, contrary to the norms and to the rules of etiquette?

He keeps saying that he wants to hold negotiations with Iran. Fine. We expressed our willingness, but with such rhetoric... He was definitely wrong. He has revealed his hand to the Iranian people, to all peoples. He has removed his mask. Even if we were to spend hundreds and thousands of billions of tomans on propaganda and diplomacy, in an effort to tell the world what [the Americans] are like, and to tell it that they have not changed that much, we could not have don’t this [any better than Obama].

[...]

In my view, Mr. Obama has made a big mistake. Regarding the governments of England and of one or two European countries, whose past and whose actions are known to all, and who have no shame vis-à-vis the world – we do not expect anything from them. But the question is why Mr. Obama fell into this trap. Why did he commit this mistake? Why did he say the same things that were said before by Mr. Bush, and for which he suffered certain consequences?

You were the one who talked about making reforms and changes, and about considering [relations] with the Iranian people. Why did you deviate from this path and fall into this pit, into this trap?

They went to sleep, and when they woke up in the morning, they remembered the days the world was ruled by the emperors of the Middle Ages. Those times are over. Open your eyes. The world has changed. Everything has changed. What kind of talk is this towards such a great nation?!

[...]

I inform them for the umpteenth time that the nearly 40 million people who participated in the elections are not comfortable with their conduct. They will stand against them. The Iranian nation is a great nation, a nation with honor, a nation with capabilities. It sees all that is going on, and at the right moment, it will make the necessary decision.