Friday, August 2, 2013

President-elect Rouhani Misquoted as Seeking Israel’s Removal – Press TV


Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani’s comments on Israel were distorted by the semi-official ISNA news agency, the state run Press TV reported today.

“In our region, there’s been a wound for years on the body of the Muslim world under the shadow of the occupation of the holy land of Palestine and the beloved al-Quds,” Press TV quoted Rouhani as saying in a video as he attended the annual pro-Palestinian holiday in Iran, known as Quds Day. Earlier, the ISNA news agency, along with other media outlets inside Iran, had quoted Rouhani as saying instead, “The Islamic world must show unity against the Zionist regime, since this regime is an old wound that has lain for years in its body and must be removed.” (Press TV/Bloomberg, 2 August)

After Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Rouhani’s remarks, ISNA corrected its  “mistake.” ISNA reports other media which used the same translation just removed it from their sites without any explanations. ISNA did not say who provided identical translation to different news outlets, and why those outlets published it without checking its accuracy against the original state TV's Farsi video that was available to them. 

“Rouhani’s true face has been revealed earlier than expected,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “Even if they will now rush to deny his remarks, this is what the man thinks and this is the plan of the Iranian regime.” (Bloomberg, 2 August)


President-elect Rouhani will be inaugurated this weekend. He has consistently called the reduction of tensions with the West.


ISNA’s explanation: ISNA has posted a correction on its website, but also reports that a number of other Iranian media had posted the same erroneous translation of Rouhani’s remark, and have now removed it from their sites with no explanations. If true, this shows that the “translation” must have been provided to all those media outlets by an outside source powerful enough not to be questioned by the media. But who provided it? But this is above all else a manifestation of deep political tensions within Iran, especially on foreign policy and relations with the West. 

Photo credit: Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani at the annual Quds Day parade in Tehran. Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. (Borna Ghasemi/ISNA)

54 comments:

Anonymous said...

the Khomeini theocracy is a vile and deep wound upon the honor of Iran and removing its benighted and foul shadow from the country must be a priority.

Anonymous said...

it is regretable and dissapointing why in a nation gripped with enormous economic, social and financial problems, this wreched palestine takes the highest priority. I look around and think if anyone that I know has ever known a Palestian in his/her life or does care about them. I cannot recall one. The only conclusion I can make is that this type of regime (whatever form and shape) has to be removed.

I think the majority of Iranian working class feel that they are somehow deceived by middle classs or upper middle classes so in theory they feel some empathy with any group that have been oppressed. This is natural. What is incorrect is that these ideas belong to the past. After 35 years of this regime there is virtually no middle classes or upper middle classes are left in Iran. They have all fled. Nowaday the new generation is the opportunits and shayad ha from the same group that run Iran. They are the new generation of moft Khoran. Nothinh has changed. The only difference that the new rich send their money to UAE as opposed to Western banks. They are new religious Tagooties! The mostasafs are still poor and far less off compared to 30 years ago. Nothing has changed. Mohammad Reza has been replaced by Ali. They both call themselves rahbar. The only conclusion I can make is that the culture of our country encourages people worshipping.

reader said...

"A manifestation of deep political tensions?" Not sure, incompetence or malice the damage is already done. If past is any indicator, this can easily be explained by the incompetency and inconsistency of the officials controlling the media.

Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Anonymous said...

Ha Ha Ha! The whole regime is distorted!

Anonymous said...

"I think the majority of Iranian working class feel that they are somehow deceived by middle classs or upper middle classes so in theory they feel some empathy with any group that have been oppressed"

what do you want to say
SHOULD WE START WITH CLASS- FIGHTING a la carl marx ?

mat said...

No matter who actually provided the quotation, be it intentionally or not, the fact is, the so-called world's Zionist warmonger of the Regime State of Israel is indeed, the world's most dangerous cancerous virus to the world peace and integrity as a whole. Israel, which was once upon a time the 'God's chosen nation' has now turned out to be the 'God's most condemned nation as has been briefly stated and can be found in certain original religious manuscripts. The best and most correct definition to give is, Israel is the world's most evil and worst nation that ever lived on the surface of the earth. By the way it is really pity to see that almost the U.S. policy makers and politicians have been indirectly, unofficially and unawarely made scapegoats, and as well, as the life-term slaves of Israel. Only one thing for sure and that is, 'Days of Zionists numbered', and of course, it's only time the most mattered.

Anonymous said...

Since Uskowi trusts Netanyahu more than Rouhani, he should trust Netanyahu's words or urge him to correct his statement that "Rouhani's true face has been revealed,....(and netanyahu's words that) this is what the man thinks....".

A-F

Anonymous said...

Islamic Republic has the right to support rights of other nations or ethnic groups, if they are legitimate ones,... and in order to create a chain of friends, who may sometimes provide help in a case of needs...

Enemies of the Islamic Republic, in order to weaken her, will try to deprive her of the external friends and to create internal divisions and disorder, as well as will try to undermine the leadership, before they will try to execute their final plots....

A-F

Anonymous said...

BRAVO!

Anonymous said...

Go and get a life!

Anonymous said...

They have turned the whole country into a cesspool.

Anonymous said...

Israel is gonna still be standing when the last Ayatollah has had his ass booted out of governing Iran, son.

Anonymous said...

Actually, Dr. Rohani called the Zionist entity a CANCER & A FESTERING WOUND in the heart of Muslim lands. In any case Zionism is deadend and will be eradicated by DEMOGRAPHICS. The only reason the deadbeat US tried in vain to hold "peace talks" between the corrupt Fatah puppets and Zionists was that the US can see the hand writing on the wall as the "Arab Spring Mujahideen" with alCIAda assistance will eventually turn on the Zionists and the Freedom for al-Qods cause that is at the heart of the imported Zionist occupation of Palestine. The Jihadis and their blowback will make the 1980's Afghan alCIAda and Osama theatre of the absurd look like a picnic in the park. The Wahabbis/Takfiris will literally eat the Zionists and US deadbeats for lunch, it is just a matter of time and shifting sands.

Mark Pyruz said...

Not the first time there's been a translation problem with Iranian media. It happens all the time. It happens in reporting on scientific issues, medical issues, it especially happens with their defense reporting and more.

Even at PressTV, they recently referred to Parchin as a "nuclear site"!

So we shouldn't make much out of this, beyond the point that Rouhani has expressed what the vast majority of people in muslim countries feel towards Israel and Jerusalem, with the key difference being the Iranians actually possess a participatory political system that is accountable towards majority public opinion, while at the same time maintaining an independent foreign policy.

Here in the West, if the expectation for Rouhani is surrender of Iran's right to the fuel cycle and capitulation on the issue of Palestine, failure is certain.

Anonymous said...

The day before he took office, Mr Rouhani said Israeli occupation was an "old wound on the body of the Islamic world", as his country marked its annual Jerusalem (Quds) Day.

His remarks echo those of other Iranian leaders on the day dedicated to supporting the Palestinians and denouncing Israel.

Iran has denied Israel's right to exist since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

In his last interview before stepping aside on Friday, Mr Ahmadinejad also attacked Israel, warning of "storm brewing" in the region that would uproot Zionism, according to AFP news agency.

Anonymous said...

Zionism is at a deadend and will perish like Apartheid! It is on stolen land and on borrowed time. tick tock....

Anonymous said...

The majority of the people of iran do not seem to think so,only malcontents like yourself and you find those in every society

Anonymous said...

just more of the endless horsespit and dishonesty from you.
no one gives a flying feck about the fuel cycle, fanboy. it's the nuclear weapons development program that's got to be shut down .... or blown up.

Iran already has all the enriched uranium it can use for a decade for civilian purposes and no one cares that Iran continues to pretend that it has some possible peaceful need to actually increase production of more ~20% enriched.

But when Iran starts enriching to 90% it's gonna get awfully hot and noisy.

Anonymous said...

Iran's incoming President calls Israel a festering wound that must be removed

Iran's president-elect Hassan Rowhani said on Friday Israel was a foreign body that must be removed, and also cast doubt on efforts to revive peace talks with the Palestinians.

"The Zionist regime is a wound inflicted for years on the body of the Muslim world that must be cleansed," Rowhani told reporters attending annual Quds Day rallies, in remarks reported by media.

His comments come a day before Rowhani, a moderate cleric by the standards of Iran's political system, is to assume the country's highest elected office.

Iran's rejection of Israel or the Zionist entity as a state has been an unfaltering cornerstone of its foreign policy since the 1979 inception of the Islamic republic.

In an allusion to fresh peace talks between the Jewish state and the Palestinian Authority, Rowhani charged that "Israel is continuing with its aggressive nature against the backdrop of an excuse for compromise".

The talks are providing the Israelis with "a good opportunity to project a peaceful appearance," he said.

Iran staged massive rallies to mark annual Quds Day, with speeches and sermons supporting the Palestinian cause and condemning Israel.

State television broadcast footage of hundreds of thousands of people on the march nationwide, chanting "Death to Israel" and "Death to America".

Nader Uskowi said...

Rouhani said none of the above. You either had not watched the Iranian TV's video capturing his comments, or you do not speak Farsi, or worst you are deliberately misquoting Rouhani (I get to that later). Rouhani said Israel was an old "Zakhm," which translates as sore or wound. All the rest, that it must be removed or that it must be cleansed, is the product of your imagination. ISNA and other media outlet also tried that, published the exact same "translation" supposedly of Rouhani's remarks, and later retracted and removed it.

The exact sameness of the translation "errors" in all media that published it showed it must have been given to them by a particular source, probably the ministry of intelligence, that was powerful enough to have the media publish it without reservations or without checking the state TV video which was available to them. You are now posting that same "translation" here. I guess they haven't yet advised you that it was retracted!

Nader Uskowi said...

Mark,

There is one problem though: the translation published by all the media outlets that cared to publish it were exactly the same! This is not an ordinary "error" by a single individual translating a text for ISNA or Press TV. The text of the "translation" must have been given to the media by a source powerful enough to have them publish it without checking the original TV video available to them. I have a guess or two who that source could be!

Nader Uskowi said...

Dr. Rouhani did not say those things! He said Israel was an old "Zakhm" (sore or wound). He did not talk about "cancer." Other commenting here have said he had also called for "removal" of the cancer. I guess you guys wanted him say those things, and the second best thing for you is to misquoting him. I am not sure if you have watched the video or if you speak Farsi. If both were true, then you are deliberating misquoting him.

B.M.A said...

-Uskowi!-Again you want to fire in the dark!!-otherwise bring on your 'powerful enough' guess!!

Anonymous said...

Sorry chappy! You can not spin this anymore with desperate repetitive wishful thinking. We have to believe the Farsi media not some shill sitting in DC blowing hot air for last 35 years. I am sure your Zahkm hurts a lot.

Anonymous said...

Not interested in your pathetic drivel. He has been quoted by Iranian and world media so settle down and keep the wishful blab to a minimum. Thanks.

Nader Uskowi said...

B.M.A.,

You shouldn’t be still angry; the presidential election is over and the extremists and fundamentalists lost badly. That’s a fact and we all need to accept it. The moderates and reformists will not follow Ahmadinejad’s “policy” that was so disastrous for the country. You need to find another Ahmadinejad elsewhere!

Anonymous said...

AF
Would you says the same if the Israelis and the Americans were helping the Kurds, Baluchis, etc.. in Iran? or in your opinion they don't have any "legitimate rights" and should be considered terrorists and in the pocket of foreign powers?

Anonymous said...

This one from Keyhan (Shariatmadari) is especially for Mark Pyrouz who is braking the record every time by distorting the realities of the IRI and finding excuses (Mistranslation) etc.....

http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=65001

What is the excuse this time mark?

B.M.A said...

reply to Uskowi-
indeed Ahmadinejad is around and He lives to try his luck in the future.BUT i refuse to accept that anybody lost or won in the elections.to me everybody is a winner and again the Almighty have mercy on the Leader for guaranteeing a fair election and let the masses freely make an informed choice.
On the issue of President ROUHANI being different to the outgoing President, i think this is classic IRANIAN wisdom and a perfect political game of the establishment to give the Nation a new figure with new ideas and an interacive international aproach !.
But i know extremests whereever bring in wrong poicies on a government as evident in the US,U.K and ISRAEL etc.where as it is true the out going head f state has a dark side like any human being He will be remembered for many things like this:

@-He did help instill nationalism and self pride to the masses.

@-He took the world stage with vigor and boldness and articulated HIS IDEAS WITHOUT FEAR-this helped in the Nation to garner support from Nations a move that has helped reduce the fangs of santions[had North korea done the same,it wouldnt be in ruins]!

@-His tough talk amid war threats gave local investers confidence and this triggered self reliance.this has lifted the status of the Nation to a position not compatible to one under a tough sanctions regime!.

@-He brought a quick solution in the aviation industry when the Nation witnessed accidents every now and then thanks to the drunk Russians and ordered them away assuring the young engineers and technicians to feel the void .The Nation has witnessed some order and peace in the aviation industry since then!.

@-IT IS Ahmadinejad who told the nation not to morn when French and other western multinationals left in tow to enforce the sanctions assuring that the Nation has enough technicians and scientist to keep the country going!.-this too triggered some innovation ,and self reliance.The Nation today produces some basic industrial products which the other day it was importing.

-Why then should we crucify HIM just for standing against ISRAEL[as if Israel created the Universe[.what He said about Israel was a political statement [not a fatwa].we have had Israel officials make some gaffes yet we know them as politicians and their words are sometimes driven by politics of the time.

Anonymous said...

AnonymousAugust 3, 2013 at 1:27 AM
Actually you`re quite wrong iran doesnt even have enough for one refueling of bushr yet,and as for the 20% iran has the right to enrich as much of that as it sees fit,if the west was so concerned about that it could have supplied the fuel assemblies iran needed but it didnt.If iran wanted the bomb there would be nothing the west could do to stop it.Next time try coming up with something original instead of just mindlessly repeating the same tired old crap

Anonymous said...

Strange, in France, nobody in the newspapare gave a shit about Rohani's election. Not any writing about it in LeMonde, LeFigaro, NouvelObservateur, Lexpress, etc... But now tat "supposedly" he made an anti-Israel remark, suddenly, to the tope govt officials, they start commenting about it. Strange things happen isn't it???

KHERADMAND Arach - Meylan - FRANCE

Anonymous said...

Not strange. The Jewsih lobby has directly or indirectly bough the media in Europe and the US and anyone saying what I have just written here will be stamped for antisemitism.

Nader Uskowi said...

B.M.A.,

The Iranian people overwhelmingly rejected the politics of extremism that symbolized Ahmadinejad’s presidency. You are of course entitled to your opinion, and I respect it, but the most important group, the people of Iran, have spoken. Moderation and not extremism! Jalili, whose policies were closest to Ahmadinejad, and was supported by all sloganeering extremists, got only 11 percent of the vote. Rouhani, however, carried all but three provinces of the country (to Jalili’s none), carried urban and rural districts, and carried large and small cities. Arguments like the ones you are advancing here, with emphasis on radical policies of the government against the West did not score big with people. And of course life goes on and you and I discuss these issues in the months and years to come!

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:09..If anything you're the resident "malcontent" on Uskowi who thinks that he writes on behalf of the majority of Iranian people.You are nothing but a singular and niggling ninny.

Anonymous said...

Yeah but not before the mullahs are kicked out of power once and for all.

Anonymous said...

The sourch of the problem is the regime.

Anonymous said...

lets focus on Iran than Palestine.

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:17 Am

I have read that there is a dean at the author's (California) university who has written an elaborate that the annexation of Mexican teritories by the US has been "illegal"....

Another author, living in the Zionist entity, has also written that a 90% of the white populations in that entity, had never any ancestors on that teritory....
(read about Khazarian Empire).

To impose "legitimate" actions, one have to be a legitimate one...

A-F

Anonymous said...

The Zionist cancer controls the "western" media and they only feed selective crappola to the brainwashed sheeple. Top news in the western media is mostly manufactured to keep the idiots scared with 24/7 "alCIAda" threats and exploits or cheap sensationalism about which actress had a boob job or if Nothing Yahoo had a hemorrhoid removed as his arse has gotten too big by eating deadbeat US taxpayer funded ice cream so he had to get a half a million dollar new seats to set his lardass down on a plane.

Anonymous said...

Didn't you know Palestine has been their first concern since they took power?

Anonymous said...

I think you`ll find my views are far more representative of the iranian people than yours are and just out of idle curiosity what would you replace the current democratic system in iran with anyhow?.Its been my experience that the malcontents in most countries by and large have no real clue what they would replace the current system with just that they dont like it and want it replaced,when you ask them "what with?" the tend to be rather short on details

Anonymous said...

AnonymousAugust 3, 2013 at 10:58 AM
And replaced with..what,pray tell??

mat said...

Emboldened with its military power, the Israeli regime is close to making a fatal mistake which will end in its own collapse, a political analyst writes in a column for Press TV.

He noted that Tel Aviv is overestimating its “own power and capabilities which is followed by a loss for contact with reality.”

Shakespeare, a co-founder of the Global Justice Movement, stated that an Israeli military action against the Islamic Republic would backfire on the Zionist regime and its allies.

“However, Iran is not a powerless Gaza and, apart from military matters, an attack on Iran is only too likely to precipitate military action much more widely as well as political change, including the downfall of the USA’s and Israel’s regional allies,” he wrote.

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:17 AM...Don't make us laugh with your insulting nonsense.What "democratic system in Iran" when you have a unelected religious Zealot for life,valih-e-faqih holding the real power in the country.We have a very good idea what we want to replace it with.And that is to rid the Hydra and his edicts.To replace the Islamic tyranny with an Iran governed by secular laws and governance. And religion put in its place where it belongs,out of politics and interference in society,followed by a drastic reformation. Out of "idle curiosity",I find you to be one of those Bache Pooruhs from the Shiekh Omati school of lies that always plays the broken record of the meaningless and hollow diatribes of the criminal theocracy.

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:19 AM......What a daft question.Replace a insane and sick religious thuggery with sanity and secular principles.Is that so hard for apologists like you to understand?

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:43....Why not just make it tens of millions of people on the march? What amateur dramatics,LOL!

Anonymous said...

Yes we know and now it is their lover boy Assad who concerns them.

Anonymous said...

So in other words you want the same sort of system that exists now only secular,the only big difference would be that the supreme leader would either be an appointed head of state but with no real political power like the queen of england,just a figurehead or someone like obama or putin ,a head of state with political power voted into office,it sounds like your problem is with the position of supreme leader.Thats about the only difference there would be with a secular system.

Anonymous said...

Some details would be nice,would it be a one party system pretending to be a two party system like in the us?,would it be a multi party system like in some european and other countries?,would you have a president or prime minister or both?,would it be purely vote based or based on an electoral college?,would it be winner takes all?[one party with the most votes or biggest chunk of the college] or would you have political coalitions? [parties pooling their votes/college share].If you are going to say "down with the system" then you must have some coherent ideas of what you would replace it with.Irans current system is not perfect,no system is for that matter but it is light years ahead of what existed under the shah[a military dictatorship pretending to be an absolute monarchy] and what exists in irans middle eastern neighbors

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:46 PM....A 21st century secular system is a million light years different than a 7th century dictatorial religious theocracy.It's not just the power of the "supreme leader"that is under question but the whole system and the way of thought and barbaric ways of the regime.Our problem is with a system that belongs to the 7th century.

Anonymous said...

In terms of its cruelty and extreme barbarity towards humanity the current system is indeed "light years ahead of what existed under the shah".What ever people like you say,the Shah's government wasn't barbaric and cruel like the present regime.If as you claim the Shah's government was a "military dictatorship" then that "dictatorship" would have crushed the so called "revolution" into the ground.The post 1979 prime minister Bazargan at the time claimed that "the Iranian army could have easily crushed the revolution".But the Shah decided a monarch cannot sit on a throne of blood and left the country.The Shah denied and disapointed a lot of fanatics who wanted bloodshed.People like Khomenei and Khamenei on the other hand are the real absolute blood thirsty dictators and murderers of the Iranian people and have vindicated the Shah in history.The present system serves the velayat-e-faqih and treats the Iranian people as cattle at best.The velayat-faqih is evil incarnate which must die so that Iran can live again.

Anonymous said...

Yes you are right,the Islamic regime is light years ahead of what exsisted under the shah,specially in torture,rape and mass executions.

Anonymous said...

Not a Jewish lobby. It is a zionist lobby. There is a difference.

Anonymous said...

Yet again Uskowi has prevented me from answering the above.This act alone vindicates my argument.I'm wondering the person that wrote the above could be Uskowi himself under the guise of "Anonymous"?