Tehran files complaint with UN over Hillary's "obliterate" comment

[ProSense]

'Provocative' Clinton angers Iran

Tehran has complained to the UN about remarks made last week by Hillary Clinton on the circumstances under which the US might attack Iran.

The Democratic presidential hopeful said last week the US could "totally obliterate" Iran if it attacked Israel.

Tehran, which insists its nuclear programme is solely for power generation, denounced her words as "provocative and irresponsible".

It said the remarks were "a flagrant violation" of the UN Charter.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Mehdi Danesh-Yazdi, Iran's deputy ambassador to the UN, said Mrs Clinton had "unwarrantedly and under erroneous and false pretexts threatened to use force against the Islamic Republic of Iran".

'Obliterate them'

The New York senator had made the remarks in a televised interview last week.

Asked how she would respond if Iran launched a nuclear attack on Israel, she replied with a stark warning.

"If I'm the president, we will attack Iran... we would be able to totally obliterate them," she told TV network ABC.

"That's a terrible thing to say, but those people who run Iran need to understand that, because that perhaps will deter them from doing something that would be reckless, foolish and tragic."

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*** Hillary Strangelove? Because of Jeremiah Wright remaining in the news, not that much attention has been paid to Clinton’s recent comments regarding Iran and the Middle East. But Sunday’s Boston Globe weighed in -- harshly. It dubbed her “Hillary Strangelove,” because of her umbrella Iran-Mideast ally retaliation policy. And the paper called that "Rambo rhetoric" that "plays into the hands of Iranian hard-liners who want to plow ahead with efforts to attain a nuclear weapons capability." More: “(T)here are some red lines that should never be crossed,” it said. “Clinton did so Tuesday morning, the day of the Pennsylvania primary, when she told ABC's ‘Good Morning America’ that, if she were president, she would ‘totally obliterate’ Iran if Iran attacked Israel. This foolish and dangerous threat was muted in domestic media coverage. But it reverberated in headlines around the world.”

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Boston Globe blasts Hillary for saying she'd nuke Iran; says she shouldn't be answering the phone at 3am

by John Aravosis (DC) • 4/27/2008 02:31:00 PM ET • Link

It's a story that the American media totally ignored. Our wonderful "independent" reporters collectively decided last week that it simply wasn't news that Hillary revealed she'd be nuking Iran if they attacked Israel, and that it wasn't news that she'd like to extend the US nuclear umbrella to Israel's neighbors. That means we'd be nuking Iran if they attacked Jordan, Egypt, maybe even Saudi Arabia. Show of hands: How many Americans are willing to start a nuclear war for the Saudis?

Well, it seems even the Saudis aren't too keen on the idea. They criticized Hillary this week, we learn via a Boston Globe editorial entitled "Hillary Strangelove" (the Globe is one of the few American papers to even write about this issue). They said she was as stupid as Bush:

The Saudi paper called Clinton's nuclear threat "the foreign politics of the madhouse," saying, "it demonstrates the same doltish ignorance that has distinguished Bush's foreign relations."

A British Foreign Ministry official wasn't very pleased either:

"While it is reasonable to warn Iran of the consequences of it continuing to develop nuclear weapons and what those real consequences bring to its security, it is probably not prudent in today's world to threaten to obliterate any other country and in many cases civilians resident in such a country."

The Globe says that Hillary has done real damage to the reform effort in Iran:

While Clinton has hammered Obama for supporting military strikes in Pakistan, her comments on Iran are much more far-reaching. She seems not to realize that she undermined Iranian reformists and pragmatists. The Iranian people have been more favorable to America than any other in the Gulf region or the Middle East.

A presidential candidate who lightly commits to obliterating Iran - and, presumably, all the children, parents, and grandparents in Iran - should not be answering the White House phone at any time of day or night.

[ProSense]

1. Iran: Hillary Statement Too "Provocative"

Iran: Hillary Statement Too "Provocative"

Ambassador To U.N. Condemns Clinton For Threat To "Totally Obliterate" Country If It Uses Nukes

UNITED NATIONS, May 1, 2008

(AP) Iran strongly condemned presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton for threatening to attack and "totally obliterate" the country if it uses nuclear weapons.

Late Wednesday, Iran's deputy U.N. ambassador, Mehdi Danesh-Yazdi, called an April 22 statement on ABC television by the New York senator, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, "provocative, unwarranted and irresponsible" and "a flagrant violation" of the U.N. Charter.

Clinton was asked by ABC News' Chris Cuomo in an interview that aired on "Good Morning America" what she would do if she wins the White House and Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons, according to the ABC News Web site.

"The question was, 'If Iran were to launch a nuclear attack on Israel, what would our response be?' And I want the Iranians to know that if I'm president, we will attack Iran" to retaliate against an Iranian nuclear hit on Israel, Clinton said.

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[ProSense]

2. No comment?

Hillary creates an international flap and everyone goes silent?

[40ozDonkey]

8. It's become mundane.

Colombia
China
Canada
Iran
Great Britain

I had Denmark in my office pool but that's when I thought she was going alphabetically into pissing off every country she would have to deal with on day one. When she embarrassed Gordon Brown over the Olympics that ended my theory and chance at $70.

[ProSense]

11. I suppose. n/t

[Leopolds Ghost]

36. Wag The Dog!!! She'll start a war with Albania if she has to.

[AspenRose]

40. You forgot Russia

Putin and the lack of his soul.

[ShortnFiery]

18. Don't you get it American Patriot?!? When "a Bush" or "a Clinton" says it, it's NOT ever incorrect.

Where's your damn Flag Pin? ... you America hating - Clinton hating slacker! :crazy:

[thereismore]

3. She should be taken to the woodshed for this. nt

[wileedog]

4. An absoutely huge gaffe from someone who claims more "experience"

And the media totally ignores it.

But look! A kooky preacher!

[ellacott]

7. That's what's so amazing

This is more hawkish than Bush or McCain.

[roguevalley]

19. its not a gaffe. she means it. these thwarted people -w and her- get their

hands on power and they want to kill people. she is going to nuke iran. She is going to give paybacks to the world for bill humiliating her.

[JimGinPA]

5. She's A Disgrace

K&R

[Barack_America]

6. Having complaints filed against her before she even takes office?

Even Cheney must be impressed.

She just out-Cheneyed him.

[EnviroBat]

9. Hey SD's. Are you getting this?

This woman is a walking disaster. Hurry up and give Obama the nod so we can be done with her stupid ass.

[Lerkfish]

10. I find myself in agreement with Tehran on this one.

[anigbrowl]

38. Well, their complaining to the UN is pure grandstanding. But they are sending a signal...

that if we were to elect Hillary, Iran's permanent government (Guardian Council, supreme leader etc.) going to give Ahmedinejad or someone equally obnoxious another term.

[futureliveshere]

12. Its telling that our expectations of Hillary are so LOW that we aren't even SURPRISED by this.

[TragedyandHope]

13. Earth to Hillary: You are not the droid we're looking for

[me b zola]

14. Words matter

Hillary's war-drum beating words are the clearest example of why words matter. Hillary has shown that her idea of foreign policy is careless, shortsighted, and dangerous.

[ProSense]

27. They sure do. n/t

[crimsonblue]

15. Am I the only one that thinks Iran has the right to utilize nuclear power?

I didn't know that the US had a monopoly on nuclear energy... A year or so ago a high school kid in the US created his own reactor in his basement using spare parts and instructions from the internet... So obviously this is not that too difficult a thing to do. I say let Iran have nuclear power, just insist on having UN watchers to make sure it is being properly used. When Saudia Arabia, Qatar, UAE and other middle east countries are exploring the use of nuclear power, it seems a bit two-faced to single out Iran. If we really cared about Iran not having nuclear power, we wouldn't allow Russia and EU countries sell equipment and technology necessary to utilize nuclear power.

[anigbrowl]

41. No, you're not. The special situation with Ian

is that they haver forgiven us for destroying their democracy and looting their country's resources (oh yes, they used to be a democracy until we were unable to deal with them and sponsored a coup to turn them back into a monarchy), and we have never forgiven them for humiliating us over the hostage crisis. My reading is that Iran would like to rebuild ties with the US and let the past fade into history, but they're not willing to do so unless we treat them as equals rather than subordinates.

Iranian society and culture is 3000 years old; to them, we're the new kids on the block, and not always well-behaved. Don't get the idea that I endorse the repressive regime in Iran, but neither do I consider it evil or a threat to civilization. People should ask themselves...would they rather live in Iran, or our supposed 'ally' Saudi Arabia? We have a LOT more in common with Iranian society than we do with the Saudi regime.

[blm]

16. Undergod save us from Presidents who NEED to LOOK tough because they couldn't really

BE brave and courageous in their own actual and individual lives.

[progdog]

31. Kudos to blm

Once again you said it for me. :applause:

[libnnc]

17. good job Hillary! Way to go! Leading us right into WWIII

Looking out for our best interests as always!

:eyes: :banghead:

[TBF]

20. She's so embarrassing. Nice job, Hillary Cheney Bush.

[Texas Hill Country]

21. Good... they should be uncomfortable.

[Barack_America]

23. Why exactly?

And why should they be threatened with "obliteration"?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. They're evil.

They're a threat to peace in the world.

:rofl:

[Forkboy]

22. The comment was dangerous and naive.

The same type of cowboy rhetoric we've been putting up with from Bush for seven plus years.

[helderheid]

24. WOW!!

:wow:

[ProSense]

25. "stir up an official international incident before even stepping into the White House"

Linked from The Page:

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's April 22 warning to Iranians that the U.S. could "totally obliterate" their country if they "considered" attacking Israel sparked international outrage.

But now the New York senator has one-upped even President Bush. The former Texas governor kept a pretty low profile on the global scene as he ran for president in 2000. But candidate Clinton has managed to stir up an official international incident before even stepping into the White House.

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(emphasis added)

Yikes!

[uponit7771]

28. But But ....Dr. Wright just cleared his throat!!!!!!!!!!

[Leopolds Ghost]

37. Wright made some pretty wild GESTURES that same week...Scary! Hateful talk about Hiroshima being bad

[Orsino]

29. Appropriate response.

Imagine--registering a protest without threatening to kill anyone.

The US should try that sometime.

[ProSense]

30. Hillary: “Why would I have any regrets?”

“Why would I have any regrets?” she said. “I'm asked a question about what I would do if Iran attacked our ally, a country that many of us have a great deal of, you know, connection with and feeling for, for all kinds of reasons. And, yes, we would have massive retaliation against Iran. I don't think they will do that, but I sure want to make it abundantly clear to them that they would face a tremendous cost if they did such a thing.”

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Hillary should just make "screw 'em" her official response.

[Catherina]

32. Too late to recommend. I hope you add all of these to your journal

Your threads are amazing! Thanks for your hard work.

[ProSense]

33. What does Wes Clark think about Hillary's "obliterate" comment?

Remember his StopIranWar.com:

All Americans want to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and interfering on the ground inside Iraq. Yet President Bush’s saber rattling gives the US little additional leverage to engage and dissuade Iran, and, more than likely, simply accelerates a dangerous slide into war. The United States can do better than this.

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[K Gardner]

34. Again, she is dangerous. Not unlike Bush.

[greguganus]

35. Hopefully Obama will OBLITERATE the Queen Of War very soon. n/t

[AspenRose]

39. It's Obama's fault.

He shouldn't have been a member of Wright's church. Clearly that was more important for Americans to be informed about. The media was only doing its job. :sarcasm: