Obama used the occasion of Iran’s new year celebration, as he has in the past, to try to ratchet up pressure on Tehran. But this time he focused squarely on its disputed nuclear program, which is expected to be high on the agenda when he visits Israel, Iran’s arch-foe.
In the video message with Farsi subtitles, Obama coupled a call for Tehran to meet international demands to curb its nuclear ambitions with a warning that otherwise it would face further isolation – a suggestion that it could be hit with even tighter sanctions.
In his statement to the Iranian people marking the Persian new year known as Nowruz, he stopped short of threatening military action if diplomacy and sanctions fail.