Sunday, February 10, 2013

U.S. State Dept interpreter's perspective on Iran

Says Islamic Republic is stable and in ways not much different than U.S. 

The Wall Street Journal currently features an article on Californian Amir Mohammad Estakhri, who serves as a contractor to the U.S. State Department, interpreting Persian and Dari for among others U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano, and retired Gen. David Petraeus, both when he was Central Intelligence Agency director and head of the U.S. Central Command.

Estakhri also serves as contracted interpreter for President Ahmadineajad, interpreting the leader's comments in TV interviews with Charlie Rose and Piers Morgan and in meetings with global diplomats at the UN.

"My background allows me to easily switch between two worlds," said Mr. Estakhri, in an interview at a suburban mall near his home in San Diego. "Iran and the U.S. are much less different than people realize."

Notes the WSJ article's author, Jay Solomon: "Mr. Estakhri said he plans a documentary set in Iran to give voice to its leaders and people. He hopes it will run on American network television. 'Despite what many in Washington believe,' he said, 'the Islamic Republic isn't going anywhere and can't be changed from outside."

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Mark,
I read this article yesterday and it does make for interesting reading.
It is a no brainer that people in Iran and the USA can have a lot in common but it doesn't necessarily follow that the Iranian regime is likely to have much common ground with the US administration.

I am surprised to read that a state department contracted interpreter would openly voice an opinion in favor of the Iranian regime or even have a high profile political opinion of any kind.

He clearly can not use privileged information gained during his employment to defend his views and so it seems that it would be unlikely that he could pursue a favorable documentary about the Iranian regime while still keeping his contract with the US state department.

Anonymous said...

It's well known that NIAC is the tool of the IRI in the US.
The IRI has its agents all over the West.In their newspaper columns,VOA,BBC,etc.
The West wants to help keep the regime but alter it slightly.That's why they allow these pieces of vermin from the IRI to voice their opinion in the West.
The Iranian people must free themselves from the regime,then these pieces of vermin will disappear and the West then has to listen to the real Iranian people.

Anonymous said...

It is very good that Mr. Estakhri states that "...The Islamic Republic...can't be changed from outside"; (by the agents), and he sees a need to give a voice to the leaders and people of Iran in his documentary aired to the Western audience....

I hope that this voice will not be limited to a degree, like the Western propaganda does.

A-F

Anonymous said...

If he would say..."The iranian regime is a terrorist regime blablabla..." than i bet you would say he is the right person to ask about this political issues because he has privileged informations....isn`t so? truthspeaker....