U.S. lawmakers are up in arms over Iran's U.N. ambassador pick
Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images
Somebody grab a reset button.
American lawmakers are upset over Iran's selection of Hamid Aboutalebi to United Nations ambassador, NPR reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
(Aboutalebi) was not one of those that held a gun to my head. He wasn't one of those who beat me and kicked me and that sort of thing. But he was there. And he was part of it. And you are a product of your past. I have a couple of little grandsons, and they are constantly testing me to see how much they can get away with. And I think that's exactly what the Iranians are doing to us. [NPR]
Others believe the move was not a calculated affront but a "huge miscalculation" by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Whichever side is right, a phone call may not suffice in smoothing relations between two countries still struggling with a very tenuous peace.
Listen to the whole story at NPR.
