PrintFebruary 6, 2009
Shuttlecock Diplomacy with Iran a failure
The US says let's talk and be friends; Iran replies to Obama that the US must 'accept' the Iranian nuke program.
But even Americans of good will bearing birdies aren't welcome in Iran.
Iran turned away a U.S. badminton team on a good-will visit.
The women's team, headed for a tournament in Tehran, returned to the United States from Dubai on Tuesday after the Iranian Embassy there would not provide visas for onward travel.
However last year the Iranian Badminton Federation invited them; because this is Iran the government probably originally agreed.
In a real understatement
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Wednesday. "This is not a good step forward in terms of trying to promote people-to-people exchanges."
As the ever insightful Homer Simpson would say, "Duh!"
