President Obama reached out by phone to his Iranian counterpart and the two gabbed like old pals for 15 minutes on Friday — becoming the first American leader since 1979 willing to speak directly to the head of the oppressive state.
The commander-in-chief, who was snubbed several times by Hassan Rouhani at this week’s UN General Assembly, emerged from the historic chat remarkably optimistic they could resolve differences spanning more than three decades.
“I do believe that there is a basis for a resolution,” Obama told reporters after the stunning talk.
Their chummy conversation came three days after Obama’s UN address, in which he recalled how Iran had declared the US to be “an enemy” and “directly or through proxies” had killed American troops and civilians and taken Americans hostage.
As Rouhani prepared to fly home after a five-day charm campaign in the US, he gloated on Twitter about Obama’s overture.
“In phone convo, President #Rouhani and President @BarackObama expressed their mutual political #will to rapidly solve the #nuclear issue,” he tweeted.
Rouhani was in his limousine, headed to Kennedy Airport, when Obama called him from the Oval Office, officials said.
Obama ended the talk by saying “Khodahafez” — “Goodbye” in Farsi. Rouhani replied “Have a good day, Mr. President” in English, he said.
Obama acknowledged after the call that his administration was making a considerable overture to Tehran. It was the first contact since President Jimmy Carter spoke by phone with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979.
“The very fact that this was the first communication between an American and Iranian president since 1979 underscores the deep mistrust between our countries,” he said.
“But it also indicates the prospect of moving beyond that difficult history,” he added.
House Republicans complained earlier Friday that Obama was willing to negotiate with Tehran but refusing to bargain with GOP members over the impending government shutdown.
US sources told the AP and Agence France Presse that Rouhani sought the call.
But a source close to Rouhani told Reuters it was “totally unexpected.” The Americans proposed the call earlier Friday, because of a breakthrough in talks Thursday by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, the source said.
Late Friday, Rouhani tweeted a message to Obama: “I express my gratitude for your #hospitality and your phone call.”
The conversation came hours after Rouhani called the United States a “great” nation — rather than the “great Satan,” as previous Iranian leaders had said.
The White House said Obama communicated with the Israeli government later Friday, to reassure them of continuing US opposition to Iranian nuclear weapons.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who ordered his diplomats to walk out of the UN Tuesday when Rouhani spoke to the General Assembly — is scheduled to visit the White House Monday, and Iran is expected to be Topic A.