MORE FROM IRAN, JUST IN - AT 9:17 A.M. ET:  My Iranian dissident friend, Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi, has just sent us her translation of Iran's response to President Obama's videotaped message to the Iranian people:

According to Agence France Presse from Tehran, in reaction to president Obama's Norooz message, Ahmadinejad's spokesman said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran welcome's Obama's message, however demands practical shifts in the U.S. conduct in order to demonstrate a sincere attempt to redeem past mistakes."

Ali-Akbar Javan-Fekr said: "The U.S. must atone for it's past mistakes toward the Islamic Republic of Iran and must make fundamental changes in it's policy. Differences between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to exist for as long as Washington continues to blindly support the evil regime of Israel."

Ahmadinejad's spokesman also added: "The United States must discontinue it's violent behavior, it must stop arresting Muslims and must stop supporting terrorist groups around the world!"

COMMENT:  As we wrote earlier, this isn't going to be easy.  There is absolutely no "give" in the Iranian response.  The sad fact is, though, that there are forces in Washington who'll want us to "compromise" with the mullahs - meaning we move and they don't.

March 20, 2009