COMMENTARY | Bullying has no place in the world. Whether it be in a public school somewhere in the U.S. or on the world stage, no one entity should simply be able to push another around or unduly intimidate another solely because they believe they have the ability to get what they want.
Which brings me to Iran. In a recent letter to the U.S., an anonymous Iranian diplomat has argued the U.S. should apologize for insinuating the nation had something to do with the recent assassination attempt of the Saudi ambassador to the U.S.
Never mind the fact the alleged plot generated in Iran, with an individual that has passports to the U.S. and Iran. Never mind the fact an amount told to be around $1.5 million was agreed upon to be paid to the perpetrator of the failed assassination attempt. The Iranian government is upset, and it wants an apology. Oh, and money.
That’s always the telltale sign of a bully. Remember when you were growing up, and the school bully wanted your lunch money? This is the same thing. When you take into account all of the heinous acts that have occurred against the U.S. because of Iran, the fact its government is asking for an apology is laughable. The man who tried to assassinate the ambassador had ties to Iran. So why was it so shocked and offended when the White House came to its conclusion?
This request for a public apology and monetary compensation is just another step in a slew of ridiculous requests by Iran for an apology for something. When the film “The Wrestler” came out a few years ago, representatives of Iran’s government wanted an apology for a character in the film named “The Ayatollah.” They wanted an “I’m sorry” from a group who’s whole job it is to play pretend. For a film about a group of people whose job it is to play pretend.
This request by the Iranian government will be laughed right out of the White House. But remember, the request was done semi-privately. That’s the other thing a bully does; it never wants to call a full truce publicly. It would make themselves look bad in front of the other bullies.