Iran’s stance on nuclear arms
In your column «Letters to the Editor» on October 25 you published a letter by Mr Mohsen Daneshmand from the Iranian Embassy in Athens. I was disappointed that you let the letter stand as it was and did not offer a reply as you often do. What one thing did this man write that had even a distant link to reality? And when he speaks of Iran’s transparency in its nuclear program one can only wonder if Mr Daneshmand even lives on this planet. Then he can write: «No country has come under threat from Iran for decades.» Would he care to explain this statement published a day after his own letter which appeared in his government’s controlled press: «Iran’s hard-line president called for Israel to be «wiped off the map.» Among professional behavioral specialists, when fiction and fantasy replace reality, as manifest so clearly in Mr. Daneshmand’s letter, the pathology is labeled schizophrenia. ARNOLD HOLTZMAN Yehud, Israel Editor replies: Much as we like to jump into every debate, when presenting a government’s position we rely on our readers’ understanding of current events to place the statement in context and to respond.
