U.S. and Iran Hold 'Breakthrough' Talks, Days After Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Denounces Holocaust

Friday afternoon, President Obama spoke by phone with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, marking the first top-level talk between the U.S. and Iran since 1979. Mr. Obama called the discussion a "breakthrough," saying it may signal the resumption of diplomatic relations with Iran, The New York Times reports. 

Obama hopes that the resumed dialogue could eventually lead to a deal on Iran's nuclear program.

"The test will be meaningful, transparent and verifiable actions, which can also bring relief from the comprehensive international sanctions that are currently in place," Obama said. "Resolving this issue, obviously, could also serve as a major step forward in a new relationship between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect."

He added, "A path to a meaningful agreement will be difficult. And at this point both sides have significant concerns that will have to be overcome. But I believe we've got a responsibility to pursue diplomacy and that we have a unique opportunity to make progress with the new leadership in Tehran."

This comes only days after the United Nations meeting at which Mr. Rouhani decided not to shake hands with the President. 

Friday's phone call renewed optimism that the U.S. could make headway to stave off Iran's growing nuclear program. 

Earlier this week, Rouhani's comments to CNN began to bolster the U.S.' hopes for resuming diplomatic ties with the Middle Eastern country.

In a CNN interview on Tuesday, President Rouhani described the Holocaust as a "crime that the Nazis committed towards the Jews" and called it "reprehensible and condemnable," The New York Times confirms. Although it seems like an obvious statement with which anyone would agree, it was a big step forward for an Iranian leader whose predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, denied the Nazis' extermination of the Jews during World War II. 

While Rouhani's statements were seen as a big step in the right direction by those in the U.S., many Iranians thought differently. An Iranian news agency accused CNN of fabricating portions of Rouhani's interview, which CNN translated into English. They said he did not use the word Holocaust or characterize the Nazis' genocide as "reprehensible." 

Despite Iran's increasingly progressive population, the country still has many hardliners who are very anti-Israel, as well as anti-Semetic. Rouhani is walking a very delicate political line: he's attempting to put a conciliatory hand out toward the West while simultaneously trying to appease hard-line Islamists back home. 

"Shaking hands with Obama would have won Rouhani huge points with the Iranian public, but it would have caused Iran's hard-liners a conniption," said Karim Sadjadpour, an expert on Iran at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

In his speech at the U.N, the Iranian president also referred to Israelis as "occupying Palestinian territory."

Also, when asked during his interview with CNN whether he shared his predecessor's belief that the Holocaust was a myth, Rouhani said that he would leave it to historians to judge the "dimensions of the Holocaust." This was similar to his predecessor, who said, "Whatever event has taken place throughout history, or hasn't taken place, I cannot judge that. Why should I judge that?" 

But Rouhani added, "In general, I can tell you that any crime or - that happens in history against humanity, including the crime that the Nazis committed towards the Jews, as well as non-Jewish people - is reprehensible and condemnable, as far as we are concerned."

Ahmadinejad's refusal to recognize the Holocaust reflected Tehran's hostility as well as evidence that Iran wants Israel eliminated, hence proving why Israel wants to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Some Jewish leaders in the U.S. said Rouhani's remarks was a modest step forward, although they remain skeptical of Iran's intentions. 

"Assuming the accuracy of the translation, for me his comments are duly noted," said David Harris, the executive director of the American Jewish Committee. "But he's only acknowledging, and rather belatedly, the universally acknowledged truth of the last 70 years. That does not warrant a standing ovation."

Israeli officials said that Rouhani's skeptical claim that the details of the Holocaust are "better left to historians" is a form of Holocaust revisionism. 

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated, "It does not take a historian to recognize the existence of the Holocaust - it just requires being a human being."