Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to To the Point

To the Point

Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani's "charm offensive"

When Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani was at the United Nations last week, President Obama made history by calling him on the phone—for the first direct contract between the leaders of Iran and the US in almost 35 years. But there was no face-to-face meeting—or even a handshake.

  • rss
  • Share
By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

When Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani was at the United Nations last week, President Obama made history by calling him on the phone—for the first direct contract between the leaders of Iran and the US in almost 35 years. But there was no face-to-face meeting—or even a handshake. And when he got home, Rouhani told local reporters he was the one who had turned down an invitation... 5 times.

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Warren Olney

    former KCRW broadcaster

  • KCRW placeholder

    Thomas Erdbrink

    New York Times

  • KCRW placeholder

    Daniel Levy

    European Council on Foreign Relations

  • KCRW placeholder

    Reuel Marc Gerecht

    Foundation for Defense of Democracies

    NewsNationalPolitics
Back to To the Point