Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is in New York for the annual UN General Assembly; however, this visit will be his last.  

This is the final year of his two term presidency, but he has shocked many by suggesting otherwise. Recently, an Iranian national TV reporter pointed out that, “This is your last year in office;” to which Ahmadinejad responded: “Says who? People chose me and I’ll be in office as long as they want me to be.” As scary a thought as this may be, as it stands, this is the last chance for Iranian activists to hold their president accountable for what he has done over the past eight years.

Serveral contributers of CyberDissidents.org have commented on Ahmadinejad’s trip:

Exiled Iranian journalist, Ehsan Mehrabi, remarked: “He [Ahmadinejad] already said whatever he had in mind. Talking against America and Israel doesn’t even grab his fans’ attention anymore. He needs something new this year to grab international attention; something opposite of what he has done or said in previous years; something like a political discussion with Hillary Clinton or Obama or even shaking hands with them. These actions are possible, but his power has decreased dramatically during the past few years. So, he is left repeating what he’s been saying all this time, but the difference is that those remarks won’t get him in the news this time.”

Iranian activist, Ahmad Batebi, also took into consideration the contention between Ahmadinejad and Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. Batebi believes that Ahmadinejad will try a new strategy this year, explaining that: “He will probably use Iranian-Americans as potential tools towards canceling sanctions, connecting with America’s policy makers, and finding a balanced role in the Middle East.”

“However, Khamenei wouldn’t let that happen. We need to see what Khamenei’s reactions will be.” Batebi added.