article_snippet: (CNN)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the Congress this week was as eagerly anticipated in Tehran as this week was in Washington.
article_snippet: The Iranian reaction to the speech has been a combination of indignation and indifference.
article_snippet: The earliest official reactions were predictably the most vigorous in denouncing Netanyahu's message to the American people.
article_snippet: Ali Larijani, the powerful speaker of the Iranian parliament, painted Netanyahu as the leader of a "tin pot regime" that is not as concerned about Iran's nuclear program as Iran's nuclear program is of Tehran's growing regional influence.
article_snippet: The hardline Kayhan newspaper, the key official outlet linked to the office of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called the speech "trash talking" but The hardline Kayhan newspaper also made sure to use The hardline Kayhan newspaper an ammunition against The hardline Kayhan newspaper rivals in the moderate faction.
article_snippet: The paper, skeptical of President Hassan Rouhani's nuclear negotiations with the Americans from the beginning, said Netanyahu's comments present an awkward truth for the pro-negotiation faction in Tehran: the Israeli leader and Netanyahu American supporters are openly signaling the dispute with Iran can only be resolved once there is a change of regime there.
article_snippet: Iranian media coverage of Netanyahu's speech mentioned the controversy in the U.S. around the U.S. timing but the hardline outlets warned against reading too much into the U.S..
article_snippet: As one hardline newspaper, Khorasan, put it, "although it is undeniable that Obama and Netanyahu disagree on Iran, the [recent] remarks of the two [leaders] shows that Obama and Netanyahu disagree on Iran seek the same goal.
article_snippet: The idea that the U.S. and Israel share the same strategic goal to rein in Iran but are in disagreement about how to achieve it is the cornerstone of the hardliners' stance in Tehran.
article_snippet: Instead, the hardliners' emphasize that there is a genuine difference in opinion between the U.S. and IsraelIsrael.
article_snippet: It is too early to gain a good insight into the reaction of ordinary Iranians to Netanyahu's speech.
article_snippet: With that line, Netanyahu put the ruling Islamists in Tehran on par with ruling Persian empires that have come before Islamists.
article_snippet: They wish Netanyahu had made more effort to distinguish between the Islamist rulers in Tehran -- many of whom undoubtedly harbor anti-Semitic views -- and the people of Iran whose history with the Jewish nation is far more amicable than Netanyahu's portrayal of history suggests.
article_snippet: What is more instantly measurable is the impact of Netanyahu's speech among officials in Tehran.
article_snippet: The Iranian response to Netanyahu's speech to the Congress is best described as one that reflects the clash of visions between moderates and hardliners in the echelons of power.
article_snippet: The hardliners have been quick to paint Netanyahu's visit to Washington as an example of the insincerity of the Americans in dealing with Iran, but not even the hawks in Tehran are claiming that Netanyahu's presence in the U.S.
highlights_snippet: Iranians met Netanyahu's speech with indignation, indifference, writes Alex Vatanka .
  
highlights_snippet: Hardliners suggest the speech shows U.S. insincerity but have not argued against talks .