How about this for a statement -

“The United States will always support the rights of men and women to govern themselves. For a very long time, the United States and the Mullahs that run Iran have been at odds on many issues.

But no issue is more fundamental to the interests and values of the United States that the right of the people to chose their government.

Those who say we cannot chose who we deal with in diplomacy are wrong on one point - the United States has long established the practice of not recognizing regimes that systemically abuse their populations and threaten peace. The government of Iran joined the list of states we don’t recognize when they endorsed the kidnapping of our diplomatic staff in Tehran in 1979 - a clear a woeful violation of our soveriegnty.

It is with a sense of irony that we reject the Mullahs insistence that we not violate their sovereignty now. Now at a time where their systemic abuse of their population has finally earned them a backlash.

The United States will always be open to recognizing and working with a government in Iran that governs under the consent of its people.