IRI Envoy: Islamic countries’ developments inspired by Iran

IRI Ambassador to Spain here Wednesday in an address for a group of Madrid’s Camplotense University students elaborated on latest stands of Iran on various regional and international issues. According to the IRNA correspondent in Madrid, Morteza Saffari Natanzi referring to the presentation of a new model for democracy in Iran, namely the religious democracy, said that the ongoing developments in Islamic countries in Middle East region are inspired by the Islamic Revolution of Iran.  Saffari stressed that the uprisings of the nations against the satellite dictatorships of the west is the reaction of those nations against their being humiliated by the west, and meanwhile those revolutions are the peoples’ demands for greater welfare and economic blossoming of their countries.  Referring to those characteristics as the “three major shared factors of the Islamic Awakening Movements in Islamic countries”, he emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran is and has always been opposed to the despotic regimes that are ruling, or had long ruled, over those countries, further stressing, “Tehran has always supported the righteous demands of the nations in those countries.”  The Iranian Ambassador to Spain referred to the US support for the dictators in Egypt, and in Yemen, pointing out that the main axis of the US and western stands has always been securing material interests, adding, “Any country that would oppose those policies of the US administrations would be subjected to US pressures in various fields.”  He referred to the high cost that the Islamic Republic of Iran has already paid for opposing the US policies under such pressures, emphasizing that Iran is itself one of the main victims of terrorism.  Iran’s ambassador to Madrid added, “After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, over 17 thousand Iranian citizens, including ordinary people and top officials of the system, have been assassinated by terrorist groups, which are and have been under US the supportive umbrella.”  Saffari referred to the recent US accusation in the framework of the US policy of imposing mounting pressure against Iran, emphasizing, “This recent accusation is so funny that even the Americans did not ever take it as a serious matter.”  He reiterated, “The defeat of the US policies in Iraq and in Afghanistan, as well as numerous other defeated US conspiracies against the Islamic Republic of Iran, have hand in hand turned the United States to one of the most hated regimes in the region, and that is a point that the western media, too, have confessed to many times.”  In response to a question regarding the recent US accusations against Iran and the probability of imposing tougher sanctions, or a US military invasion, Saffari said, “These are no new issues for us as throughout the past 30 years we have always been exposed to baseless accusations, and presently, too, we are exposed to most serious sanctions either directly by the US, or devised under the US pressure and influence.”  He added, “Some European countries, too, are unfortunately blind-folded followers of US polices, but these sanctions have led us to self-sufficiency in many fields, and presently, thanks to the hard work and efforts made by our youth and our scientists, we are self-sufficient in most fields, needless of the US and western countries.”  Iran’s ambassador focusing on probability of a US military invasion, said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is not like Iraq, or Afghanistan, and if the United States would act so stupidly as to make such an adventurist move it would receive a very severe blow.”  Another student asked about the presence of the US forces in the region and Iran’s stand regarding the matter. He replied, “We are basically opposed to the presence of alien forces in the region and as you see, in Iraq and in Afghanistan the presence of them has not only been incapable of uprooting terrorism, or harbingering peace and stability, but also has had a reverse effect.”  He added, “We consider the presence of the alien forces as an insult against the peoples of the region and believe if the United States would leave the region and leave the job up to the regional nations, establishment of peace and security would be a lot easier job.”  In response to another question on the status of observing the human rights in Iran, Saffari said, “In accordance with our religious teachings, we highly respect the prestige and rights of the human beings, and the ongoing realities in Iran differ greatly with what is reflected about Iran in most western media.”  He added, “The United States merely chants pro-democracy and pro-human rights slogans, not believing in such matters at all, and the US support for worst dictatorships in the world history, as well as the Abu-Qraib and Guantanamo prisons are clear witnesses to this claim.”