Mousavi: We will defend national interests in case of attack

GVF -- Iran’s prime minister during its brutal eight-year war with Iraq has once more described the situation in Iranian society as “unsecure” and stated that the only way for a return to security was for the authorities to meet the demands of the people and the Green Movement. Mir Hossein Mousavi explained the reasons behind the lack of security among the general public and said that the fear of suppression, unemployment and systematic corruption were among the signs pointing towards the presence of widespread oppression and the absence of justice in the country.

According to Mousavi’s official website Kaleme, Mousavi made the remarks while speaking among a group of veterans of the Iran-Iraq war. Citing a verse from the holy Quran, Mousavi continued, “faith alone neither brings security nor salvation from confusion and bewilderment. Faith will only bring security, guidance and salvation from confusion, when it is not encompassed by tyranny and oppression.”

“You yourselves bore witness to how Dezful was hit with missiles with one-ton warheads, but the people did not evacuate the city and even Friday prayers were not called off. This was also the case in Ilam. This city was bombed on a daily basis and I recall that whenever representatives from the government went to [Ilam] province, it was the people who promised them tranquillity and the whole country was like this. Neither the war, nor the weaknesses and the six-million-dollar oil revenue did nothing to take away the people’s sense of security.”

The popular reformist stated that the reason for the lack of security in the country was the fact that faith had been covered with oppression and tyranny. “The fear of clampdowns, the fear of forced confessions, the fear of unemployment and inflation, the dear of a foreign attack, the fear of bugging and interfering in individuals’ personal affairs, the fear of bad cheques, the fear of systematic corruption, the fear of judges who take orders from interrogators and cover their faith with the dark disguise of oppression, these are all signs of the widespread presence of tyranny and lack of justice. Under such conditions, faith cannot bring security or guide people towards a bright future and afterlife.”

In addition, Mousavi expressed disappointment over recent remarks by Ahmadinejad’s Intelligence Minister who recently repeated baseless claims made by Ahmad Jannati, the radical chairman of the Guardian Council, who had had stated during Friday prayers that the leaders of the Green Movement had received a billion dollars from the United States in order to topple the Iranian regime.

“Under such circumstances, don’t the people have the right to be fearful and afraid of the Intelligence Ministry whose responsibility it is to ensure of a sense of security [among the public]?” Mousavi asked. “Sense of security is not something limited to the government and its officials. The question here is the security of humans and the security of individuals is achieved when they are free from fear and need.”

The 2009 presidential candidate said the current rulers of Iran “do not understand the people’s pains and fears. They do not understand how the fear of having a family’s belongings thrown out for not being able to pay rent, crushes the soul and body of the lower-income groups. Especially when covering up massive corruption cases and unlawfulness has turned into a trend.”

Regarding the issue of international sanctions against Iran, Mousavi said that the authorities who benefited financially from the sanctions “cannot comprehend the people’s concerns about the future of these sanctions and the resulting risks.”

Mousavi maintained that the way for security to return to the country was not through resorting to the “dark and terrifying uniforms worn by the Basij” militia, but instead through meeting the demands of the people and their Movement and ending all injustices and oppression. “Freedom, justice and consequently security and liberation from fear are not bequeathed to a nation, rather, an awoken nation is to obtain these through the power of patience and perseverance and the price that is being paid by the people today is for achieving such a goal.”

Later in the meeting, Mousavi pointed out that the “adventurous policies of recent years, superfluous comments and sabre rattling have placed the country in a dangerous situation” and that Israel played a role in beating the drums of war and violence against Iran.

Mousavi stressed that for an attack against Iran to materialise, the aggressors would need a strong public opinion behind their actions, but “unfortunately, statements [by Ahmadinejad] that suggest that the whole planet will be targeted [in case of war against Iran] provide the necessary excuse” for an attack against the country.

However, at the same time, Mousavi said that on its part, the Green Movement would “react to any threat from outsiders while preserving its boundaries and borders with the hardliners.”

“All of us will openly and explicitly defend our national interests. Out of care and sympathy, we suggest that before it is too late, the country’s reliable, wise and experienced assets be used so that a moderate [foreign] policy is pursued and the threats against the country are [drastically] reduced.”