Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei

TEHRAN, June 5--Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Monday Iran is prepared to “pay a price“ for continuing its peaceful nuclear program.
The leader made the remark while addressing a huge public gathering at the mausoleum of the Founder of Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran, to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the Imam’s demise, IRNA reported.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the future of Iranian nation, in the light of the late Imam’s movement which is based on Islam, public support and modernization, will be even brighter than in the past.
He stressed that standing up to bullying powers to attain one’s right has a price.
“You should not beg others for your right. Once you retreat and show leniency, the hegemonic nature of the bullying powers will increase their intimidations. Right must be achieved through resistance,“ he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the resistance of Iranian nation is the reason for the strength of the Islamic Republic, noting that because of this resistance, the bullying powers have concluded that Iranians will never retreat in the face of danger when they should defend their rights.
The leader added that the continuation of resistance prepares the ground for the nation to gain their rights in all fields, including nuclear energy.
“The free and independent nation of Iran will not beg their rights from the domineering powers, because their experiences of the past 28 years have taught them that they can get their rights through prudent resistance,“ he said.
On the Islamic aspect of the revolution, the leader said while the Islamic Republic was the fruit of Shiite teachings, its political system does not have a sectarian identity.
“That’s why the Sunni Muslims of Palestine and the Shiite Muslims of Lebanon have both pinned their hopes on the Islamic Republic of Iran,’ he said, noting that the people’s votes in Iran are the determining factor.
He also said that the enemy’s “news imperialism“ is focused on portraying a distorted image of Iran and the Iranian nation.
On the efforts of enemies to cause discord among Muslims, Ayatollah Khamenei said instigating a Shiite-Sunni conflict is one of their major conspiracies.

President Ahmadinejad

TEHRAN, June 5--President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday the United Nations Security Council should abandon its illegal and unfair approach toward Iran.
The president made the remark in a press conference attended by domestic and foreign correspondents on the sidelines of the ceremony held for the 18th anniversary of the late Imam Khomeini’s demise, ISNA reported.
In response to an American journalist’s question regarding the UNSC plan to impose new sanctions, the chief executive said the council must not support the interests of big powers and should uphold the rights of all nations.
Noting that the council’s interference in Iran’s nuclear issue was illegal, Ahmadinejad added that this interference not only failed to resolve the problem, but also created problems for those opposing Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities.
“When the West took Iran’s nuclear case to the UNSC, it realized that UN sanctions did not influence Iran’s determination to seek peaceful nuclear technology,“ he said.
The president pointed out that Iran had warned the West against taking such a path, because it would create more difficulties for themselves.
“We advise them now to quit their opposition to Iran, because Iran’s conduct is lawful and the western countries themselves know it,“ he said.
Stressing that the West should realize Iran is a big country, he said, “We advise them not to play with the lion’s tail.“
Asked by the correspondent of Lebanon’s National Television about Iran’s stance toward Iraq and Lebanon, Ahmadinejad said Iran has transparent policies regarding the Middle East and it is opposed to the interference of foreign powers in the affairs of regional nations. “Iran takes pride in the unity, independence, advancement and dignity of each of the regional countries,“ he said.
The president noted that Iran wants all countries of the region to be independent and advanced.
Responding to the reporter of Lebanon’s Arabic daily ’Al-Mustaqbal’ regarding the Iranian stance on the militias fighting Lebanon’s Army, the chief executive said Iran believes any insecurity in Lebanon is against the interests of the Lebanese people.
“Lebanon needs unity and security. Hence, Iran denounces any military conflict inside Lebanon,“ he said.
Responding to the Washington-based National Public Radio’s correspondent about the arrests of US-based academics in Iran, Ahmadinejad said Iran’s intelligence apparatus provides information about every arrest.
“The rule of law reigns in Iran and the judiciary acts independent of the executive branch. The judiciary will confront anyone suspected of doing something wrong or committing an offense. We have a very advanced judicial system,“ he said.

Mostafa Mohammad Najjar

TEHRAN, June 5--Iran believes foreign forces are the source of regional insecurity and renewed its proposal to sign joint defense pacts with neighboring countries, especially with the Persian Gulf littoral states.
Speaking to Al-Alam TV on Monday, Defense Minister Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said, “The late founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, and the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stressed the need for unity among Muslims,“ IRNA reported.
He noted that the Iranian political leaders look at the commandment as a strategy.
“Iran is ready to sign joint defense agreements and hold joint maneuvers with neighboring states,“ he said, adding that regional countries have always coexisted peacefully.
The defense minister further said that the enemies of Islam aim to sow seeds of discord among regional nations, but the people of the region are vigilant.
Najjar pointed out that enemies want to introduce Iran as a threat to regional countries, while Iran is working for regional peace and stability.
“We believe security in the region can be achieved through cooperation among Islamic countries, but the presence of trans-regional forces and US troops causes insecurity in the region. The current Iraqi situation is a clear example,“ he said.
“Foreign powers invaded Iraq with the slogan of establishing democracy and security there, but their slogans have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqis and the abuse of Abu Ghraib prisoners,“ he said.
Referring to Iran’s defense capabilities, he said Iran is a sovereign country which enjoys powerful armed forces and has demonstrated its defense capabilities in recent military maneuvers.
Nahhar said research and development in military industries and equipping the armed forces with smart weapons are Iran’s main strategies for boosting its defense capabilities.

Concurrent with the 18th anniversary of the late Imam Khomeini’s demise, a seminar themed “Imam Khomeini and Foreign Policy“ was held in the Institute for Political and International Studies affiliated to the Foreign Ministry on June 4.
Several researchers and thinkers participated in the seminar.
Hamid Molana, a professor of American universities, said the thoughts and performance of Imam Khomeini considerably influenced the concept of foreign policy both inside and outside Iran.
Speaking on the sidelines of the seminar, Mowlana noted that foreign policy is related to three basic issues, namely concept of power, politics and national interest.
Mowlana stressed that following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and Imam’s entry in the international arena, the notion of power changed completely.
“In modern societies, power comprises a series of tangible concepts such as weaponry and wealth, while Imam Khomeini emphasized other aspects of power such as faith, self-belief, religion and knowledge,“ he said.
Noting that Imam’s power was also attributed to his different interpretation of the concept of power, Mowlana pointed out that countries are presently facing a lack of self-confidence and self-belief, and not shortage of weapons.
“Imam Khomeini believed that the best policy is to tell the truth and pursue justice,“ he said.
Mowlana said every country pursues its own national interest in the field of international relations.
“However, Imam Khomeini not only considered national interests, but was also worried about the interests of the Islamic Ummah,“ he said.
Another researcher, Ali Akbar Velayati, said the independence of a country does not mean ignoring foreign relations, rather it means that if one country protects its interests in a self-confident and powerful manner, it will have a bigger share in international equations.
“When the Americans realized that Iran has numerous potentials, they provided Iran with a greater share in negotiations,“ he said.
Velayati, also an advisor to the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, noted that the most important achievement of the Imam was attaining independence with regard to foreign policy.
He opined that Imam Khomeini broke taboos in the international field and put an end to a bipolar world with only two superpowers.
Another researcher, Ali Qaderi, said Imam Khomeini’s role should be discussed from different perspectives.
“Imam Khomeini focused on three principles of extending invitation, preventing domination of foreign powers and protecting Muslim territories,“ he said.
Qaderi opined that Imam Khomeini believed that foreign policy should be based on the notion of invitation whereby other countries are invited to agree on certain values.
“The Imam also believed that according to the principle of lack of domination of foreign power over small countries, big powers should not be allowed to dominate smaller countries and harm the independence of other states,“ he said.