Larijani: The US Wants Us to Commit Suicide

Rooz Online:

Aug 25, 2005

Ali Larijani, the new head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, recently spoke at a seminar in Iran, titled the Universal Week of the Mosque, where he said “The US strategy today is to hold a stick high and force weaker states to commit suicide.” He further clarified that US policy is psychological and that there was no intent to engage militarily.

Larijani had earlier told Arabic “Al Alam” newspaper that US threats against Iran were not serious as they knew conditions are not right for them to engage in yet another military confrontation. He believes that US goal is to impose its life style on others, and in this it has met resistance from the Islamic world. “It is the type of Islam that exists in Iran that bothers the US, as Islam in other Muslim countries is not an issue for the US”, he has said. He says that Americans have a problem with the Iranian government because the latter is logical and its ideas are not confined to its own territory and make resonance abroad as well. Larijani believes the US used to look at the former Soviet Union in the same fashion, where the Soviets tried to impose their life-style on others. They failed because their message had basis in the dominated territories. The difference between us and the Soviets, though he adds, is that what we are promoting divine values that have a strong receptive ear among humans. It is in this light that Larijani believes that the mosque should form the center of political activities and enlightenment in Iran.

The former director of Iran’s national television network says that the US fears the unity among the Sunnis and Shiites, as the ultimate danger. So we too must be careful that in our teachings, we do not alienate the Sunnis.

Larijani believes that the nuclear issue has really been “created” by the US for its own purpose. “For us”, he continues “nuclear energy is like any other industry, but with more potential and benefits.” The British and the US fear Iran’s technical progress, according to him. “The US is in error if it believes that by taking the nuclear issue to the UN Security Council and imposing economic sanctions it will succeed in stopping Iran’s nuclear advances”, he says, adding that Iran is self-sufficient and self-reliant in many spheres of its life.

He stresses enlightening the youth as a necessary step in the nuclear goal. He believes this should be done in the mosques where US psychological war is explained to young Iranians. He concluded his remarks by pointing out that traditional diplomatic means no longer worked as the elite no longer exercised absolute control over situations. His emphasis on the public and the nation, is what he defines as modern diplomacy.

At one time, the former National Security chief had told Larijani that there is a difference between talk to a journalist and talk to a negotiator, exposing his skepticism at Larijani’s ideas. Time and future talks with the Europeans and the IAEA will tell