THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

The Cultural Council of the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran wishes to comment on the Interview by DEA’s Bob Wekesa which appeared in the October 2010 edition on the part of Iran’s leadership in the Middle East.

Your interviewee rightly pointed out that Iran is a big strong country with a prominent history. In fact it has an area of 1,648,000 square kilometres and a population of over 70 million people.  Iran is a cradle of ancient civilisations and cultures that have had a continuous impact on the world from time immemorial. Iran always seeks to maintain mutual friendly relations with not only its neighbouring countries in the Middle East but with any other sovereign country in the world.

On the issue of Iran having a clear agenda to destroy Israel, it is critical to note that Iran does not recognise the legitimacy of the State of Israel. Iran considers Israel as an occupying state which forcibly withdrew the Palestinians from their homes to make way for Israeli illegal regime settlements; sadly with the support of the West which agreed to recognise this state.

How can the crimes of the occupiers against defenceless Palestinian women and children, destruction of their homes, farms, hospitals and schools be supported unconditionally by the West? At the same time, the oppressed men and women are subjected to genocide, economic siege and denied basic needs of food, water and medicine.

The only just solution which the Islamic Republic of Iran supports would be restitution to the Palestinians. Give them back their land in which all the Palestinians whether Christians, Jews or Muslims can live peacefully and establish their government through free, fair and democratic elections.

The occupying state is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East region and not a member of NPT. It has repeatedly voiced its determination to stop Iran’s nuclear programme even through military means. Iran as a responsible country is committed to international obligations by adhering to the NPT and Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban regulations and supports a world free of nuclear weapons.

It was also mentioned that ‘’the Islamic Republic of Iran supports terrorist groups like Hamas and Hizbullah’’. It should go on record that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not support terrorism and does not believe in their activities. One thing is for sure: Hizbullah and Hamas came up largely as a response to Israel’s regime occupation and colonisation policies in Palestine and Lebanon alongside other secondary reasons.

As for the Al-Qaeda, it should be known that not only Iran but also all Muslims do not believe in their ideology. Iran is against killing of innocent people and respects life. The true roots of Al-Qaeda stem from the decade-long conflict that plagued Afghanistan from 1979-1989 after Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union. Some Western state poured in billions of dollars in secret assistance to Al-Qaeda. When the Soviet pulled out of Afghanistan in early 1989, Al-Qaeda did not dissolve.

Any geo-politician around the world will attest to the fact that Iran has gained considerable growth in the global map. Iran will remain pivotal for the foreseeable future because of its strategic location, resources and revolutionary ideology. Given Iran’s influential role in relation to developments in the Middle East and its potential for strategic partnership, the country can serve as a critical point where solutions to international problems can be found in cooperation with other big powers.

The focal attitude of Iran’s foreign policy is interaction, reaching out and moderation.  It has the inclination and capacity for coalition-building and collective work with other countries in pursuit of its national interests. Iran will continue to forge ahead as a nation which sees other sovereign states with respect and dignity as they exchange not only developmental endeavours but also rich cultural experiences.

THE CULTURAL COUNCIL OF THE EMBASSY OF THE ISLAMIC

REPUBLIC OF IRAN

P.o. Box 59595-00200, Nairobi

Tel: 2214352/318833

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