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IRAN: Khamenei delivers fiery message, without hint of compromise, to Obama administration

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Iran’s supreme leader delivered a fiery speech Wednesday in a meeting with supporters in the city of Tabriz, offering not a single hint that the country was ready to make a deal with the United States over its nuclear program, or anything else for that matter.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton toured the region and described Iran as a budding military dictatorship, said his nation ‘will never back down from its positions and it could by no means be intimidated by threats and oppositions.’

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He said Iran opposed not just U.S. ambitions in the region but the entire American-dominated global system.

‘We make it clear here that we are opposed to several countries dominating the world and we will fight this system and will never let several governments play with the fate of the world,’ he said in comments posted to his website. ‘They utter lies against Iran over its nuclear programs, human rights record and democracy because the Iranian nation is steadfast and firm.’

More excerpts from his comments below.

On Clinton’s visit to the region:

‘The Americans have once more dispatched their agent to roam in the Persian Gulf and repeat the same lies against Iran. But nobody believes these lies because the United States never seeks to serve the interests of nations in the region and it has even trampled upon this region for its own illegitimate interests.’

On Clinton’s accusation that Iran was becoming a military dictatorship:

‘The real belligerent is the U.S. The U.S. has turned the Persian Gulf into an arms depot, launched invasions against Iraq and Afghanistan and is now throwing its gauntlet at Pakistan. Under such conditions, it spreads lies against the Islamic Republic of Iran.’

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On Iranian relations with Middle East states:

‘All the nations and some governments in the region know well that the Islamic Republic advocates peace, fraternity and dignity for the regional and Muslim countries. Arrogant governments are not recognized even by their own nations. It is natural for the Islamic Republic to face opposition by several arrogant governments, led by Zionist companies. The reason is that the Islamic Republic calls for justice in the world.’

On prospects for normalization of ties with the West:

‘If one day the tentacle-like network of global capitalism praises us, that day will be day of mourning for us.’

On the domestic opposition and post-election unrest:

‘The enemies of the revolution and their spokesperson inside the country left no stones unturned to prove their allegations that the Islamic Revolution has deviated from its path. Since a long time ago, Western leaders including the U.S. president claimed having swayed the Iranian people, but the massive presence of people on [the Feb. 11 anniversary of the revolution] humiliated them.

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‘Domestic opposition groups used to speak against the Islamic regime’s policies and gestures, but the Feb. 11 rally showed very well what people want. These opposition groups had wrongly imagined that people are no longer faithful to the revolution.

‘Our enemies thought the post-election riots touched off by ignorant individuals inside the country could play into their hands to undermine the Islamic Republic. But we saw the contrary. The post-election events added to our power.’

-- Los Angeles Times

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