Interviewer: A reporter of the Dutch Radio-Television
Question: [You are very popular among the youth. How are you going to respond to this amazing popularity?]
Answer: They have realized that we are exactly pursuing what is in their nature and in their dream from way back; they consider us their servants. This is why they like us, just as I like them.
Q: [How would you evaluate the communists' position in Iran? To what extent and based on what evaluating factors? What do the Soviets' think about the current situation?]
A: The Communists have no power in Iran. Almost all Iranians are Muslims, and in this movement, they have proved how much they love Islam and desire an Islamic government. But the Soviets, like other superpowers, support the Shah, and they are trying to preserve the Shah by supporting him but they can't. People don't want the Shah; he must go.
Q: [In the current situation of France, some members of the parliament have questioned the government about your stay in France, and expressed their concerns. What is Your Eminence's opinion?]
A: We expect the government of France, which has always introduced itself as a human rights observer, to recognize and support the ongoing movement in Iran against the Shah's oppression, which demands nothing but legitimate basic human rights, and to prove their liberalism if they're claiming to be liberals. And we expect the French nation to support the Iranian nation, which is giving martyrs and the wounded under the boots of the superpowers everyday, and still has not ceased its freedom-seeking struggles for administering justice.
Q: [Can it be said that with the establishment of the new government and the imprisonment of some individuals, «1» a new problem and situation has been created?]
A: Iran has been run by a military government for a while now, and these actions that the Shah is taking are some maneuvers that won't affect our movement, and are plans instigated by the Shah and foreigners to be executed, but they won't do the Shah any good. The nation is extremely angry with the Shah. The presence or absence of the military government makes no difference.
Q: [Is coordinating all the opposition forces in Iran possible?]
A: We don't have different forces. The Iranian nation has truly arisen for its rights. But those who are affiliated to the Shah and feed on him, may be varied until they are brought under one umbrella by the exercise of politics. The Iranian nation is unanimous and anyone opposing the nation's will is a traitor.
Q: [Are you ready to issue an order for an armed movement against the Shah, which would naturally turn into a civil war?]
A: We hope to win without having to resort to an armed war, and that the Shah withdraws. And if at some point the circumstances demand, we would take the armed struggle into consideration.