Interviewers: Reporters of the Lebanese al-Hadaf daily and Austrian Radio
Question: [Your Eminence, how do you evaluate the real situation of Iran?]
Answer: Today, a revolution is going on in Iran. Strikes have encompassed all the strata. The Shah's martial law is engaged in massacre and plunder. They provoke the marauders to attack the cities and kill the people. Our universities are all closed. Our seminaries are all shut down. There is total disorder. And these are all because the Iranian nation does not want the regime that has tyrannically ruled over the people for fifty years. It has created fifty years of suffocation and killed the people. The people do not want this regime and, God willing, they will triumph.
Q: [Your Eminence, what is your stance toward the other opponents of the Shah in Iran?]
A: We agree, and we are brothers, with anybody who agrees with the demands of the Iranian nation, that is, the collapse of the Shah and the monarchical system. And if they do not agree with those demands, they are naturally betrayers and we do not agree with them.
Q: [What should be the composition of the future government to win your confirmation?]
A: A republican government based on the people's votes, Islamic votes, and based on the Islamic law. This is what we call the Islamic Republic and is acknowledged by us.
Q: [What is the opinion of Your Eminence toward the United States and Soviet Union? Do you perceive any military intervention by these powers in Iran in the future?]
A: No, we don't foresee such a probability, for currently something similar to the US military intervention in Iran is underway. The Iranian nation believes that it should gain independence and freedom. Hence, how could the problems in Iran be settled through the intervention of these two powers? Of course the countries that do not interfere in our internal affairs and treat us justly will be treated by us justly and in a similar manner.
Q: [What will be the nature of your relations with the Arab countries? What direction will you tilt toward- toward such progressive Arab countries as Libya, Syria, and Iraq, or toward the moderate countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt?]
A: The government we are going to establish will be an Islamic one, the Islamic Republic. We will be of course closer to those countries that are closer to the Islamic Republic and we will be farther from those that are farther from the Islamic Republic.
Q: [The martial law (martial cabinet of Ghulam-Rida Azhari) has announced that it is determined to amend the constitution to make it compatible with the Islamic laws- this is what some Arab dailies have announced. Your Eminence, do you think that the Shah will be able to influence the opposition front and attract some of them through such plans and measures?]
A: They are lying. If they are sincere, the first things in the constitution that are against Islam are the Shah's reign and the monarchy. If this is set right, other Islamic laws are also taken into account and those who are at the top are gone, then we will clarify our position.