Interviewer: A reporter of Africa Tomorrow
Question: [What are the features of the movement of the Iranian nation against the Shah?]
Answer: The first characteristic of this movement is that it is Islamic and is accompanied with Islamic slogans and objectives that reflect the demands of the oppressed and disinherited. The second feature of this movement is that it is not dependent on foreign powers. Basically our movement is a popular movement, encompassing all the oppressed strata of the society. Today, no one, except the Shah and his supporters, is against the Islamic movement and uprising. Another feature of this movement is that it seeks fundamental changes in all aspects of the Iranian society, that is, the collapse of the Shah, elimination of the monarchical system, and establishment of an Islamic government.
Q: [Would you explain the reasons for your exile?]
A: Fifteen years ago when the Shah, at the behest of the United States, decided to approve the bill of Capitulation by the houses of the Parliament, I condemned this treachery of the Shah in a speech and issued a statement in this regard, informing the Iranian nation of this colonial policy of the United States. After a few days, they raided my house in Qum in nighttime, arrested me and then exiled me to Turkey. Under the pressure of public opinion, the Turkish government asked the Iranian government to change the country of my exile, and I was finally exiled to Iraq. Under the pressure of the Shah, after fifteen years, the Iraqi government expressed its opposition to my Islamic activities against the royal, monarchical system. Hence, I decided to go to Kuwait, an Islamic country, to decide about the place of my stay there. But despite having the visa of that country, the government of Kuwait prevented my entry to that country and inevitably I had to come to France, where my stay is temporary.
Q: [On what basis are you opposed to the constitutional monarchy and the Shah?]
A: I am opposed to the continuation of the person of Shah as monarch, because, firstly he and his father came to power through coup d'etat and force of bayonet. The Shah himself has confessed that the Allied Forces deemed it necessary to keep him in power. That is, the nation's will did not play any role in bringing him to power. Therefore his reign is fundamentally illegal and is not legitimate. Secondly, the Shah throughout his reign has continuously violated the Islamic laws and trampled upon all the rights of the Iranian society. Currently the absolute majority of the Iranian nation has risen against him, demanding his ouster, and there are tens of other reasons for my opposition I have frequently explained in statements and speeches. But I am against the system of monarchy and the royal regime in Iran, for basically monarchy is a kind of government system that is not based on the people's votes, rather a person comes to power through force of bayonet and then through this very force he imposes the hereditary right to government of his dynasty as a legal right on the nation. Naturally, a ruler, who has come to power through the force of bayonet or heredity and does not rely on the people's vote, never finds himself duty-bound to pass or execute the laws which are in the interests of the people. The record of the monarchy in Iran has not been anything other than this.
Q: [You level accusations against the United States for its recent measures as well as its performance since the ouster of Musaddiq. Would you explain the reason for this accusation?]
A: In contravention to the international, humane norms, for long years the United States has been directly interfering in Iran's internal affairs so much so that today that the Shah is on the verge of collapse and the Iranian nation has risen up to determine its own destiny, the US president directly and some other US officials officially interfere and contrary to the resolute determination of the Iranian nation announce," We support the Shah and must support him because he is the best friend and protector of our interests in the region."
We have witnessed that over long years most of the policies, rather all the policies, of the Shah in various fields had aimed to protect the interests of the United States and its allies. He has destroyed Iran's agriculture to the advantage of the United States. He has helped the US plunder our underground resources, particularly our oil, and has turned Iran into a depot of the US-made weapons or those made by its allies with the oil income. These weapons have no use except killing the children of the nation in cities and villages. Moreover he has imposed about forty thousand American military advisors on us. Besides the annual salaries paid to these advisors, which is a backbreaking fund imposed on the nation, the very advisors, under the supervision of the US Embassy, control the affairs of the country and direct them toward the interests of the United States, depriving the Iranian army of any freedom of action. They have mobilized the army to protect the Shah contrary to its will. With the help of the Shah, the United States has turned Iran into a military base against its rival superpower. Relying on the force of bayonet, the Shah has plundered the rights of the Iranian laborers and workers. The American capitalists consider Iran the best place for exploitation and in various ways have poured their capitals into Iran. I must say that the dimensions of US interference in Iran are so widespread that I cannot enumerate all of them in this limited time.
Q: [What solutions do you propose for the present crisis and future of Iran?]
A: We have always said that the first condition for the settlement of the present crisis is the abdication of the Shah and another solution is that the United States and other powers refrain from interfering in our internal affairs. I have said several times that there is no solution with the existence of the Shah.
Q: [Can other intellectual currents, besides what you have, contribute to the advancement of this struggle?]
A: What exists in Iran, in the form of an intellectual current, is the very genuine Islamic ideals and demands. If the Iranian nation demands the elimination of the monarchical regime, the establishment of the Islamic government, the termination of the foreign domination of the Islamic government, the punishment of those who have plundered the national wealth, and the like of these demands, all of these stem from the progressive Islamic principles and fundamentals. All the slogans and demonstrations in cities and villages of Iran bear witness to this fact. What is distinct from Islam, the Islamic ideals and the Islamic movement cannot be termed as a current, for such issues do not have any appeal among the people.
Q: [Will you preserve the National Front with all its constituting components?]
A: Any individual, group or party that can coordinate itself with the demands of the current Islamic movement in Iran- in which the entire nation is participating- can continue to discharge its duty. Otherwise, they would not be having any place among the people and the Iranian nation is following such issues vigilantly.
Q: [Will you expand the strikes, particularly in the oil industry, in order to accelerate the collapse of the Shah? ]
A: I have asked all the employees and workers of the public and private organizations, particularly those of the oil industries, to expand their strikes as soon as possible.
Q: [What measures will you take against the operating multinational corporations, particularly the oil corporations that are at the peak of their power in Iran?]
A: One of the duties of the future government is to put an end to the intrusions of these international criminals in Iran who shed the blood of the nations in order to safeguard their illegitimate interests. In fact these corporations have invested in Iran with the agreement of illegitimate Iranian governments. Hence, they do not have any right to continue their operations.
Q: [What will be the nature of Iran-France relations after the collapse of the Shah?]
A: We will treat France or any other country on the basis of mutual respect and by safeguarding our own interests, ideals and exigencies provided that they respect our freedom and independence and do not intend to encroach upon the interests of our nation or plunder our resources.
Q: [What is your opinion about the Camp David Accord? How do you evaluate the settlement of the Palestinian problem?]
A: The Camp David Accord is nothing but a political ploy and game for the perpetuation of the Israeli invasion against the Muslims. For more than fifteen years I have been condemning Israel in my statements and speeches and defended the Palestinian nation and their territory. Israel is a usurper and must evacuate Palestine as soon as possible. And the only solution is that the Palestinian brothers eradicate this corrupt entity as soon as possible and uproot colonialism in the area so that peace is returned to the region.