Speech [The Pahlavi rule, the rule of the bayonet; and illegal contracts]

We advised the Shah but his arrogance prevented him from heeding our advice and things ended up the way you see them now. He did not listen to our advice and the situation boiled down to what they are now. He has gone now and he destroyed the country and left. That is, he rendered the whole country in utter ruins that there is not a single patch of land left that is redeemable. Take the agriculture for example, it is completely destroyed. Look at our culture, it is a parasitic culture. Look at the military, it is run by American and Israeli advisers and wherever you look the same situation exists.

During the fifty-year period (of Pahlavi rule), we never had a legal parliament. The parliament was in no connection with the people who were not consulted on any issues. At the time of Rida Khan, I can remember and anybody of my age can remember- you can not recall- that we did not have any parliament. Whatever we had was brought about with the force of the bayonet! You all know that during Rida Khan's time, he himself had said that lists (deputies) were brought from (foreign) embassies. However, he would say that they used to be brought in before and not during his time! He meant that when he staged a" revolution", the lists were not brought anymore. But the issue is that if what he was saying was right that lists would be brought in- which was true- then our parliament was an American protege parliament; and if it was a lie and lists were not brought in, then the parliament is an imperial rubber-stamp parliament! It was not the nation's parliament. Therefore, those people and the governments who were offshoots of such a parliament and Rida Khan's and the imperial regime were largely illegal because the parliament was illegal. The Shah is illegal for we know that he had been imposed upon us. His father was imposed on us by the British and I myself heard it from Delhi radio, which was run by the British, that they installed him to power, but he betrayed them so they deposed him! He was not a nationalist and was then imposed upon the Allied powers. He himself had written in his book that the Allied powers believed that they had to be! But later it seemed this story was omitted from the books. We have had neither a legitimate monarch nor a legal parliament. At the time of Rida Shah, the parliament was set up at bayonet's point. Therefore, the installation of the Pahlavi dynasty was with the force of the bayonet and not by the parliament. Hence, we do not accept all these because they are all illegal based on the fact that the Shah is illegal and that the government arising from an illegal parliament and monarch is illegal. Everything that has transpired in this country so far (has all been against the law).

If we take a little effort, we will discover that all the contracts that had been signed during these fifty years were against the law. That is the previous Parliament was not a national one; the government, which it introduced, was not borne out of the people; everything was accomplished at bayonet's point. In other words, we lived at bayonet's point for these fifty years and these past couple of years we have lived at bayonet's point and with bloodshed. We lived in bloodshed. All our children are either in prison or, in exile, or have been tortured to death or have been burnt. They (executioners) would place a metal tray on which prisoners would be made to lie and then electricity would pass through their bodies and they were burnt! Such was the situation we were in! We were in such deplorable conditions.

The government of this man, «1» which was an offshoot of this parliament and monarch, and one that has been brought about by the force of the bayonets, is not a government until we say he should step down and resign! It is not a true government. He does not need to resign at all. Only if a government is legal the person can resign. However, if anybody comes to his senses and repent, his repentance will be accepted by God and the nation. Those who do not relinquish their posts are culpable; and are wallowing in sin in their life. Those who have abandoned their posts are absolved from blame and God accepts their repentance. I implore God to grant you success so that from now on you will be for the nation. Mister, side with the nation and advise this man (the Shah) to be with the nation. If you can, go and have a meeting with him so that mayhem will be avoided. Do not let it reach a point where we will be forced to tell the nation to attack and destroy him. We do not want things to turn out this way. We wish that the issue be resolved in a sensible manner. And since we do not recognize him as the prime minister, we have appointed a prime minister based on canonical rule and leadership.