In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Complaining about the Soviet Union's interference in Iran and Afghanistan
Islamic tenets are of a peaceful kind. We want the people of all strata to be peaceful. As I had reminded you previously, we wish to have friendly relations with the countries that also want to have friendly relations with us. We hope that your country and government will maintain the mutual respect between us, and behave in a way so that your interference in our country's affairs is not made known in Iran. I do not want your interference in Ahwaz to be revealed here. «1» Your behavior should be such that the misunderstanding is removed. Nothing should be done to show that weapons are being brought into Iran from the Soviet Union. I have a complaint against you if this matter be true. Much of Iran's trade in the past was with Russia, the Soviet Union of today. At that time America was not in the picture at all. We are desirous of having good relations with you: economic ties and political ties. This is subject to the observance of mutual respect. We want you to prevent the issues that lead some people to say certain things; the most important being the dispatch of weapons. As mentioned before, we want an Islamic solution in Afghanistan which is a Muslim country. Soviet interference in that country will also affect Iran. We ask the Soviet Union not to interfere in Afghanistan. I wish to repeat that we want to have friendly relations.
When our youth say," neither East nor West," it means that neither of them should interfere in Iran. This is absolutely proper and justified. You must prove that weapons made in the Soviet Union are not brought into Iran from there. Our ties should be sound and proper. No country should interfere in ours and neither will we interfere in any other country.
[After having made these statements, the Imam stressed on the Islamic nature of the people's movement in Afghanistan. He rejected the contention of the Soviet Ambassador that there is counterrevolutionary movement in that country and stated:]
The Shah's fate awaiting Taraki
It is obvious that you do not have much information on Afghanistan. I should broadly say that the activities in the name of communism being carried out in Iran and Afghanistan by certain people are not in the interests of the Soviet Union. I even believe that the communists in Iran have closer ties with America. The present government in Afghanistan is putting a lot of pressure on the people in the name of communism. We have received information to the effect that about fifty-thousand people have been killed in Afghanistan and that the `ulama' of Islam have been arrested there. If Taraki «2» continues in this fashion, his fate will follow that of the Shah. I do not want the ties of the Muslim countries with Soviet Union to become strained.
May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.