Speech [The expectations of the world's oppressed peoples from the pope; the objective of the occupation of the US Embassy; not fearing military intervention or economic sanctions]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

At this critical moment, I would not had any other official requested an audience, I would not have accepted. However, I honor the spiritual position of the Christian world and the Great Pope; therefore I accepted such a meeting and I am delighted as well that the pope has sent me a message so that I may advise him of the matters in which should be advised.

There is an ambiguous point before us- the world has oppressed nations, both Muslims and Christians and I wish to point it out. The thirty five million Iranian Muslims, who have been under fifty years of exploitation and pressure especially from America and recently from Mr. Carter, and oppressed millions in the world, has always expected a comforting message from the spiritual position of the Pope: a fatherly caress which would put this oppressed nation at some ease, he was expected to warn the aggressors who exerted their tyranny over this nation. He should have arbitrated between the aggressors, who call themselves Christians, and the oppressed nation of Iran. Up to now, we have not yet heard such a comforting voice. There was not even one case of arbitration by the Pope during these fifty years when we suffered mass killings; when our youth lost their lives in the obnoxious prisons of Iran, where they received inhuman tortures. The Great Pope did not think of arbitrating between the United States and the oppressed Iranian nation and the great Pope did not think to support this oppressed nation, or at least mediate so that the tyrants would leave this oppressed nation alone. Now our youth, who have been suffering tortures of all kinds for years, have captured the den of spies where conspiracies were going on at all times, not only against Iran, but against the whole region. They have received some documents but most of them were turned to a powder and cannot be used anymore.

If the Americans carried out their normal embassy activities there would have been no needs for this. And if they had not dealt in things which were against our nation's interests, there would have been no need [to capture the embassy]. Now that this conspiracy has been unveiled for our nation, and the action of these youth is supported by everybody except for those who have gone astray, it was the wish of all of our nation, not a whim, but a human desire for conspiracies to be unmasked, plots which are against humanity, against our nation, against Iran. And this is our nation's right.

The embassies are not legally allowed to carry out espionage or conspiracies. This embassy and according to the good judgment of our experts had been a place for conspiracies. How come the Great Pope is now thinking of humanitarian factors and is stressing the fact that we should have humane treatments towards the American imprisoned staff humanely? Islam treats even its enemies well. And as far as I have heard, these youths have behaved in a human way, so his eminence must not worry about this matter.

Now about the freedom of the imprisoned staff of the American Embassy. Let us see what we want and what our nation wants. Is our wish legitimate or not? Is it humanitarian reasons which have made our youth capture this center and stop the conspiracies or is it against humanity? What we want is for this man [the Shah] who is now in the U.S.A, who has been torturing the Iranian nation for thirty seven years, who has betrayed this nation, who has squandered our resources, and who has made life miserable for our youth, and has tyrannized us and who has killed a great many people on the fifteenth of Khordad, whose command has caused the death of more than one hundred thousand people since the 15 th of Khordad, now, this nation wants the return of this criminal so that it can try him. If he is convicted he should return the wealth which has been taken from this country and deposited in foreign banks. He and his associates have filled the American and western banks with Iranian money. When I know, and our nation- the generation which is the same age as mine- has seen, and those who have not seen, have heard, and others have told them that, when his father carried out the coup d'etat in Iran he had no money whatsoever. He was a mere soldier: al-Yad. «1» When Rida Shah dominated the nation, he started capturing the people's lands by force. Mazandaran, our best green lands, fell in his name by force. Many of the land owners and some of the clerics, who expressed any opinion about this were captured, imprisoned, and sometimes killed. At the time of Rida Shah I remember the Gowharshad massacre, and those who are my age can remember within a short time Rida Shah's agents entered the holy place, killing a great many of the protestants. When he was expelled he carried large amounts of jewelry. Then while taking the journey on the sea, the British navy plundered that jewelry. Later his son, a true criminal, was imposed on us by the Allied. This happened while our nation was not content with his reign. He was imposed on us, anyhow. When he started his kingdom he had to submit to the foreigners any concession they wished for. The number of his treasons is just beyond imagination. One such treason is his purchase of weaponry from the United States for the oil revenues which we received. It is worth mentioning that those ammunitions were used in American military bases in Iran.

I wished one of the great religious authorities of Christianity would have said a kind word concerning this oppressed nation. I cannot believe that the Vatican had been in the dark regarding our situation. I have a problem here. If our nation asked me if the Christian clerics are content with the crimes which were carried out by the Americans, I do not know what to say. Christian clergy knows that the Holy Qur'an has defended both Jesus Christ (`a) and Maryam (`a). The Holy Qur'an denied the accusations leveled against that great lady. The Holy Qur'an has also defended the Christian scholars and the Qississins. «2» Now that the Holy Qur'an has defended Jesus Christ (`a) and the Christian scholars, we expected that the Great pope would comfort us under those critical moments by asking Carter why he has harbored such a criminal. Why does Carter keep a criminal in his country?

We are not surprised to see that now Carter is impatient to solve the problem by returning to the States the imprisoned staff of the American Embassy. He is a politician and is after American interests. But what about Pope? Why does he want to arbitrate between an oppressed nation and an oppressor to free the prisoners? If we could, we would prepare for the Shah's trial in a third country. But we could never take twenty million witnesses out of this country and put them in the trial to show the extent of injustice which our workers, farmers, religious experts, university students have suffered during the Shah's domination. But due to the respect that we have for the Pope, we are ready to try the king in front of the Pope's representatives in Iran. We are even content to have Carter's envoys at the trial. We will accept whatever verdict the court issues.

And let the pope realize that the issue is not anything that I could resolve personally. I am not eager to impose anything on my nation. And Islam does not let us engage in the act of dictatorship. We depend on our nation's votes. We follow up what our nation decides. Neither God, nor our Prophet (s) would give us the right to go against our nation's votes. Of course, at times we might humbly ask our nation for something: but it is the favor that a country's servant wants of the nation. But the point at issue is that what the nation decides is out of my control. And we know that our nation has backed up this occupation of the American Embassy.

Any way, our demand [the Shah's return to Iran] is a humane one. Everybody should abide by this. Our nation loves humanity like your nation who should follow Jesus Christ (`a). You should love humanity and it is exactly this love that forces us to receive that man [the Shah] to put him on just trial. We want to know who had instigated him to carry out crimes of such a magnitude. We want the world's people to know who the real criminal is. Now what is the Pope's verdict?

I hereby ask the Pope to whom Carter has resorted to contact Carter and analyze the issue for him and send some envoys to study the situation. Let us hear what the Pope's reaction is. He should realize the scope of the crimes that has engulfed us, the amount of theft that has taken place concerning our national reserves. Then let Mr. Pope decide what we should do. Should we let this staff go back to the States without having apprehended that criminal? We are sure that the Pope will not agree to such a plan. Everybody for sure is against crimes as such.

Thus, our argument is sound and clear. This realization is accepted by everybody except by Carter. Give us back the criminal you are harboring: the criminal who has scorched our youth, who has sawed the legs of our youth. Let us have him tried here, a just trial. Let them send their representatives to partake in the trial. If we are wrong, let them take him and put him on the throne, to be the king once more! And if Mr. Carter is wrong, you should impeach Mr. Carter with the spiritual authority that you possess. Remember they behave against Christianity while they pretend they are Christian. They carry out all sorts of crimes and this is not accepted by Jesus Christ (`a).

Mr. Pope should care for the Christian nation; he should consider all the oppressed nations; he should consider the dignity of the Christian nations. The Pope should introduce to the world those who carry out crimes in the name of Christianity. He should introduce to the whole world the crimes which are being done. He should let the Americans as well as other nations know about these crimes in the same way that we have treated towards Muhammad-Rida. People knew of his crimes, but we publicized his wrong-doings. You should do the same thing as well. Then we will appreciate your good work. You should indeed save the Christian nations. In the Christian world, crimes are being done by Christians. This is improper for [the followers] Jesus Christ (`a). If Christ (`a) were alive now, he would impeach Carter. If Jesus Christ (`a) were living now, he would protect us against these devils. You are Jesus Christ's representatives; you should do the same thing as well.

May God make us familiar with our divine tasks and be the defenders of the oppressed. We hope the Pope will care for this oppressed nation. We hope. He will forgive us that we are unable to carry out his demand. But the first thing that he has referred to will be carried out: that is the issue of human treatment of these prisoners. I wish you will go and see them and talk to them since you are the Pope's representatives. They are surely comfortable while they are here. Of course, now Carter is resorting to anything that he may lay his hands on.

It is sometimes heard from some grouping that military expeditions against us are on the way and sometimes of economic sanctions. Unfortunately, a man who calls himself Iranian and claims he is Iranian prior to being a Muslim and I believe he is neither an Iranian nor a Muslim- requests Carter to carry out economic sanctions against Iran. He is an Iranian, living now in England «3», he is Bakhtiyar; mentions that he is nationalistic. The point, which once I mentioned, has now become evident. I have told you the superpowers may protect a person for twenty or thirty years so it can become their servant yet committed to wear national dress like Bakhtiyar who pretended to be an associate of Dr. Musaddiq and claims to be a national character. After passing a certain period of time and arrival of a day, they intend to avail them even after twenty years. He was a member of the National Front and pretended he was an Iranian before being a Muslim- and this is blasphemy by itself- so avail from this element and they took advantage of him. He now took on the task, after Muhammad-Rida- the worst creature of God- of killing people: he ordered man-slaughter; however, he was met with disobedience. Then, he talked about to enact economic sanctions against us. Now, I should proclaim that we are neither frightened of the military intervention nor of the economic sanctions. We do not feel fear of him because we are Shi`ites of those Imams who welcomed martyrdom. Our nation also embrace martyrdom. Let us assume that Carter takes armies to Iran; although he is unable to do so yet we just assume that these superpowers dispatch their troops to Iran, We have a population of thirty-five millions, most of them desire martyrdom. We will move towards battlefield with thirty-five millions. After you have massacred all of us, you can do whatever you want with Iran. We are not scared of it as we are men of fighting, we are warriors, and we are men of struggle. Our youth struggled by their fists with tanks and machineguns. Mr. Carter cannot frighten us of strife because we are men of resistance. Although we do not possess any weapon to fight yet we have our bodies to confront them and we shall do this.

Concerning the economy, I should say we are in the habit of going hungry; we have endured thirty-five or fifty years of hunger and we are used to this affliction. We fast and eat abstemiously. If they ever carry out economic sanctions against us and assume that all nations follow them yet this is just immature idea which can never be implemented. Suppose if it happened then we will resort to the wheat and barley that we cultivate ourselves in our country. We will economize, it would be sufficient for us. We feed on meat only once a weak and eating meat is not a good practice. We may eat only one meal [a day]. Do not frighten us with these gimmicks. If the issue of eating and our prestige are brought up, we will prefer to preserve our prestige and dignity. Please send my best regards to His Reverence the Pope. Please mention that because of existing religious among us as you and we are monotheists, recognizing God, please ask him to assist this oppressed nation. Give the superpowers some pieces of advice and if necessary, impeach them.