Question: Regarding the severe anti-American sentiments created in Iran and the anti-Iranian sentiments created in the United States, what is Imam's comment on the Iran-America relations in the future if the present crisis is resolved? Do you think this enmity between Iran and America will continue in the coming generation?
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Answer: You referred to anti-American sentiments in Iran. Here we hold harsh sentiments against the American government, not against the American people. When we use the term America, we mean the American government, and not the American people. What is going on in the United States I am not aware of. But my guess is that due to Zionist propaganda, the American people might have negative feelings towards us. They think what the Zionist are saying is true.
But I am not hopeful that neither the United States will change their attitude towards us nor will it improve due to the fact that they have lost a lot of benefits in Iran. And worse than this the American government has lost its political prestige in many places because of the political atmosphere created[ after the revolution ]. Regarding this issue, there is a possibility that the Americans hold such views as it is said. Through the printed media, radio, television and other means there is a greater possibility that we can influent them to change their views if we disclose the facts about Iran to them in the U. S. Then the American people may adopt our views, which are not bad, about them, and they, too will change their attitude toward us.
The American people have thus adopted such a negative view of us because they consider us their enemies; we have assumed for ourselves the image of underdogs and are crying out meekly because we have suffered thirty-odd years under the rule of this king, have been installed here in Iran by the Allied Forces when the heads of the three governments came to Iran.
As the Shah himself had confessed, when Roosevelt came here, the Allied Forces thought that it best to keep this man (the Shah) and his family installed ruling over us I the same manner that the English installed his father (Rida Khan) as the king Iran. Thusly, we witness that America hoisted in power to dominate us someone who virtually divested us of our honor, decimated our oil reserves and young forces and other assets we had. Because of this, we old unpleasant views of the American government and our nation the same negative views towards American people.
This especially true when it has been revealed recently that America has converted its so-called embassy into an espionage den not only on Iran but the region. The personnel of this embassy act as spies. Now that the Iranian nation has found this out, it considers the United States government as its prime enemy. The American nation as such is innocent in regard to this matter, but it has to know that America has oppressed and wronged its own nation in the same way it had done to the Iranian nation. The American government has done injustice to us in that it has robbed us of our possessions and properties through its agent in Iran, called Muhammad-Rida. It has done injustice to the American nation in that it has jeopardized their decency and pride. Now the East may look at American people in a bad light and Carter is to blame for this. Now the American nation should realize the danger of Carter's being the helm of the[ U. S. ]presidency in that he will further ruin their pride and honor. Thus, we have to wait and see how the problem will be solved. Now we cannot surmise how the issue will be resolved; we should try to foresee what the situation will be if a solution is found.
The United States might try the military or economic options against us. It might also put pressure over its allies to do the same and make us isolated. This, of course, is not a rational solution. This will only aggravate the problem and will render it unsolvable. It is also possible that ultimately we will not find a solution to it because it is beyond our power to carry out what we want to do. If this happens, the problem will remain unsolved and may become unsolvable. However, the United States should realize the gravity of the situation. They have granted asylum to a criminal. This was their first blunder, their second mistake was to support Rida Khan's son against our nation and made him dominant us. Like father, like son. It was a mistake that America imposed these [two criminals] on our nation and us.
The United States' next it has been their unconditional support for this man through whom could easily plunder us of our possessions and assets. The U. S. continued to defend him when our nation was trying so hard to get rid of him. It adamantly insisted that the Shah's regime had to stay in power. And now, that the nation emerged victorious in its struggle and the U. S. could not keep the Shah installed in power, it sheltered this criminal, against whom a nation has fought so hard to overthrow, and gave him asylum. Its most crucial error has been in keeping this traitor under the pretext of philanthropism or love for humanity.
I strongly doubt that the American nation could ever be convinced that Carter has done this devilish act out of his love for humanity. This is because the superpowers have no concern for humanity whatsoever. What they care for is their own interest. They would destroy two hundred thousand people with a bomb if they found it necessary. Having this in mind, it becomes evident that their grant of asylum to this man could not have been out of their respect for human dignity. Rather, it could easily be assumed that he was kidnapped by them for their later use. He was given asylum so that he could not be tried and convicted by us. If he were here, the wrong-doings of the American presidents could easily be exposed. And if it is proved that Carter had been dishonest towards us, then the people would not vote for him.
We believe that Carter's goal is to become president a second time and he is connecting all these ploys for five or six year tenure of the presidency. By so doing, he, firstly, ruins America's reputation, and secondly, he is reflecting the severity of his own criminality by keeping a criminal who destroyed a country's dignity during his thirty odd years of rule. Carter brought the Shah to America and said that he had to stay there. The" Mr. Philanthropist" imposes economic sanctions to put us in great difficulty and sacrifice the (Iranian) nation for one ailing man to survive!
We strongly doubt Carter's humanitarian wishes! What about the thirty-five million human beings (in Iran), or Vietnam, or Lebanon and other places? We are witnessing what crimes America is committing in Lebanon; how they tyrannize its people. All with Mr. Carter's approval. What we are asking for is to have Shah to make up for the damages that they have inflicted upon us in the past. Of course, some acts of their ferocity are irreparable, such as the massacre of nearly one hundred thousand people and replace the young forces and man powers that the Shah destroyed. However, they can compensate some of the country's wealth they had plundered; they should be aware that Iran today is not the Iran of the previous regime. This era is not the era of the past until the time of the ex-regime [might resolves its differences?]
Now Iran has changed. It has improved a great deal. Miracles have taken place in Iran. At one time they could easily close down the whole bazaar through a policeman's command. He could order Iranians to raise the Iranian flags for such occasions as Aban, the fourth and the people could not say a word (of protest). But a miracle happened in Iran that this nation underwent a transformation and stood firm against tanks with their fists and now they still are ready to do so. Now, people put in their shrouds come over here and express their desires for martyrdom. Such a nation will not surrender anymore. It will never accept any hegemony; nor will it ever be dominated.
Carter's other mistake lies in his inability to fathom the depth of the upheaval which has taken place in Iran. He is still under the misconception that this nation will be obedient to any dictator that they might impose upon us.
If Carter had a true picture of what is taking place in Iran now, he would drastically change his attitude towards us. It is time for the American nation to get rid of Carter now and to elect a right president. Only then could we normalize our relations with the United States. I have no further comment.