By Hamed Ghashghavi, Tehran
[Editor’s Note: Hamed Ghasghghavi is the son on an Iran-Iraq war vet who fought during that long eight year war where US supplied chemical weapons were used not only against the Kurds, but as WMD against the Iranian people.
Iraq also rained Scud missiles down on Iranian cities when Iran had nothing to use as a deterrent of to retaliate with.
These hard lessons are burned into the minds of their people and why they will never agree to foreign influence limiting their defensive forces, which of course include having a credible deterrent and retaliation capability.
International law provides for such, the right of self defense, which includes the ability of destroying bases used to attack you. Most people are not aware of this. Now you know why. Demanding that a country not have a credible defense is an act of aggression in itself, which rains on conning the public that your target is a threat, when the threatening party is their own country.
Hamed presents us with what is not only an Iranian viewpoint on the recent protests, but from someone who is very involved in monitoring Iran’s domestic and foreign policy. He has also been one of the key organizers of events like the New Horizon Conferences which Gordon and I hope to be attending in March.
As you read through Hamed’s article it will be quite different from anything you have read in Western media, which is why we are running it, so you have these new data points to add into your own analysis of what is really going on.
One of the biggest surprises for me below were the corruption convictions which included close associates and relatives of major political figures, something we rarely see here in the West. One of these has been President Rouhani’s brother, proof that an independent judiciary is certainly functioning in Iran … Jim W. Dean ]
– First published … January 18, 2018 –
Two weeks ago, first demonstration was held in Mashhad and the main reason was people’s total dissatisfaction of credit institutions and banks, which took their money as a hostage for several months.
Some months ago I saw myself people protesting peacefully in front of Iran’s Parliament and Central Bank. Actually, banks in Iran have effective powers (sometime more than European banks) and the interests are between 15 to 25%, invested in building projects and other matters that normally they should not!
We can never deny that citizens, including myself, are facing financial problems due to the situation of the country, essentially after president Rouhani’s government has invested most of its time and energy on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Although Rouhani has promised that Iran’s economic and financial crisis will be resolved after that deal, however, the crisis is yet escalating.
Of course the American and European embargos have partly influenced that economic crisis but the inefficiency of Rouhani’s administration was in the origin of that. Supreme Leader since years has been speaking on Resistive Economy (Economy of Resistance), and the importance of internal economy (indigenous one based on nation’s production and employment) while many officials (particularly in Rouhani government) believe the unique solution is to be in touch with European and American economies.
So after Leader issued the principles of that Economy of resistance, authorities began to repeatedly use that expression in their interviews and speeches which urged Supreme Leader to choose “Economy of Resistance: Production and Employment” as the name of current year (in Persian calendar).
Since that deal, many European companies such as Peugeot, Citroen, TOTAL and others have come to Tehran and signed multiple contracts with both governmental and non-governmental sides. Practically, and as the Supreme Leader has affirmed, these contracts have been only signed and nothing has changed on the ground.
Besides, people have realised that Rouhani’s promises have not been fulfilled. Even if there were any economic advantages out of this deal, the benefits were for the big companies and not the middle class.
As these days I hear even some friends saying that European states would like to stay committed to JCPOA, I would like to add this point toward European attitude on that issue:
Francesco Condemi, a French documentary filmmaker in his work entitled “L’affaire Peugeot (2013)” has affirmed that the Zionist Lobby in France has been putting a lot of pressure on Peugeot Company to cut its ties with Iran Khodro (Branded as IKCO, an Iranian multinational automaker headquartered in Tehran).
Consequently, this emphasises that the Europeans are not committed to any kind of deal with Iranian and once their interests are threaten, they are the first to turn again you.
Not only based on that documentary and statistics but also according to FranceTV analysts after France itself, Iran is world’s greatest market for the products of that company while even in Europe, the French cars are the third priority after German and Italian cars, which have better qualities.
Holding a peaceful demonstration in Iran is a guaranteed right as the constitution stipulates.
None of the first demonstrations witnessed in the beginning were violent until enemies’ agents infiltrated and by burning national flag and martyrs’ portraits, attacking some military buildings and damaging public places and setting them on fire, they deviated the demonstrators from their initial reason.
IN RECENT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, IRANIAN PEOPLE BY 73.03% PARTICIPATION HAVE SHOWED THAT THEY SUPPORT THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION AND RECOGNISE THE MAIN REASON FOR IRAN’S STABILITY AND SECURITY IN SUCH A REGION IS THE SUPREME LEADER’S WISDOM.
And honestly how % of American and European citizens participate in their presidential elections? Sayed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, in a public speech, on 15 February 2017, said:
“I say that to country’s officials, if people participate in 22 Bahman (The date on the Persian calendar coinciding with the anniversary of the February 11, 1979, Islamic Revolution), demonstration, it does not mean that they’re satisfied with what we do.
People are unsatisfied based on many issues happening in the country, people don’t like discrimination, anywhere they see some discrimination they feel bad and suffer, the same when they see hypothyroidism, the same when they see (authorities) being indifferent about their problems, when they see the things not advancing, they’re impatient.
22 Bahman has to be counted separately, people’s resistance against an ambushed enemy to swallow Iran is one thing, which has been illustrated in 22 Bahman, and their expectation from us, the officials, is a separate issue!”
“if people took to the streets on 22 Bahman it mean sthat they are unsatisfied with what the government does. The Supreme Leader added, “People’s grievances cannot be ignored: recession, unemployment, and inflation are important issues.
He also said,
“One European official said to one of our officials that if it was not for the JCPOA, a war on Iran would be certain. This is just a lie! Why are they talking about war?
Because they want to engage the minds in war; however, the real war is an economic war, sanctions and ruining the levels of employment activity and technology industries within our country. They draw our attention to a military war so we may forget about these other wars. A real war is a cultural war.”
Undoubtedly, the right of people to demonstrate peacefully is an essential right, but we should be careful of foreign infiltration. We cannot forget what has happened and still is happening in Ukraine, Georgia and some other countries in East of Europe.
In addition to that we discovered the media manipulation on Libya and Syria by people like French Self-proclaimed philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy and George Soros and various fabricated demonstrations which have been filmed in a theatre in Qatar and have been pretended as they have taken place in Libya.
We witnessed the same in Syria by making up the girls and boys as they have been brutally wounded by Syrian army or in Ukraine we saw to be on the Maidan and after that it has been discovered that the photos have been taken in a studio.
During the recent events in Iran, the Western Mainstream Media has utilised the same videos for different Iranian cities. BBC Persian, VOA Persian and Manoto were trying to stimulate chaos in any possible ways. It is worthy to mention that almost 200 Persian-language television channels have been founded in Iran after 2009 presidential elections.
These channels provoked people to reject their government by calling them to demonstrate and come to streets. In addition, they brainwash the minds of the Iranians through multiple series and movies that attack their ideological-cultural lifestyle, values and conventions.
The TV series and movies in which we can’t understand who has sexual relation with whom, if a women is pregnant, is this result of having sex with his husband or boyfriend and they promote also other types of intellectual and sexual perversions.
All of these international channels are backed and financed by Western powers, mainly British and American intelligentsia. Besides, so-called NGOs like Brookings Institution’s Centre for Middle East Policy (Saban centre), International Republican Institute, Freedom House, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Albert Einstein Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, American Enterprise Institute and many others are trying their best to interfere in the Iranian affairs.
TRUMP & OTHERS WHO, IN THE NAME OF HUMAN RIGHTS, ARE HARDLY WORKING TO CREATE CHAOS IN IRAN, WHILST, THEY IGNORE THEIR WORLDWIDE CRIMES, KILLING, MASSACRING, TORTURING, DOING GENOCIDES, RAPPING, VIOLATING, AND STEALING THE WEALTH AND RESOURCES OF POOR NATIONS.
Iranians, people and elites, in one hand condemn the violence and in another are against the corrupted authorities who have to pay the price and people must see the result of this as Leader said. “In my eyes, those authorities who betrayed nation’s confidence have to be executed”.
Nevertheless, many officials including Major General Mohsen Rezaee view that we should not put the infiltrated anti-governmental individuals with the peaceful citizens in the same package. Those peaceful people request to have a better economic situation, which is a legitimate and fundamental right.
Definitely, Iran, Russia, Syria, Iraq and Hezbollah have defeated the American’s so-called “War on Terror” and their project for the Middle East which has been started since 911.
All extremists sectarian Wahhabi groups failed to fulfill the American dream. Accordingly, creating chaos in Iran is their last step, but, fortunately, the Iranian people are wise enough to confront these conspiracies.
It is significant that pro-government demonstrations are occasionally held in democratic states such as Iran. People have taken to streets, despite the extremely cold and snowy weather, to slam the anti-government violent activities taking place. However, Western and Saudi stream media is not covering these pro-Leader and pro-Islamic Republic demonstrations as themselves they don’t have such a popularity.
Remarkably, one of the people’s slogans condemning foreign agents infiltrated in initial protests was, “WE THE PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF STOPPING THE ANTI-REVOLUTION DEMONSTRATION AND YOU THE OFFICIAL TAKE CARE OF ECONOMIC PROBLEMS.”
Here are some examples during past days:
Anniversary of December 30, 2009 pro-government rally in Iran , some photos of 2009 rally
(Dec. 29): Tabriz
Pro-government rallies after recent events: Zanjan (Jan. 1), Across the country 1 (Jan. 2), Across the country 2 (Jan. 2), People appreciating police forces in Azadshahr of Mashhad(Jan. 2), Across the country 3 (Jan. 3), Tehran after Friday prayer (Jan. 5), Past Friday prayer in Tehan (Jan. 5), Across the country 4 (Jan. 4), Across the country 5 (Jan. 4), Across the country 6 (Jan. 7)
Rasht, Mashhad 2, Isfahan, Tehran 2, Ahavz, Ilam and Bodschurd , . . .
Rasht, Mashhad 2, Isfahan, Tehran 2, Ahavz, Ilam and Bodschurd , . . .
US military bases have formed a strategic envelope around Iran, as well as many terrorist extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda on the Eastern borders and ISIS on Western borders that were founded by US intelligentsia. However, they have proven a complete failure and instead have strengthened Iran.
Supreme Leader Sayed Ali Khamenei has mocked US president Donald Trump and said that he would fail in his hardline stance against Iran, just as his “smarter” predecessor Ronald Reagan did before him.
“Reagan was more powerful and smarter than Trump. He was a better actor in making threats. He also moved against us and shot down our plane,” Leader Khamenei emphasized.
We knew that last year ISIS attack of Tehran was founded and sponsored by Saudi government and even before that Ben Salman said “we will bring war into Iran”. And as we look at the recent events in Iran, most related hashtags were twitted from Saudi Arabia.
As I’ve been asked by many friends about Ahmadinejad current state I add this point as a big FORMER fan of this man:
I can imagine how understanding of Iran’s domestic policies is difficult for the foreign audience and that is why Western mainstream media is confused about it. That’s why in my last article I explained about Iran’s presidents and I suggest to those who would like to get why and how Ahmadinejad is in such a situation, to take a read to the related part of this article.
(That’s a part of the Iran’s political-religious system by French Le Monde Diplomatique)
We all know that judiciary power in Iran is politically independent as we witnessed many relatives of officials as Hashemi Rafsanjani’s son (Mehdi)’s, president Rouhani’s brother (Hossein Feridon), vice-president Jahangiri’s brother (Mehdi), Ahmadinejad’s deputy (Mohammad Reza Rahimi) were all convicted of corruption and are currently jailed.
Ahmadinejad has recently started to attack judiciary power because his close friends have been arrested or jailed, in Iranian news agencies or websites, except one or 2, until now there is no confirmed information about Ahmadinejad’s arrest or his probable involvement in recent provocations.
But once again as a big FORMER fan of Mahmoud, (and himself he knows how much I loved him and he was a very important figure for me) I hope this news to be true as this ex-great man became very selfish and arrogant.
And last surprising point: after Trump stupid decision to move American embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing that holy city as capital of unhuman and criminal false entity, the whole world was talking about Palestine and now after Iran’s recent events, who talk about that matter?
Let’s finish that article by quoting Iran’s Supreme Leader’s yesterday (Jan 9) reaction to recent events. He discussed the triangular model, or the pyramid of hierarchy scheme, to describe who was responsible for the flow of money and carrying out the orchestrated events in Iran recently.
The hierarchy of the pyramid/triangle is listed from top (1) to bottom (3) in Ayatollah Khamenei’s own words:
- “The plot was made by Americans (US) and Zionists. They have been plotting for many months to initiate riots in small cities and eventually move towards the center.”
- “Money was provided by a wealthy government near the Persian Gulf. Well, these plots are costly. The Americans are not willing to spend money while such accomplices are already there.”
- “The third side of the triangle consists of the US submissive henchmen: Mohajhedeen-E-Khalq Organization, the murderous MEK.”
“The rulers in the United States, firstly, know that they didn’t achieve their goal: they might try to repeat it, but they know that can never achieve it. Secondly, they damaged us during these days, they know there will be some sort of retaliation.”
“The vast manifestations arising from millions of Iranians against recent riots is no ordinary event. Nowhere, in this world, have we witnessed the same exact phenomena. I am well informed on this. This great, coherent people’s movement against the enemies’ conspiracy, with such organization, awareness, and enthusiasm is unique among the world, and it continues for forty years now.”
“It’s not simply a question of a number of years. It is a fight of a nation against an anti-nation; a fight of Iran against anti-Iran; a fight of Islam against anti-Islam: this has always existed and will persists.”
“All actions that the enemies have waged against us, during the past forty years, are counter-attacks against the Islamic Revolution. The revolution uprooted the enemies’ political position in the country; now they (the enemy) uses counter attacks, frequently, and is defeated each time. The enemy acts and cannot advance because of the resistance: the strong national and popular barrier.”
“Once again, the nation with its full power tells the United States, the UK and their Londoners, ‘they couldn’t make it happen this time, and will never achieve their goals.’”
“Various analyses were proposed during these days. All these analyses had a common point: the point which allows the righteous and truthful desires of the people to be distinguished from and the brutal and destructive movements of another group. The two must be distinguished,”
“That a person is deprived of a right and objects to it: or that protesters – hundreds of people — come together and gather to express their concerns, is one thing; and that a number of the people from this gathering misuse this motive–to insult the Quran, to insult Islam, to insult the flag, to burn the Mosque, commit sabotage or set the country on fire–is another thing. The two should not be mixed.”
“The people’s wants, appeals, or protests have always existed in this country, and persist today. Well, like these problematic financial institutions, some of the institutes have been problematic and have made some people very dissatisfied.”
“These appeals must be dealt with and heard out. They must be answered as much as possible,”
All of us — I do not say “others must follow”— I myself am responsible; all of us “must follow this approach.”
“I would like to add that these events had a distinct triangle pattern or scheme. Events did not emerge overnight; but they have been carefully organized. My observances are based on information from sources of intelligence: some are made obvious by their own statements, some have been obtained through intelligence operations.”
“They were prepared months ago. The media of the MEK admitted to this; they said, recently, that they were in contact with Americans some months ago, to carry out U.S.’ orders: to organize riots, meet with this or that person, find individuals inside the country to help them fan out to the people. And that it was they who initiated this.”
“They began with a slogan [to catch attention] in opposition to high prices. Well, this is a slogan that everyone likes. They wanted to attract some people with this message, then enter the arena themselves to pursue their evil goals and attract followers. What people did here is this: First, some people came to streets–though not a big number–, however, just as they understood the real intentions behind, the people separated their lines.”
“On the one hand, the rioters shouted ‘my life be sacrificed for the sake of Iran,’ on the other hand, they burned the flag of Iran! The fools did not understand that these two actions simply cannot go together. Well, we hope that you (MEK) die for Iran! But, when have you stood up to the enemies of Iran? Those who have always stood against the enemy of Iran are the devout, believing, and revolutionary people. Who were the 300,000 martyrs of the Holy Defense era? They were these believing and revolutionary men who defended their country. When have you (MEK) died for Iran, that you shout ‘my life be sacrificed for the sake of Iran’?”
“Well, the United States is now angry, extremely furious; it’s not angry with only me; it’s angry with everyone and everything: angry with the Iranian people, angry with the government, and angry with the Revolution of Iran because it was defeated by this massive, retaliatory movement.”
“Now, the US officials have started to talk nonsense; the president of the United States says the Iranian government fears its very own people! No, the Iranian government was born by their people; it is for their people, is created by the Iranian people, and relies upon them. Why should it fear their own people? If the people were not there, no Islamic government would exists!”
“He [Trump] says that the Iranian government is afraid of U.S.’ power. So, if we are “afraid” of you, how did we expel you from Iran in the late 1970’s and expel you from the entire region in the 2010’s?”
“The rulers in the United States, firstly, know that they didn’t achieve their goal: they might try to repeat it, but they know that can never achieve it. Secondly, they damaged us during these days, they know there will be some sort of retaliation. Thirdly, this man who sits at the head of the White House— although, he seems to be a very instable man–he must realize that these extreme and psychotic episodes won’t be left without a response.”
In his final statements Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Revolution, reminded his audience: “Those who like to make friends with U.S. agents–whether outside or whether, unfortunately, some inside–they also know that this system is strongly standing and will resolve all weaknesses and problems with God’s grace.”
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"As you read through Hamed’s article it will be quite different from anything you have read in Western media, which is why we are running it, so you have these new data points to add into your own analysis of what is really going on."
I tend to presume truth is whatever is opposite of what the media says. And I am usually correct. If there is truth in it, it is only enough to make their BS believable.
The middle east is one of those things. Americans know our media are liars. We know it's not your fault. (well, a lot of Americans, but not all).
The more the time line progresses, the more I see of the truth and the more I sympathize with the middle east.
I don't blame you if you DO use force against your evil government.(all governments are evil).
And I don't blame anyone in the M.E. for hating Americans. I basically despise 'them' too, and for a lot of the same reasons.
I am not sure that helps, but just know that we aren't all brainwashed idiots.