Rezai Criticizes Supporters of Relations with America: Why Didn't Iran Become Paradise During the Shah's Era?

Mohsen Rezai, Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, states that "non-revolutionary" individuals create doubts about the Islamic Republic's path by claiming that if Iran aligns with the U.S., the country will become a paradise, whereas this did not happen during Mohammad Reza Shah's rule. These remarks by Rezai were made during an interview with Iran's News Network on Tuesday evening, April 3, and were accompanied by repeated accusations from the Islamic Republic against Washington's policies. In part of this interview, he categorizes three types of thought in relation to the revolution: revolutionary, non-revolutionary, and anti-revolutionary, asserting that the danger of "non-revolutionaries" is no less than that of "anti-revolutionaries" who took up arms against the Islamic Republic. He continues, "Today, the non-revolutionaries say that if you want an economy, we must go to the Americans. There is capital and technology in America. They claim that if we go to the Americans, Iran will become a paradise. Someone should tell them, why didn't Iran become a paradise during the Shah's era? Our nation revolted because it was not paradise. We have moved past our relationship with America. Our nation wants to stand on its own feet." Recently, Barack Obama, the President of the United States, in his Nowruz message to Iranians, stated that Iran has the opportunity to rejoin the global economy following the Vienna nuclear agreement. In response to these remarks, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, accused the U.S. of "betrayal" regarding the nuclear agreement, claiming that the U.S. has only lifted sanctions on paper. He said, "Those who hope to sit with the Americans and negotiate on other issues are neglecting this matter." Mohsen Rezai also referred to Ayatollah Khamenei's policies towards America, stating, "Today, some people ask why revolutionaries and the leader of the system are at war with the Americans. I clearly say that we are not seeking war. We are fighting against the Americans, but we do not intend to go to war. As long as there is oppression in the American system, we will fight against the Americans." He then noted that if the Americans engage in war with the Islamic Republic, Iran will defend itself in such a way that the hardships of the Vietnam War will be forgotten by the United States. Meanwhile, Barack Obama, in his Nowruz message, mentioned the historical differences between the Islamic Republic and Washington, stating that there is still a possibility for the two countries to start a new relationship, just as it happened between the U.S. and Cuba.