Rouhani: Newcomers Must Speak to Iran with Respect and Dignity

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated in his closing speech at the February 22 rally that "newcomers" have taken power in the region and the U.S., but they must understand that "they should speak to the Iranian nation with respect and dignity." In his remarks on the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution, Rouhani also announced that "following the Supreme Leader, we are seeking consensus, reconciliation, and national unity." Various cities in Iran witnessed the government-organized February 22 rally, with the President being the speaker in Tehran as usual. He added: "Anyone who threatens our nation and armed forces should know that our nation is united and aware and will stand firm against adversaries." Before his speech, Rouhani described the February 22 rally as a "display of national power" and a "response to the incorrect statements of the new leaders in the White House." According to ISNA news agency, he added: "The people, through their presence, announce to the world that they must speak to the Iranian nation with a language of respect and dignity and not use the language of bullying and threats." Rouhani emphasized: "The Iranian nation has shown over the past 38 years that anyone who speaks to this nation with the language of threats will regret it." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, also stated on Tuesday, February 8, that the Iranian people would "respond to the threats of the U.S. President" on February 22. Since Donald Trump came to power in the U.S., especially after Iran conducted a ballistic missile test on January 30, the verbal conflict between the two sides has intensified. Trump has repeatedly warned Iran not to "play with fire." On February 6, in an interview with Fox News, the U.S. President criticized the nuclear deal with Tehran again, stating that the Iranian regime has become "more brazen" and has shown "complete disrespect" to the United States since then. Trump's National Security Advisor also emphasized last week that the U.S. government will no longer tolerate Iran's provocative actions that threaten U.S. interests, stating that "the days of overlooking Iran's hostile and aggressive actions against the U.S. and the international community are over." "Iran does not seek to interfere in others' affairs" Rouhani also stated on Thursday evening, February 10, during a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran that the Islamic Republic "does not intend to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries" and that Iran's military power is "only for the defense of the country." He emphasized that "Iranophobia has no basis and history has proven that these illusions are completely unfounded." According to Rouhani, one of the issues promoted with the aim of "Iranophobia" in the region and the world has been that "Iranians intend to export their revolution to other countries to destabilize the established regimes in the region." He added: "Over time, it has become clear that this issue is a lie and Iran does not intend to interfere in the internal affairs of others." Rouhani's statements come at a time when Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and some Iranian officials emphasized the importance of exporting the Islamic Revolution. Khomeini stated, "We must strive to export our revolution to the world and abandon the thought that we do not export our revolution;... if we remain in a closed environment, we will certainly face failure." In recent decades, the Islamic Republic has been accused, especially by its southern neighbors in the Persian Gulf, of seeking to export the Islamic Revolution to other countries and interfering in their internal affairs, and they have repeatedly urged Iran to reconsider its approach. Most recently, Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, called on the Islamic Republic to "change its approach and not seek to export revolution and interfere in the affairs of Arab countries in the region." These criticisms were described by Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, as "baseless and inappropriate." Since the early years of the revolution, the Islamic Republic has supported armed groups in the Middle East under slogans like "exporting the revolution," the most famous of which are Hezbollah in Lebanon and, in recent years, the Houthis in Yemen. In recent years, the activities of Iran's security forces in regional countries, including Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, have increased. Meanwhile, appointees of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, including the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have repeatedly spoken of "exporting the Islamic Revolution" in recent years. Mohammad Ali Jafari stated on Saturday, December 24, that "exporting the Islamic Revolution" and "Islamic awakening in the region and the world" are among the other "achievements of the Islamic Revolution." On May 3, 2015, he mentioned that "we are moving towards a great Islamic civilization," describing the status of exporting the Islamic Revolution outside Iran as "very favorable" and stating that the revolution "needs to progress more rapidly" within Iran.