Iran Military Forum

Iran's Foreign Minister: No Basis for War


Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi attends a meeting in Ankara 18 January 2012. (Photo: REUTERS - Umit Bektas)

By: Elie Chalhoub

Published Thursday, February 2, 2012

Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Akbar Salehi seems optimistic that the region will avoid sliding into war, despite Western-Iranian tensions and the escalating crisis in Syria.

Elie Chalhoub (EC): The West decided to impose an oil embargo on Iran. What steps are you taking to deal with this embargo and how will you respond?

Ali Akbar Salehi (AAS): We do not accept the embargo, economic blockade, or other forms of sanctions. The West is moving in the wrong direction on Iran. I have often said the way the West is dealing with Iran will make Iran treat the West in a similar manner.

Unfortunately, the West is under the illusion that if it continues to put pressure on Iran, we will surrender. Iran is a country with an ancient civilization and a long experience in confronting such pressures. God willing we will come out of these circumstances safe and sound. Yes, we might face some hurdles but we will overcome them.

EC: Will you close the Strait of Hormuz on 1 July 2012?

AAS: We are not talking about closing the Strait of Hormuz. On the contrary, the strait is as important to us as it is to neighboring countries and to the world. Iran, more than anybody else, is interested in protecting the security and stability of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

But everyone’s security should be protected. It is not acceptable that countries from outside the region determine who benefits from the security of the Strait of Hormuz.

I advise our brothers in the region to come together and cooperate with each other to maintain stability in the Gulf.

EC: What is your position toward the Arab League’s demand that the UN Security Council place sanctions on Syria?



AAS: I am surprised by this Arab decision. There was a previous decision to send observers to Syria in order to get a sense of the situation there and that is what happened. The observers went to Syria, where they worked for over a month, presented a balanced report, and they were supposed to continue their mission.

We are astonished and confused. We do not understand why the Arab League halted the work of observers who agreed to continue with their mission and chose to go to the Security Council instead.

EC: What is your explanation for what happened?

AAS: I imagine there is some level of ambiguity in dealing with Syria. From the beginning, the formal Iranian position has been that the Syrian government should respond to the demands of the Syrian people in terms of a new constitution and elections.

The Syrian government promised to do so and they fulfilled their promises. Laws legislating reforms were passed and there will be a referendum on the constitution in February. Why don’t they give Syria a chance and allow the Syrians to implement the needed reforms.

EC: Why aren’t they doing that in your opinion?

AAS: You should ask this question to the Arabs themselves. Our Arab brothers are the ones who should justify the way they are dealing with Syria.

There are countries other than Syria that witnessed popular movements, where the president decided to step down, but the government and authorities remained. [In these states] the reforms are taking place gradually.

Why won’t they give Syria the same chance they gave these other countries.

EC: It is said, that in your last visit to Turkey, a visit described as being critical, you sensed a shift in the Turkish position regarding the issues of the region, chief among them, the Syrian issue. What happened during that visit?

AAS: We are always in contact and consultation with our brothers in Turkey. We have the best relations with this country. I visited Ankara about eight times last year and the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu came to Iran four or five times. He is a good brother and a friend. We had met [before] at international conferences.

Iran’s and Turkey’s views on many international and regional issues are quite similar. But we differ on some issues and there is no harm in that. We address our differences by increasing our consultations with each other in order to eliminate these differences.

Regarding Syria, our Turkish brothers have their own opinions. They want the reforms to happen quickly, not slowly. We told them, since [Syrian] President Bashar Assad promised to carry out reforms and took tangible steps in that direction. Give him a chance because rushing these issues could have negative consequences.

EC: Did they agree with your point of view?

AAS: I don’t want to get into details regarding this issue because it is between us and the Turks. But we are in constant consultations with each other.

EC: Iran declared from day one that it stands by Assad. On the other hand, it is clear that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are spearheading the confrontation with Syria. Hasn’t the time come for Iran to raise a stick in the face of these two states?

AAS: We raise the stick of brotherhood, friendship, and solidarity. This is the stick we have. Our stick resembles the stick of Moses, not the stick of the Pharaoh. We believe in logic and reason. We ask our Saudi brothers and others to help maintain security and stability in the region and in Syria. Syria and Saudi Arabia used to have very good relations. It is odd that this strong relationship turned into estrangement.

EC: Yesterday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave a strong speech in support of Syria. How will this speech be translated on the ground?

AAS: We declared from day one that the Syrian government helped the resistance, that Syria is a country of resistance, and that it is the strongest link in the resistance axis in the region. This is the Syrian government and the Syrian people’s strongest suit. The Arabs should take good care of it.

The Syrian government is the only one that continued to stand up to Israel and support the resistance. That is why you see this attack on Syria and that is also why Iran, from day one, defended the Syrian government and people.

Our position however does not mean that the government should not respond if there are failures or shortcomings that the people want to change. On the contrary, the Syrian authorities should meet these demands.

EC: Over ten months have passed since the Syrian crisis erupted and no high-ranking Iranian official visited Syria. Will you be visiting Damascus soon?

AAS: Iranian Vice President Ali Saidlu visited Syria. I also met the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Jeddah at the executive committee meetings of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which brother Walid asked me to attend. I did and I am in constant contact with him. There are other Iranian officials who visited Syria as well, like the housing minister.

EC: Do you intend to visit Syria anytime soon?

AAS: When the time comes for a visit, we will announce it.

EC: Are you confident that the Russian and Chinese positions on the Syrian crisis will not change?

AAS: I think there is a deep understanding in Russia and China of what is happening in the world generally, particularly in our region. I cannot speak for others but at least that is my impression.

In the past, the analysis and impressions that our friends in Russia and China had of events in the region were informed by good intentions. They did not think there was foreign intervention, conspiracy, and so on.

After what happened in the region, whereby foreign intervention became obvious, they started thinking in a different way, and the political direction they took regarding developments in the region became more in touch with the reality on the ground.

EC: Is it possible to talk about a Damascus-Tehran-Moscow-Beijing axis?

AAS: We are in constant consultations with our Russian friends, our friends in Turkey, and our brothers in Iraq. We are in contact with many countries, including the foreign ministers of Arab countries that I do not want to name, to discuss all kinds of matters.

There are issues I don’t want to address now. What I can say is that the facts are getting clearer and clearer. There is a greater awareness about the changes taking place and an objective understanding of their roots, which makes rapprochement possible.

EC: In your opinion, is the region headed towards calm or tension?

AAS: I think the region is heading toward calm and conciliation. There is no basis for war. The Western powers know that if they get into a war, the fire that will ignite will burn everything and everybody in its wake. There will be a settlement out of fear of the repercussions of war.

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.


http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/ali-akbar-salehi-no-basis-war