In a March 19, 2006 interview with the reformist Iranian Internet daily www.roozonline.com , Revolutionary Guards theoretician Hassan Abassi, who heads the Doctrinal Center for National Security, which belongs to the Revolutionary Guards, said that Iran would "endanger American interests worldwide" if the U.S. were to impose sanctions on it. [1]

The following are excerpts from the interview: [2]

Even a Small Concession Will Turn Us Into an American Colony; Soon the U.S. Will Demand That We Uphold Human Rights as They Understand Them

Rooz: "The most pressing topic today is Iran's nuclear dossier, and Iran's challenge vis-à-vis Europe and the U.S. In your opinion, how did the Iranian dossier reach this crisis point?"

Abassi: "For some time now, the West, headed by the U.S., has been looking for a pretext to pressure the Islamic Republic [of Iran]... And why? Because our revolution greatly jeopardized their interests. At first they wanted to cling to issues such as human rights [to use them against us], but they have realized that they will never be able to harass us on such issues, because our dossier is completely clean. With the exposure of Iran's nuclear plans, they suddenly had an opportunity to bring the [Iranian] regime to the brink of collapse."

Rooz: "Wasn't it possible to implement a better policy that would enable Iran to both realize its rights and avoid getting embroiled in these problems?"

Abassi: "What you are saying would have [worked], [if] the other party had good intentions. But this is not the case with America. From the very beginning, they sought to topple the regime, not to mention the fact that they are neither fair nor honest in what they say about democracy and human rights.

"What democracy? Is it the democracy that is in the hands of a few hundred Zionists [an allusion to the pro-Israel lobby] who appoint and dismiss people [in the U.S.] as they please? These are people who never let the U.S. take a stand that conflicts with Israel's national interests. As for human rights in the U.S. - to this day, there is racism in America, and many poor people. All these, therefore, are merely pretexts. The previous [Iranian] government's mistake was relying on the Westerners, without any justification. We should have stood fast against them from the outset, in order to get what we deserve by rights."

Rooz: "You mean at any price to us?"

Abassi: "Look what Imam Hussein's main motto was at Karbala: 'We will never accept humiliation.' We must not surrender to aggression, and particularly not to those who want to take over not only Iran but the entire Islamic world. These are people with no goal other than the total annihilation of the religion of Islam. We must not retreat even a single step from such people, because every step in retreat means that they advance several steps."

Rooz: "Wouldn't it have been possible to make a few small concessions to them in exchange for the great, main thing? Couldn't diplomatic methods have been used?"

Abassi: "I've said that you must examine how fair and honest these people are. It is clear that they are neither. How can any country be fair and honest when it has been working for 27 years to destroy the most popular regime in the contemporary history of the world?

"Another point is that, through one small concession, we could end up taking the shape of a colony of America. Look at Arab countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. They have completely taken the form of a colony.

"And another thing - is this America's only demand of us? Soon they will demand [that we] recognize Israel, and then [they will demand that we] uphold human rights exactly in accordance with their understanding and their wishes, and every day there will be a new demand. Their goal is nothing less than the destruction of the [Iranian] regime and of Islam - or, at the very least, regime change. Culturally, too, they are trying to [influence] the youth, and they have been successful in several respects."

"What Attracts Our Youth Today is Matters of Western-Style Human Rights and Democracy."

Rooz: "Like what?"

Abassi: "What attracts our youth today is matters of Western-style human rights and democracy. Everybody views the West as a country preoccupied with attractive philosophical discussions. On the other hand, one of the ways the [Iranian] reformists have betrayed the regime was through their unwillingness or inability to prevent certain things. For example, if we [celebrate] a day like the birthday of Fatma [the Prophet Muhammad's daughter, who married Ali, the First Imam of the Shi'a], why should we [celebrate] another day as Woman's Day? Why should there be a day like Valentine's Day?

"Go out to the streets, and see what the young people look like. Everything is imported [from the West]. They choose this [look] blindly, without any thought, and because [the West] bombards [them] with propaganda. Look at the hairstyles, [and at] the pictures and words printed on the clothes. Some of them are official propaganda for the work of Satan. All these are manifestations of the sickness of our society and of the success of the West..."

Rooz: "What do you think should be done about this? Confrontation? A ban?"

Abassi: "Unilateral action will clearly be unsuccessful. A prohibition in and of itself will not work, and neither will a confrontation in and of itself. There must be both confrontation and a ban. In addition, we must try to get the young people to know the fundamental doctrines of Islam..."

Rooz: "So even if our nuclear problems are solved, hard work still awaits us?"

Abassi: "Certainly. We need a cultural revolution amongst the people. This is the result of the 16 years of mismanagement by the previous governments [i.e. the governments of Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami]."

"As I Said, We Would Endanger American Interests"

Rooz: "What do you think will be the result of [conflict] in the matter of our nuclear [dossier]?"

Abassi: "This issue can be examined from different angles, but according to the studies and the statistics in our possession, as of now America is no longer satisfied with [causing our] nuclear program to be unfinished, or [our] regime to collapse. They know that [Iran's] Islamic roots are so strong that [they will cause] the people to again mobilize against a regime appointed by it [i.e. the U.S.], and thus another miracle [like the Islamic Revolution] will occur.

"America's program today is to dismantle Iran into seven countries, and to exploit its ethnic disputes. This is an issue that has been under debate in America for some time, and they are seeking to implement a plan of this kind. Because to date, the Islamic Republic [of Iran] is the greatest obstacle to the implementation of America's desires in the region, and to the creation of the Greater Middle East."

Rooz: "What must we do in the face of these threats?"

Abassi: "Resist. We must be strong in science and in security, to the point where we can skip over [the obstacle] of these issues. The late Imam [Ayatollah Khomeini] said once that America would not dare to do a thing to us - and you have seen that this is indeed how it was.

"Be assured that America cannot attack Iran, because it knows that if it does, many difficulties will be created for it and for its interests. This is like never taking an idiotic measure such as implementing sanctions on Iran's oil, because in this case, in addition to an insane increase in the price of petroleum products, American interests will also be in danger. If it dares do this, we will endanger American security and economic interests worldwide."

Rooz: "But Saudi Arabia announced that in the case of sanctions on Iran, it would make up the difference in oil."

Abassi: "I said, we would endanger American interests."