On February 8, 2018, Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the Iranian daily Kayhan, who is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, delivered a speech on the occasion of the Ten Days of Fajr, which culminate in Revolution Day, marked on February 11. In his speech, delivered at a mosque in Damavand, near Tehran, Shariatmadari stressed that the Islamic Revolution – i.e., the return of the pure Islam to the seat of power and judgement – is inherently opposed to oppression and sets out the correct road map for the Iranians. He added that, thanks to this revolution, Iran controls the Middle East, while noting its achievements in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Shariatmadari stated further that Bahrain is part of Iran and the Bahraini people are Iranians who have been separated from the rest of their people, and that is why the Bahraini regime is unable to silence the Bahraini people's outcry. It should be noted that, on February 26, 2018, the spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry, Bahram Qassemi, responded to the Bahraini foreign minister, who had described Iran as a danger to the region and the Arab world, by saying: "there is no need to take heed of his claims, for they are incorrect and groundless."[1]
Shariatmadari reiterated the warning against the enemy, America, and its methods of harming Iran from within and without, while also branding the participants in the public protests of 2009 as enemies.
The following are translated excerpts from his statements:[2]
"The Islamic Revolution started at the moment when the pure Islam of [the Prophet] Muhammad assumed the seat of judgment... One of the main hallmarks of the pure Islam is that it is against oppression... The best definition of the Islamic Revolution, based on the statements of its leader, is 'The Second [Prophetic] Mission.' This means that, after centuries, the pure Islam has once again assumed the seat of judgement. If we don't know where we stand, we will quickly lose our position, [so] we should compare [the past with the present to realize] how far we have come.
"[Before the Islamic Revolution] there were 40,000 American advisors in Iran, at the very minimum, and we had nothing. Our ministers and prime minister, and most of [our Majlis] members, were appointed [only] with the approval of the American and British embassies.
"Today they say [to us], 'Why do you send your children to the war in Syria[?]' Had we not sent them to fight in Syria, we would have been shining ISIS's boots [now]. If we provide support in Syria, that does not mean we are giving them charity. We are paying the cost of our own security...
"Today, thanks to the Revolution, Iran is the main force in the Middle East... The region is now under Iranian control. The Leader [Khamenei] has noted that America wanted to quash the resistance, but was unable to do so. We wanted to preserve the resistance, and succeeded. Today, after three years [of trying], the Saudis have been unable to achieve anything in Yemen. Lebanon was an arena of struggle among various groups. Imam [Khomeini] turned the [various] peoples into [a single Islamic] nation, and [Hizbullah secretary-general] Hassan Nasrallah is gradually turning the sects [in Lebanon] into a [single] people.
"I once wrote that Bahrain is ours, and they made a lot of noise, and the muftis of Aal Sa'ud [the Saudi royal family], who spout a lot of nonsense, said we deserved to be murdered. Bahrain belongs to Iran and the Bahraini people consider themselves as [Iranians] who have been severed from Iran. They have been struggling with all their might for several years, and [the Bahraini authorities] have not been able to silence their outcry, for this reason.
"We have a message, but the enemies deceive and lie [about it]... The nuclear issue is [just] and excuse, because America insists on diminishing our influence in the region, and in this context, hostility [towards us] has increased by the day.
"From the start of the Revolution and until today, we have succeeded in all [our] struggles. One of the tactics of the enemy is [to cause you] not to know where you stand, and if you do not know this, you obviously cannot defend your position... The enemies frequently speak through the mouths of the infiltrators [within Iran], and those who have no road map may stray from the [correct] path. Anytime you see a distortion in the road map of some movement, you should stop and oppose it, because Islam is ours, and we must defend it...
"America wants to destroy our industry, so that we become easy prey...
"People whose families live abroad or who participated in the 2009 protests [i.e., the Green Revolution] should not be appointed officials, because they will harm the revolution and the regime...
"Fearing the specter of war effectively means succumbing to the demands of the enemies...
"The JCPOA is the golden document of Trump and America. During his [presidential] campaign, Trump said he would tear it up, since the only smart thing he could do is tear it up. But it is impossible for him to do that. The Zionist regime does not oppose the JCPOA, because this agreement benefits it... The negotiation team did not betray [Iran], but the other side [America and Europe] is deceiving it.
"Why do they agree to suspend the sanctions every four months? Because that way, nobody invests in Iran, and they make good use of this issue...
"America says the JCPOA must be supplemented with limitations on [Iran's ballistic] missiles, and that the concessions made [by Iran] are partial. [They say] the JCPOA must include Iran's missile industry and its presence in the region. Europe, too, says that the JCPOA must remain, but that Iran's missile industry must be constrained. The greatest achievement of the JCPOA is that it demonstrated that America is not to be trusted."
