Subscribe Today
Request a Clip
Following are excerpts from an address to the Iranian Parliament delivered by Iranian MP Ghodratollah Alikhani on June 16, 2009. Part of the address, in which Alikhani distances himself from the riots and makes anti-Western declarations, was aired on Channel 1, Iranian TV, on June 18, 2009. The rest of the address, in which he expresses his pro-Mousavi stance, was posted on the Internet.
Ghodratollah Alikhani: My dear ones, my brothers, who can carry out a velvet revolution in this country? In Islamic Iran, nobody dares to even think about a velvet revolution. We are in the fray – we, the children of the revolution. We are ready to sacrifice our souls for the sake of the leader.
Death to America! Death to England! Death to those foreigners who have been happy these past few nights! We oppose these riots.
[...]
Posted on the Internet:
But we strongly support engineer Mir Hossein Mousavi, who was prime minister in the days of Imam [Khomeini]. I am surprised at you, the fundamentalists. 205 of you signed a petition of support for Ahmadinejad, and 220 of you congratulated him, yet you cannot tolerate listening to me for five minutes. I feel sorry for you. Just kidding. My dear ones, my brothers, in Islamic Iran... You sit down! In Islamic Iran, nobody dares to even think about a velvet revolution. What is all this nonsense?! We are in the fray. We, the children of the revolution – our leader [Khamenei], our dignitaries, Ayatollah Hashemi [Rafsanjani], about whom Imam [Khomeini] said: “Hashemi is alive as long as the revolution is alive”...
Mr. Nateq Nouri is a great man and a great revolutionary. He is the head of the leader’s office. If we were to conduct a vote in this very parliament, 130 members would vote for Nateq Nouri right now.
Yes, yes. Now I will read out my speech.
[...]
The courageous and vigilant Iranian people – your massive and glorious turnout in the presidential elections, on Friday, the 22nd of the month of Khordad, was a dignified sign indicating the ending of an improper and crisis-bearing process in the management of this country. This turnout merits the highest gratitude and appreciation. However, with great sorrow – despite the popular rising of the Muslim people of Iran, and despite the absolutely clear direction taken by the will of the people...
Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Larijani: You have 20 seconds left.
Ghodratollah Alikhani: ...the results, which were totally different from the opinion and will of the people – as was stated by the officials in charge of these elections – have generated great astonishment, perplexity, and despair among an enormous part of the people of Iran.
Ali Larijani: Your time is up.
Ghodratollah Alikhani: The trust of the people in this country’s regime and leaders has been fractured.
My time is up, right?
Ali Larijani: Yes, your time is up.
Ruhollah Hossenian, advisor to President Ahmadinejad (coming up to Ghodratollah Alikhani): I would like to ask Mr. Alikhani...
Ali Larijani: This is a new model, Mr. Hossenian...
[...]
Ghodratollah Alikhani: Just one more sentence... Imam [Khomeini] said: “Mr. Mousavi, those who confront you cannot run even a bakery.”
Peace and Allah’s blessings upon you.
Ali Larijani: Thank you.
Latest Clips
