Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Press Conference Following Re-election: 2,000 or 3,000 People Took to the Streets, Like Spectators at a Soccer Match

Following are excerpts from a press conference given by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following his re-election. The press conference was aired live on IRINN, the Iranian news channel, on June 14, 2009.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: The elections belong to the people, and were conducted by the people. Forty million participated in them. The people has made its decision. What part of the elections do they want to dispute? After all, we have the elections law. Let them tell us what article of this law [has been violated]. I have not yet seen anybody submit any evidence. They are only saying that the results do not meet their expectations. Fine – then mend your expectations. Don't you know the Iranian people? Mend yourselves.

The propaganda you are spreading is like the story of Mullah Nasruddin, which you have probably heard. One day, Mullah Nasruddin wanted to get somebody off his back. He said: "Go check – on the other side of the market, they are handing out free soup." The news spread very fast – one person heard, then another, and all of a sudden, Mullah Nasruddin saw that everybody was running. He asked: "What's going on?" They said: "Haven't you heard? On the other side of the market, they are handing out soup." The Mullah thought to himself: Maybe they are right. Let's go and see what's going on. Some of the Western media and governments are just like that. They say something, they repeat it, then they believe it themselves, and eventually, they judge according to it.

Our people have a very clear path. This kind of talk belongs to three or four decades ago. The response of our people is very clear – those forty million who participated in the elections exist here and now. Those twenty million or so who voted for me exist here and now. At any given point in the future, they will repeat their heroic act. That is what the Iranian people is all about. Of course, I believe that all the forty million who voted are opposed to the Western media's intervention in Iranian domestic affairs.

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Foreign journalist: I want to ask you about the nuclear issue. Some Western media have reported that the U.S. and Israel keep a military option on your nuclear site. Have you even imagined that some countries would attack your country, and now, do you think you will face the attack in your next four years? Thank you.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: I ask you – who would dare do such a thing today? Who would even dare to think of such a thing? That's what some of the media are saying. No power is able to even threaten Iran. Circumstances in the world have changed. Today is the age of the nations, the age of reflection and reason, the age of great changes. The Iranian people is a strong people. Even though Iran supports peace, justice, and brotherhood, everybody knows that it will defend its interests with all its might, and will make whoever threatens it regret it. We do not believe there is the slightest chance that anybody would do such a stupid thing. So don't worry. The world is moving toward justice and dialogue.

Second foreign journalist: I want to ask you about the issue of justice, which you've been talking a great deal about. Some weeks ago, you will know, a young woman of 22 was dragged to her execution in an Iranian prison. She had allegedly killed someone, although there was some doubt about this, and she had been given a stay of execution for two months. She was, nonetheless, dragged to the gallows, screaming, pleading for her mother, on the mobile phone, to save her, and she was hanged. Can you give us a guarantee that such terrible events will be prevented by the judiciary, by the Iranian justice, from ever happening again in the Islamic Republic of Iran?

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: In principle, we are against executions. We are against the killing of people, and even the killing of a single ant. However, the judiciary of every country is subject to that country's laws. In England, in America, and in many other countries, the possibility of capital punishment is taken into account. We too are saddened when anybody is executed. If you want capital punishment to be eradicated, you must make sure that nobody breaks the law. You must make sure that no capital crimes are committed.

The judiciary in Iran is an independent system. However, since I am opposed to the very principle of the killing of people, I try [to ensure] a social atmosphere in which no crimes are committed. Moreover, I recommend to the judiciary that it act with more moderation. But as you know, the judiciary in Iran is totally independent.

I think that we should hold a conference of legal experts, so that they can talk to one another about the philosophy of punishment. This could be a very good dialogue on the international level. I think that our legal experts are willing to meet with legal experts from England, Europe, Africa, and Asia, to discuss things, and to reach a logical understanding.

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Third foreign journalist: Mr. President, you have spoken about freedom, but what we see is that many newspapers are closed, many newspapers are censored, including this morning. You are talking about ethics, but what we have seen recently is your police beating protesters. You accused the foreign press of a slanderous campaign against Iran, and in fact, we see with our eyes and we hear with our ears – and I think there are hundreds of us here now – and what we have seen is an election that millions of Iranians do not believe in, and don’t believe the numbers. Why hasn’t the full count of the election been revealed? Do you think that this could damage the legitimacy of your own government, of the Islamic Republic, as well as the prestige of the Supreme Leader? Thank you.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: In a country in which there is an 85% turnout, in which over 65% vote for one person, in which the public is united around its national interests, and in which all the country’s institutions are elected by the people – any talk about legitimacy is out of place.

Where did you hear that the people do not accept the vote count? Have you been in touch with forty million people? You see the few people you like to see. That is your mistake. You give these reports to your peoples and your governments, and you are misleading them too.

If you want to see the people of Tehran, come in a couple of hours to Vali-e Asr Square. You could have seen them three days ago in front of Sharif University. The number of people who took to the streets is not comparable even to the number of votes in a single ballot box. In some ballot boxes in Tehran, we had 5,000 voters. Some 2,000 or 3,000 people took to the streets, like spectators at a soccer match.

I think you need to change your point of view. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. The Iranian people is a vigilant people. Forty million people participated, and those forty million support [the results of] the elections. If you have more patience, you will see this again on 22 Bahman [the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution].

Don’t you worry about us. Freedom here is almost absolute. As proof of this, you see that people can say whatever they like. They are not afraid of persecution. Hundreds of newspapers are published in Iran. So two or three newspapers come and go – that’s only natural in any country. Don’t you worry.

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Fourth foreign journalist: Do you think that after your election, there will be a new position for international negotiations?

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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: I announced that if I was re-elected, I would invite Mr. Obama to a debate on the podium of the U.N., because we believe that the views should be presented. The root of the international issues must be recognized, and the appropriate methods of solution must be taken.