PRESIDENT Ahmadinejad has said that the West has ‘run out of ammo’ against Iran.
He added that Iran will never accept commitments from Western countries that will go against its rights and interests.
Speaking in a live interview on Iran’s provincial East Azerbaijan TV on 20 November, Ahmadinejad said that the West had exhausted its weapons against Iran, be it a military threat or a threat of economic sanctions.
He said that Iran was the major player in the Middle East and that no country could act in the region without Iran’s backing.
Ahmadinejad reiterated his call on the US president to choose between cooperation with the Middle East nations and support for Israel.
The Iranian president also said that the second presidential visit to East Azerbaijan Province mainly focused on the cultural axis.
He appreciated the active participation of the people of East Azerbaijan Province in the country’s political life, which ‘foiled most of the enemies’ plans and programmes’.
At the beginning of his interview, he criticised the capitalistic economy and said that all the theories of this economy were based on increasing consumption. In capitalist economies, those are respected who consume more or, in other words, have more money, while the Iranian economy is based on human relations and the theory of culture.
Justice and fairness exist in our culture, and if all the establishments adhere to these factors, social problems will disappear by themselves, the president said.
Referring to the Economic Reform Plan and the Smart Subsidies Plan, Ahmadinejad criticised the high volume of consumption and inequality in Iranian society.
‘If we distribute subsidies equally, public consumption will decrease, the economic situation of the six vulnerable strata will improve and inflation will decrease, which is the most important factor,’ he said.
‘Some pretend to be trying to rescue the people whom the government intends to destroy, but this is not true,’ Ahmadinejad said.
‘We want to improve and change the situation. You should have no doubts in this regard,’ he added. ‘It is enough to make a 20 per cent consumption saving so that this theory turns into practice, Ahmadinejad said.
The last part of his interview focused on political and nuclear issues.
Ahmadinejad said that the Islamic Revolution had brought Iran to its appropriate domestic and foreign position.
‘Since the beginning of the Revolution the enemy has been trying to create an atmosphere of threat for the Iranian people, to an extent that they even succeeded in imposing war on Iran,’ the president said, referring to the Iran-Iraq war. ‘Therefore, since the start of establishing the Islamic Republic, our plans and programmes have been carried out and drafted shadowed by threats and restrictions,’ he said.
‘The nuclear issue has given the Iranian nation a chance to move the shadow of threats away from Iran through withstanding alongside the beloved leader,’ President Ahmadinejad said.
‘Iran would never accept any commitment which would not secure its rights and interests. Whenever the Western powers issued a resolution, we made a step forward. You Western powers have stored bombs in your arsenals while we just want to have energy.
‘They have used all the tools they had and now their weapon has run out of ammunition.
‘All their tools were ineffective, be it a military threat or an economic one or political and psychological warfare. They have exhausted their tools.
‘We are on another level today.’
He described the Middle East region as the most important region in today’s world.
‘Nobody can perform a role in this region without Iran’s support.
‘Today, Iran is a country that the entire world and even America needs. This is the fruit of the Iranian nation’s resistance and withstanding.
‘The most important country in the most important region of the world is Iran. So, what is the most important country of the world?
‘It is Iran, because no-one can carry out activities in the region without Iran. And if they cannot act in the Middle East, then they cannot act in the world.
‘This is why the Zionists are angry. There is an immoral European country which is angry as well.
Unfortunately, some people in the country carry out immoral activities which are in the interests of the hostile countries. Today is not the time for standing back but the time to take advantage of the victory.
‘Of course, there are obstacles in the way of making big decisions.
‘Those are successful on this way who overcome these obstacles.
‘In my speech in Mashhad, I told US President Barack Obama that you should choose between cooperation with the nations of the region and support for the Zionist regime.
‘It is up to them to choose either cooperation based on justice and respect or hostility. Iran always welcomes cooperation and diplomatic relations based on mutual respect.’
Ahmadinejad finished his speech with a prayer for the people of East Azerbaijan Province.
The interview lasted two hours and 12 minutes and finished at 1747 gmt on 20 November.
