West pressures Iran over own interests

Iran says the US-led pressure imposed on the country by the US and its allies is because of the Islamic Republic’s refusal to observe the West’s interests.

“The reason for the pressure and restrictions in the present time is that Iran’s measures are not in line with the interests of [the world’s] superpowers, unlike before the Islamic revolution [of 1979],” IRNA quoted Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying on Wednesday.

Referring to the massive turnout at Iran’s 2009 presidential election, Mehmanparast said, “People’s 85-percent turnout showed that they have not abandoned the Islamic Revolution after 31 years, and on the contrary are massively involved in [the Islamic establishment].”

“This is a dream for other countries,” the Iranian spokesperson went on to say.

Mehmanparast made the remarks on the anniversary of November 4, 1979, when Iranian university students captured the US embassy in the Iranian capital of Tehran as Washington’s “Espionage Den” in the post-revolution Iran.

He took pride in Iranian people’s faith and patriotism as factors which have prevented, throughout the county’s history, the domination of foreigners from lasting long.

Mehmanparast further played down differences among political parties in Iran as an enviable requirement of a democratic establishment.

The Iranian official further criticized Washington’s efforts to spread an “upside-down” definition for democracy.

“Throughout the years following the Islamic Revolution, 30 national elections have been held in the country and from their point of view there is no democracy in our country, while it exists in other countries were there is basically no election,” Mehmanparast complained.

“These countries are [of course] US allies,” he noted.

“When Hamas won a parliamentary majority in the (2006) Palestinian general polls, they said Palestinians have not mentally matured to see who they should vote for,” he recalled.