RNA – In an interview with Rasa News Agency, Hujjat al-Islam Muhammad-Taqi Rahbar referred to the recent positions taken by some European countries in relation to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and Iran’s nuclear issue and said, “The Europeans have always taken revenge through their stances. For example, they consider issues such as the presence of Iran in the region or its defensive weapons as problematic and these positions are expressed explicitly and also through metaphors and masked statements.”
The provisional Friday prayer leader of Esfahan emphasized Europe’s dependence on the United States in the field of international politics and added, “Whoever thinks Europe will do anything in terms of the JCPOA and international issues for us against the desires of the United States is completely wrong. Europe is entirely influenced by the United States. Although they deal with us in a more lenient and moderate method, they will never do anything against the United States’ desires.”
He added, “We see that Europe does not tolerate the regional presence of Iran and its confrontation and fight against Daesh. One of the issues that Europe has always had difficulty with is the strategic presence of Iran in the countries of the region, such as Iraq and Syria.”
Hujjat al-Islam Rahbar said the transformation of Iran into a regional power is the greatest fear in Europe and the United States and argued, “Can we not support the Islamic Resistance Front and not fight Daesh?” Can we stop supporting Palestine? Europe is demanding such issues and intends to achieve its goals in the Islamic countries by preventing Iran from standing against the arrogant powers and their allies in the region.”
The Iranian cleric condemned the defeat of Daesh and the arrogance front in the region as a result of Iran’s plans to support the Islamic Resistance Front and added, “Fondness towards the Europeans is false fondness because European politics rests on the American viewpoint and the Europeans have never taken action without or in contradiction to the opinion of the United States and we have always seen that the positions of the Europeans have been in line with the United States.”
He described some of Europe’s opposition to the United States is a pretense and is meant to deceive Iran, “The Europeans, on one hand, say that the JCPOA must be maintained and that Iran must remain in the JCPOA and on the other hand, they say that Iran must clarify its regional presence.”
Hujjat al-Islam Rahbar said that preserving national pride among Iranians is a necessity, given the current state of affairs and added, “The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei] has repeatedly emphasized the need to rely on domestic capabilities, the abilities of the people and the abandonment of foreigners is one of the most important issues that must be considered in the current sensitive circumstances.”
His Eminence stressed that the world is not just the United States and several European countries and said, “The world has more than seven billion people, there are many countries that we can have a productive and useful interactions with and there are countries that do not seek to bully or abuse us. We must aim at international engagement and have the maximum constructive and mutual cooperation with them.”
Hujjat al-Islam Rahbar said, “We must take a stand from the standpoint of power and authority against the enemies and the European countries. It is important to consider the psychological and mental aspects of the people. The people who support the Islamic system and are the enemies of the arrogant powers of the world are the masses of the people and are prepared, in terms of psychological readiness, to make every effort to develop and expand the country and never stop fighting the arrogant powers. For this reason, we must rely on the people instead of foreigners.”
Rasa News Agency
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