The following are excerpts from statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which aired on Press TV (Iran) on July 28, 2010.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/0/0/0/0/0/0/2563.
"In Their Estimation of Their Own Capabilities, [the West is] Making a Mistake"
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "Let me start with felicitations on the anniversary of the birth of the Mahdi. I congratulate all of humanity, all the people in the world, because it is the climax of mankind's inspiration – the fulfillment of the rule of the Promised One. Mankind sees all its goals and aspirations and their fulfillment at a time when justice will prevail all over the world, kindness will prevail, antagonism will go away. Therefore, the Promised One tomorrow is the Promised One of all nations. He is the one that is being awaited by all world nations. They are all waiting for that sweet incident to happen, to see mankind reach the peak of its perfection.
"They [the West] expect us to say that the sanctions will be effective? Maybe that is what they expect. Maybe they think that as soon as they say 'sanctions', the Iranians will go and die. In their estimation of their own capabilities they are making a mistake. They think that all the world nations are in need of them and that world nations cannot live without them and as soon as they cut off their ties with them, their breathing apparatus will stop functioning. That is the mistake they are making. Maybe 60 years ago some would accept this. Maybe 30 years some would accept this as well. But it is not like that now. Especially when it comes to Iran, about a … it's not a small [country] of two million people. They can't do this even to a small country, let alone Iran. They know nothing about geography, about history, about politics. Iran with its 1,700,000 square meters. We have 14 or 15 neighboring countries. With 180 countries we have very good relations. All the transit routes between East and West pass through Iran. Iran is an economic power, it is a cultural power, and it is also a big political power. It is a great nation, 75 million people – that is the population of Iran. And the people are … Their IQ is much higher than that of the world. Iran is a place … Iran has always carried the flag of culture and civilization. They are actually sanctioning themselves!
The West and the U.S. are the World's Real Nuclear Threats
"But when we talk about nuclear cooperation, it means, if you have any concerns, why don't you come forward and cooperate? We also have concerns about you. We have our own preoccupations and worries. Why … They say they have 5,060 or plus [nuclear] bombs they have stockpiled. A government that cannot bring an oil well under control – how can they stockpile all these bombs? We protest this. There are more than 50 or 100 [U.S.] military bases all over the world, and in all of them have a stockpile of atomic bombs. The world is in danger – all parts of the world. If one bomb goes off, who will be accountable for that? What about the rest of them? It is the same. We need to protest and complain.
"Now I say that the people of America are against the aggressive policy of the U.S. administration. They don't accept that. Why don't they hold an opinion poll? Let's have an opinion poll. Let's have an independent group go to America and hold a referendum. The same can be done in Europe. I am ready to prove this. In Iran things are clear. Whatever you hear that I am saying, I have said the same things during the elections – [using] exactly the same words. People voted for the same comments. But in their elections they say one thing but in practice, they do something else. People vote for another slogan – but they do something else in practice. That's why if you ask the people, they will say: 'No, we wanted that slogan, not this one that they are doing.' That is why they are afraid. The European officials are paying the Zionist regime and they never ask people's opinion about that. But when they want to milk white or black cows, they hold a referendum in Europe. At eight in the morning should they milk the cows, or six in the morning - let's have a referendum. But there will never be a referendum whether to pay or make monetary contributions to Israelis to kill Palestinians. Why don't they have a referendum on that?"
