Following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian MP Ismail Kawthari, which aired on Al-Alam TV on November 28, 2011:
Ismail Kawthari: "We decided to downgrade the level of [British] diplomatic representation, which will be followed, at a later stage, by severance of the diplomatic ties. We reached this conviction because people working in the British embassy in Tehran were involved, in an illegitimate manner, in Iranian domestic affairs, especially in the disturbances that followed the [2009] presidential elections. […]
"The [British] continue to believe that they are the victors, or the ones who rule the world, on the basis of the outcome of World War II. But the days of plundering the resources of the peoples are gone, never to return. That is why we took this decision, and soon, the British ambassador will be expelled from Tehran, and the Iranian parliament will follow this matter to the end. […]
"To a certain extent, we avoid issues pertaining to other countries. We have frequently told our neighboring countries, especially Turkey, not to join the powers of global arrogance. However, if one day, the need arises, we have the ability [to respond to an attack against Iran]. If the Americans or the Zionists want to deploy missile shields on Turkish soil, we are definitely capable of putting them out of action very quickly. Therefore, Turkish officials should give this careful thought – more than others – and should oppose this." […]
