Iran Responds to Trump’s New Strategy

Here is the full text of Iran’s response to the United States’ new strategy:

1) The principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is supporting regional peace and stability and countering destabilizing and divisive measures aimed at creating tension and conflict in the Middle East. Therefore, decisive fight against ISIS and other terrorist groups in the region has been the Islamic Republic’s major priority. This is while the United States’ policies, particularly its support for terrorist groups and repressive regimes, have been among the root causes of instability in the Middle East. The US cannot evade its responsibilities by raising accusations against others and should be held accountable for its wrong policies.

2) Within the past decades, the US policy of supporting the Zionist regime and other authoritarian and repressive governments in the region has led to constant outbreak of wars and conflicts on the one hand, and emergence of the inauspicious phenomenon of terrorism on the other hand. Washington’s regional friends and allies are the creators and main sponsors of international terrorism, to which even American citizens inside the US territory have not remained immune. The United States’ continuation of this policy is a historic strategic mistake with dire consequences for the region and the world.

3) Iran’s missile power merely serves defensive and deterrent purposes. This capability has indeed played an effective role in the path of [securing] regional peace and stability so far. Without such capability, it was not clear where the region would be led to by the immature thoughts and ambitions of certain pampered regional leaders. The Islamic Republic of Iran is serious in maintaining and developing its defensive and security capabilities, and in this path, it only pays attention to its national security considerations and the Iranian people’s interests.

4) The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), are manifestations of power and might and protectors of the country’s security. The government and the entire nation of Iran strongly support these forces. Any move against the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces, including the IRGC, would receive Iran’s appropriate and strong response.

5) The principled and permanent policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is countering Weapons of Mass Destruction in all parts of the world and moving towards global disarmament. This policy is the basis of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and Iran’s compliance [with the nuclear deal] has been confirmed for eight times by the only supervisory authority [IAEA]. On the other hand, the US non-compliance with the deal and its repeated violation of the spirit and text of the JCPOA is clear and evident, instances of which have been recorded within the past one and a half years in nine letters sent by the Iranian foreign minister to the EU foreign policy chief as the coordinator of JCPOA. In every single case [of these violations], the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken reciprocal measures based on its interests, and it will do so in the future without any consideration. Iran’s options are quite various, and if necessary, they will include putting an end to all commitments in this regard.

6) Today, the US is more isolated than ever in the international community, and the entire world has come to know that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policies were right. The world saw within the past few weeks that most countries of the world supported the nuclear deal and the Islamic Republic and voiced their opposition to the US policies. The international community has known the Islamic Republic of Iran as a rational and wise player in the global arena which is striving for peace, and does not pay heed to the policies of players who make themselves more isolated everyday by withdrawing from a treaty or international body.

7) It is totally clear and undeniable that Iran and the US pursue different policies towards many regional and global issues. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the US administrations have turned these differences into clear hostility towards the Iranian nation through their back-to-back miscalculations. Despite such hostile policies, two of whose main features have been threat and sanction, the Iranian people have proceeded with their quest for independence and justice. By relying on its domestic capabilities and popular support, the Islamic Republic of Iran today has become more powerful than ever under the wise leadership of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. After Imam Khomeini, the Islamic Republic of Iran owes its robust and dignified progress in the contemporary era to the lofty guidelines of Ayatollah Khamenei whose anti-arrogance stances and strong opposition to the US government’s regional and global policies in different eras have been indeed the main reason for the US leaders’ hostility towards Iran’s Leader. The US policies in the Middle East and other parts of the world have yielded no result but bloodshed and misery for the people of the world. The new US leaders had better remember the lessons of the past four decades and not forget that their predecessors, who put themselves against the Iranian people by repeating similar impudent remarks about the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, were finally embarrassed and forced to take back their comments.