Jannati: No change in US-Iran ties with Obama
Published: Friday, November 07, 2008
12:00GMT—7:00AM/EST
FRIDAY PRAYER – ISLAM – US PRESIDENT-ELECT
Washington, 7 November (IranVNC)—Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who led the Friday prayers in Tehran today, said in his second sermon, that despite all the election campaign promises of change, he does not expect the new US president-elect, Barack Obama, to essentially change the relationship between Iran and the U.S. and that the U.S. is “fundamentally” opposed to Islam.
Jannati, the secretary of Iran’s influential Guardian Council said: “[But] in principle it won’t make a difference. The general unavoidable policy of America is opposition to Islam. This won’t change, no matter what side comes [to power], no matter what political current comes, no matter what party comes, things will be the same. This is deep-rooted.”
Another reason Jannati gave for his pessimism regarding a real change in US policy toward Iran was what he characterized as US leaders always trying to please Israel.
But Jannati said that the world is behind Iran as it continues to stand up to the U.S., even if some world leaders do not have the courage to say this explicitly.
“Even many heads of states are happy about our speeches, our discourses, our views and opinions, and even in some ways [indirectly] they try to let us know that we have done a good job, ‘excellent’, ‘you said it just
right,’” he said.
But, he continued: “Alas, they don’t have the courage [to express their views openly]. But these are grounds for America to eventually explode totally. The power of America is in decline every day; the power of the Islamic Republic, Islam, Islamism, is on the rise every day.”
In order to show the real extent of America’s economic decline Jannati provided statistics. He said: “There are a lot of problems inside America, at the moment; and some strange, incredible things are being said, and I have taken down some notes about one of these things, which says: ‘More than 50% of the people of America are finding it difficult to secure their basic daily needs - more than 50%.”
Two weeks ago, another Friday prayer leader, Iran’s Chairman of the Expediency Council, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani had warned about showing “delight” at the global financial crisis, calling it a “tsunami” that has already reached Iran.
Elsewhere in his sermon, Tehran’s interim Friday Prayer leader reiterated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s criticisms of the media this week, and warned Iran’s journalists not to attack the government.
“Today we are witness to dozens of newspapers attacking the government, saying whatever they please and calling it freedom; and they are also being applauded from abroad,” Jannati said.
He continued: “But if they think that people will one day offer them the country as a gift, they are badly mistaken, because the people of Iran are Muslims, revolutionary, and alert.”
Jannati next referred to the “silent” friends of Iran and told them and the Muslim world as a whole to unite against the U.S. and not to fear the consequences. “Muslims, let us unite!” Jannati said.
He concluded his remarks on the U.S. by saying: “They are heading toward a fall. I have said it many times here and will say it again, they are spiraling downwards, and we are spiraling up…”
Source: IranVNC correspondent
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