In this much publicized event, Khamenei described talks with "the Great Satan" as the "ugliest thing," adding that in his interview with the C.N.N., Khatami had underscored "all the principled positions of the Islamic regime in issues like dialogue and relations with the United States and our positions against the Zionist regime."
Khamenei reiterated that the ballyhoo raised about Khatami's interview is but "baseless and futile propaganda of the World Arrogance." These "very dangerous" propaganda "will create rifts and will gradually destroy every thing."
The statements on Friday by the mullahs' leader thus revealed how much the regime's survival is intertwined with terrorism and fundamentalism, and that it cannot tolerate even the propaganda about "moderation" of the mullahs' regime. Khamenei's remarks also confirmed that the efforts by some circles in the West are very far from reality and solely aim to justify appeasement of the mullahs for petty economic interests and other political considerations.
In another part of his speech, Khamenei pointed out that the mullahs "will never let the Americans set foot on Iran again" and thus rejected the mere notion of dialogue between cultures and civilizations mentioned by Khatami. He stressed: "The American regime is the enemy of the Islamic Republic, the enemy of the revolution, the enemy of the Iranian nation."
Khamenei also repeated in his speech that "having talks and relations with the United States does not bring any benefits to us but will harm the Iranian nation and the Islamic regime very much.... Our glory is in defiance of the United States."
Khamenei also assailed those in Iran who fuel these propaganda and accused them of following the "enemies of the revolution and Iran, and the orders of the World Arrogance."
The mullahs' leader also praised the 1979 occupation of the American Embassy in Tehran and stressed the regime's need to export terrorism and fundamentalism in order to survive: "If the United States manages to compel Iran into holding talks with America, it will be relieved of every concern about the awakened movements in the world.... Having relations and holding negotiations with America are harmful for the people of Iran and the global movement. They are harmful. These propaganda and rumors will demoralize the global Islamic movement."
The Iranian Resistance has repeatedly emphasized that the regime's leaders do not have any disagreements over the fundamental issues concerning the survival of the regime, including domestic repression and export of terrorism and fundamentalism, and each of them plays his own role.
Khatami's positions which, as Khamenei put it, are expressed in "a different tone" are first of all the maneuvers of a faltering regime who needs to place double emphasis on export of terrorism and crisis-mongering as its only means of survival.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
January 17, 1998
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