The regime in Tehran is facing 5 crises: Economic collapse, condensed popular anger, internal feuding, weakening of Bashar Assad’s regime and the complicated nuclear issue.
The fall of Gadhafi accelerated Tehran’s attempts to obtain nuclear weapons.
NCRI – On December 22, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah published its interview with Mohammad Mohadesin, chairman of foreign affairs committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
In his interview, Mr. Mohaddesin explained that the regime of Tehran is faced with 5 crises: economic collapse, condensed popular anger, internal feuding, weakening of Bashar Assad’s regime and complicated nuclear issue.
Mr. Mohaddesin emphasized that saving the emerging democracies in the Arab world from fundamentalism and terrorism and subsequent loss of life requires supporting the Iranian Resistance and establishing a united front against fundamentalism in the region.
The following is the English translation of an excerpt of the interview:
Q. The presidential election in Iran will be held next summer. Do you predict any dramatic change in the internal situation of Tehran’s regime?
A. The presidential or parliament elections held in Iran under the rule of mullahs bears no resemblance to free and real elections and essentially the principle of Velayat-e Faqih (absolute rule of the Supreme Leader) is in fundamental conflict with free voting and the people’s sovereignty.
The election outcome is the result of a power struggle between various factions of the clerical regime. All presidential candidates must be dedicated to Velayat-e Faghih both in belief and in practice, and this dedication must be confirmed by the Guardian Council, whose members are appointed by the Supreme Leader. Yet, according to the regime’s constitution, all main decisions are made by Supreme Leader with key organs under his control and the president merely has an administrative role, not a decision making one.
Considering the regime’s current situation, the June 2013 election has special importance for the mullahs’ regime because it is facing various crises.
Q. What do you think those crises are?
A. The regime is facing 5 main crises: Firstly, the economic situation is critical, the collapse of the currency, the inflation rate reaching 50 per cent and an unemployment rate of more than 30 per cent. Secondly, there is accumulated discontent among the general public which has created an explosive situation in Iran. Thirdly, there is an intensification and deepening of the power struggle among the regime’s internal factions. Fourthly, the situation in Syria and the possible overthrow of Bashar al-Assad has placed the regime’s regional front at the verge of collapse. Fifthly, the regime is reaching a decision making point regarding its nuclear project. The regime must either withdraw from its nuclear project and Khamenei has to drink the hemlock of retreating from this project, as Khomeini drank the cease fire hemlock, or it has to move towards confrontation with the west. Either of these would have devastating consequences for the regime.
Removing the terrorist labeling of People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) by the US State department and lifting restrictions from the organized opposition of this regime has given a political and overthrowing character to the crises surrounding the regime.
Q. In your opinion, are we going to see a Persian Spring like the Arab Spring after the collapse of Tehran’s regime allies, a revolution that overthrows the Iranian regime?
A. In reality the Persian Spring started 4 years ago and there is no doubt that the fall of the regime’s strategic ally in the region is a strategic blow to the mullahs’ rule and removes the obstacles created on the way of a Persian Spring. The mullahs’ regime has created a hellish circle which will break apart with the fall of the Syrian regime.
What gives credit to this prediction is the mullahs’ approach on this issue. Daily guidance of the situation in Syria by the war rooms in Tehran and Damascus: taking over the protection of key areas like Damascus by the Revolutionary Guards; their financial, military and logistical support for the Syrian dictatorship; using their proxy government in Iraq as an active backup of the frontline for Assad and allocating a huge part of property and wealth of Iraqi people to hold Assad’s regime in power; day and night propaganda in Iran on Syria and so on…. All of these indicate that the mullahs consider Syria’s fate beyond the fate of an ally but rather issue of their own survival.
Q. The Iranian regime’s nuclear programme exacerbates regional and international concern. Do you have any information and proof that reveals the Tehran’s regime intentions to develop nuclear weapon?
A. Yes, we believe the full force of the clerical regime is trying to obtain nuclear bomb. The regime on the brink of collapse wants to change the balance of power and guarantee its survival by obtaining a nuclear bomb.
The clerical regime sees its survival in expanding its influence in the region. Therefore, their main aim for obtaining a nuclear weapon is not to oppose Israel but to disrupt the balance in the region and impose its hegemony on the Arab and Islamic countries. With this objective, the regime developed and advanced its clandestine nuclear project over 18 years until 2002, when its nuclear weapon program was uncovered by the Iranian resistance and left no doubt over its military aspects.
According to credible information form the Resistance’s internal sources in the regime, the mullahs are working on all three necessary aspects of obtaining nuclear weapon: enrichment, explosive devices and missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
After the Arab spring, and particularly the fall of the Libyan dictatorship, Khamanei stated in a private meeting that if Gadhafi didn’t retreat from his nuclear project, his fate would have been different and the lesson we get from his fall is to accelerate our own nuclear project. He also mentioned this in his public speech and reiterated that they are half way through the project, and when they reach their peak (meaning obtaining nuclear bomb), the situation would change and hostilities would diminish. Their nuclear program is not a civilian project for peaceful purposes since it is all handled by the Revolutionary Guards.
Q. What information do you have regarding Iran’s nuclear program?
A. The information we have is collected by the social network of PMOI inside the country. The organization that oversees regime’s nuclear project is ‘The center for new defense research’ headed by the deputy defense minister. This center is located in a site called ‘Mojdeh’ in the Malek-Ashtar university in Lavizan, Tehran, chaired by Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi. The center has been in charge of nuclear warhead production for two years ago and its scientific team is formed of the IRGC and defense ministry experts. The Iranian resistance has exposed the names of 60 managers and experts from different sections of the center and its 11 associated organizations and companies. The center is involved in the purchase and preparation of the necessary parts and equipment and has 7 sections, each of which perform research pertaining to its own expertise. They work in the following fields:
Firstly, preparing the main materials for nuclear bomb production, uranium enrichment and explosives.
Secondly, work on the metals needed for the production of a nuclear warhead.
Thirdly, the production of such metals.
Fourthly, the production of a bomb detonator.
Fifthly, research on the production of advanced chemicals.
Sixthly, electronic design specific for a nuclear warhead.
Seventhly, laser research for nuclear application.
Unfortunately, the international community and particularly the UN Security Council, the US, and European countries have performed weakly on this issue. Instead of imposing severe sanctions, they started negotiation and concession with the regime giving it time to advance and complete its nuclear projects. The sanctions were insufficient and were imposed very late.
Today comprehensive sanctions against the regime are a necessary but insufficient condition to prevent the regime from obtaining a nuclear bomb. The final solution is regime change by the Iranian people and the resistance headed by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, in 2004 in the European parliament.
Q. Do you predict recognition of the Iranian Resistance by Arabic countries after the Arab Spring or improving relations with Tehran’s regime?
A. Naturally, the interests of the Iranian people and their resistance, and Arab countries that are facing democratic movements, necessitates good relation between them since the Arab Spring movements must have firm and non-crossable boundaries with the fundamentalist regime ruling Iran.
On the other hand, the Iranian regime and their supreme leader try futilely to portray the Arab spring as ‘Islamic awareness’ affected by the regime, thereby deviating them from their paths pulling them towards the regime. In addition, the full force of the Iranian regime is fighting against the Arab spring in Syria and considers it as its own battle for survival. Therefore, there is no way for the Arab spring to get close to a regime that is at the verge of being overthrown by a Persian spring.
I call on all my Arab brothers and sisters to support Iranian resistance and defend the rights of the resistance pioneers in Ashraf and Liberty for the freedom of Iranian people, and to support the united front against fundamentalism to save the emerging democracies in the Arab world, and to prevent the region falling into the hands of fundamentalism and terrorism.