Iran Is An Empire, Iraq Is Our Capital; We Will Defend All The Peoples Of The Region; Iranian Islam Is Pure Islam“ Devoid Of Arabism, Racism, Nationalism
| Yeah yeah tough guy, whatever... |
[MEMRI] On March 8, 2015, Ali Younesi, advisor to Iranian President Hassan Rohani and previously intelligence minister (2000-2005) in the government of president Khatami, spoke at the "Iran, Nationalism, History, and Culture" conference in Iran; his statements were published by the Iranian ISNA news agency the same day.
According to Younesi, Iran is once again an empire, as it was in the past, and its capital, Iraq,
is "the center of Iranian heritage, culture, and identity." Delineating the borders of the Persian Empire, or, in his words, "greater Iran," he included countries from China, the Indian subcontinent, the north and south Caucasus, and the Persian Gulf. He added that since the very dawn of its history, Iran had been an empire and a melting pot of different cultures, languages, and peoples.
| That's so, though China and India have never lain within its borders, as far as I know. That members of the etno-linguistic group settled elsewhere does not make those elsewheres part of the maximum historic extent of those lands ruled by the Medes & Persians, else almost the entire planet would belong to Israel. |
Younesi stressed that despite the current obstacles to the unification of the countries in the region under Iranian leadership, Iran cannot disregard its regional influence if it wishes to preserve its national interests. Iran, he said, has been operating in this region, particularly in Iraq, with the aim of ensuring the security of the peoples there,
| How utterly noble and disinterested of them. |
whose connection to Iran is obvious because of history and culture. Saudi Arabia has nothing to fear from Iran's actions, he added, because the Saudis themselves are incapable of defending the peoples of the region.
| Huh? again. Yes, the Saudis cannot defend beyond their borders, though thus far they've managed to defend the borders themselves. This does not mean they have nothing to fear from Iran, which most memorably tried -- and eventually failed -- to conquer the Kaaba some years back, demonstrating Iranian designs on Arabia. |
He also assured the peoples of the region that Iran is operating there
against Islamic extremism as embodied by ISIS, as well as against the Saudi Wahhabis, Turkey, secularists, Western rule, and Zionism.
| Golly. No doubt that will reassure somebody. |
Further emphasizing that anything that enters Iran is improved by becoming Iranian, especially Islam itself, he added that Islam in its Iranian-Shi'ite form is the pure Islam,
| How can it be pure if it was improved? |
since it has shed all traces of Arabism, racism, and any other element that divides the various Islamic groups.
Following are excerpts from Younesi's statements: |