In an exclusive interview with CNN Senior Correspondent Fred Pleitgen, held in Tehran in the aftermath of the US assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif warned that America’s days in the region are ‘numbered’. He added that the murder of General Soleimani was an act of aggression against Iran and amounted to an armed attack against his nation. “We will respond, but we will respond proportionally not disproportionately; we will respond lawfully, we are not lawless people like President Trump.”
At the onset of the interview, Pleitgen began by asking the Iranian FM what he thought about President Trump’s threats that there would be disproportionate response if Iran retaliated for the killing of General Soleimani.
“Well, I think President Trump after watching the crowd yesterday, he must stop threatening us. People will be further enraged by his threats and his threats will not frighten us. But he’s telling something; he is telling the international community that he has no respect for international law and that he’s prepared to commit war crimes, because attacking cultural sites is a war crime. Disproportionate response is a war crime. Proportionality is a major principle of international law. But it seems he doesn’t care about international law. But has he made the US more secure? Are the American people more secure? Are the Americans today welcome in this region? Do they feel welcome? How do they feel about people chanting in the streets of Iraq, in the streets of Moscow, in the streets of Delhi and everywhere else that they should leave, how do they feel about that? That’s the price for arrogance, for ignorance, for lack of respect.”
In response to Trump and Defense Secretary Mike Pompeo saying that they have intelligence that General Soleimani was planning imminent attacks on US targets, and that killing the general was a deterrent attack that has made America safer today, Zarif said: “Well, they are based on misinformation, because General Soleimani’s mission was to contain the anger in Iraq following the United States murder of about 25 Iraqis. This is a very clear information that we have. Clear information that the Iraqi government has. The government of Iraq is on the record saying what he was doing. General Soleimani was the greatest force for stability in Iraq. He was the hero of the fight against ISIS along with his companions, particularly Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. They are revered by the people of Iraq. Did you see the funeral procession? Now, Mike Pompeo might like a video-clip that somebody sent him showing a couple of people — 20 people celebrating — but did he close his eyes that he did not see the huge sea of people mourning in Iraq and in Iran? Their [America’s] days in our region are numbered, not because anybody will take any action against them, but because they are not welcome in our region.”
Asked about the kind of retaliation that the government, leadership and the military in Iran have vouched to take against the United States, Zarif responded by saying, “The United States violated three principles: Iraqi sovereignty and the agreement that they had with Iraq; they’ve got a response from the Iraqi parliament. They’ve violated the emotions of the people; they will get a response from the people. They killed one of our most revered commanders, the most senior commanders and they took responsibility for it. This is state terrorism, this is an act of aggression against Iran and it amounts to an armed attack against Iran and we will respond. But we will respond proportionally, not disproportionately because we’re committed to law. We’re law abiding people. We’re not lawless like President Trump.”
When it was pointed out that the US is already putting additional troops into the middle eastern region and they have said they would strengthen the defences of their bases in the region, Zarif replied: “The United States has been in this region for many years and has not brought itself or the region any security. We leave it at that.”
Asked if Iran would rely on militias it controls in the region to retaliate, Zarif said: “Not militias, we have people on our side in this region, and that’s much more important. The United States believes that it has beautiful military equipment; according to President Trump, you [the US] spent two trillion dollars on this beautiful military equipment. But beautiful military equipment don’t rule the world. People rule the world. People. The United States has to wake up to the reality that the people of this region are enraged. The people of this region want the United States out and the United States cannot stay in this region with the people of the region not wanting it anymore.
Responding to US statements that before the strike on General Soleimani, there were provocations by the Iranian forces controlled by Iran. There were bases that were rocketed. There was obviously an American contractor who was killed and then there was the protests at the US embassy in Iraq, which destroyed the outside of the embassy and left the embassy under siege, Iran’s top diplomat said: “The Iranian consulate in Najaf was burned. Did we take any action against anybody? The United States has to realize that people in Iraq are angry and they take their anger, of course, they are more angry about the United States than anybody else.
“But, what is important is for the United States to realize, for the Trump administration to realize that everything in this region was improving, following the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]. We were having a normal election in Iraq, normal elections in Lebanon, governments coming to office through democratic process, negotiations started in Syria. We had the reducing of tensions in Syria. Governments were established in Lebanon. Government was established in Iraq. What happened? The United States started a maximum pressure campaign, terrorizing the Iranian people, making it difficult for the Iranians to even get food and medicine from outside. So, a war was started a long time ago by the United States. The United States destroyed the stability in this region. The United States undermined the security in this region. So, one contractor was killed; at least in the last month, 25 Iranian babies died because of TB and because of the US sanctions.
Asked if there was a risk of an all-out war that could destroy large parts of Iran and the Middle East, Zarif noted: “You see, we’re sitting at our home and we will defend our own territory. We’ll defend our people. The United States can defend the United States, but the United States cannot even think to defend the United States 7,000 miles away from home. We are here. We will not move. We’ve been here for seven millennia. We’ll continue to be here. The United States is a newcomer.
[Since the interview, events have moved on. In the early hours of 8 January, Iran launched a retaliatory missile barrage at two Iraqi military bases housing US forces, causing material damage but no loss of life. There have been no counter-strikes by the US.]
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