Iran's Independence Is Not Negotiable

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, at a ceremony commemorating the National Day of Fighting Against Global Arrogance and the Seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran, pointed to the significance of November 4th (13th Aban Solar calendar) in Iran's contemporary history and stated: "The November 4th (13th Aban Solar calendar) is the day when our nation declared with a loud and unified voice that they will never accept domination and will stand against arrogance. This principle is the cornerstone of our foreign policy, because international interactions must be based on national interests. A country that lacks independence has neither national dignity, nor credibility, nor power, nor lasting progress."

Referring to three major historical events on November 4th (13th Aban Solar calendar), he added: "The foundation of the November 4th (13th Aban Solar calendar) is the steadfastness of the Iranian nation against accepting domination and arrogance. From the beginning of the Islamic movement, our divine leader, Imam Khomeini (RA), stood against dependence and national humiliation. In his famous speech on October 26, 1964, regarding the Capitulation Law, he warned and stated that they had sold off Iran's independence and honor. Following that, the oppressive monarchical regime exiled the Imam on November 4th (13th Aban Solar calendar) of that same year. The foundation of our movement from the very beginning has been 'Anti-Arrogance'."

Ghalibaf continued: "On November 4, 1978, our students, in their battle against the Shah's regime and global arrogance, cried out the message of independence and freedom with their blood. And on November 4, 1979, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, students who followed the Imam's line, by seizing the American den of espionage, revealed the true face of that regime's crimes and plots. The documents from the embassy showed that the enemy, even after the Revolution's victory, sought to infiltrate the country's foundations."

The Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, pointing to the role of the young generation in safeguarding national independence, emphasized: "Our students, not only during the Revolution but also during the Sacred Defense, defended the country's independence with self-sacrifice. The majority of martyrs on the war fronts were from this very stratum."

Ghalibaf, stressing the continuity of the hostility from the hegemonic system, said: "Today, the nature of the hegemonic system has not changed. The same mindset of the Carter administration towards the Iranian nation is being repeated with more advanced tools. They assassinate our scientists in the heart of Tehran and believe that a strong Iran should not exist; and if it does, it should not be independent."

He added: "The recent 12-day war also demonstrated that their appearance has changed, but their brutality and hostility towards independent nations, especially Iran, remains constant. With terms like 'preemptive strike,' they seek to hide their criminal face, but the truth is that they are opposed to an independent and unified Iran."

Ghalibaf, referring to new tools of infiltration, said: "Today, the lethal weapon of arrogance is the pumping of despair and self-deprecation. Through the media empire they have built, they try to suggest to the youth that progress is impossible without dependence on the West. Meanwhile, Iran's achievements in nuclear, nano, bio, defense, and medical fields have drawn a line through this great lie."

The Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, pointing to the historical depth of America's hostility toward the Iranian nation, noted: "Some assume the enmity of America began at the time of the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran, but this is a historical deception. Their hostility began when our nation decided to take its destiny into its own hands and not allow the embassies of London and Washington to make decisions for Iran."

Ghalibaf also stated: "In the coup of August 19, 1953, against Mosaddegh, we saw how America targeted Iran's independence. Later, the Carter administration wanted to continue the same model to release hostages from the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran. Today, Islam is the guarantor of our country's independence, and as long as Iran remains independent and strong, the hostility of the hegemonic system will not end."