US Defense Secretary: Iranian people should not be united with their unpopular government
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, referring to the distinction between the people and the government of the Islamic Republic, has said that an approach that unites the people of Iran with the country's unpopular government should not be taken.
US media reports on Monday indicated that James Mattis answered questions on various topics in an interview with The Islander, a student publication in the Seattle suburbs of Washington state.
In response to a question about improving relations between Iran and the United States, he said: "Until the Iranian people change this theocracy and get rid of those who tell the people who can run and who they should elect, this issue will be very, very difficult."
The US Secretary of Defense then added: "This is a regime that forces its agents, like Hezbollah in Lebanon, to threaten Israel, or assassinate the former Lebanese prime minister, or kill Israeli tourists in Bulgaria."
James Mattis has said: "The problem is certainly not the Iranian people, but the regime (Iran) that sends its agents to assassinate ambassadors in Washington or Pakistan. It is the regime (Iran) that provides missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen."
James Mattis had previously mentioned on June 26 of this year the issue of Iran's plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, which prompted Iran's reaction.
On June 29, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected James Mattis's statements about Tehran's attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, calling it a "fabrication."
The US Secretary of Defense also said about the characteristics of the Iranian government: "This is a murderous regime, it has killed a large number of Iranians and imprisoned many young people who demonstrated against them during the Green Revolution (Green Movement) a few years ago."
The US Secretary of Defense is referring to the protests against the results of the Iranian presidential election in 2009. Dozens of people were killed and thousands were imprisoned in these protests in Tehran and the surrounding cities.
James Mattis went on to say: "You must not unite the Iranian people with this unpopular regime, because if you put pressure on both, they will end up together. We must make sure that the Iranian people know that we have no disagreements or conflicts with them. I will start there."
"Iran is the biggest cause of instability in the Middle East region"
In another part of the interview, the US Secretary of Defense addressed Iran's role in the region and said: "Bashar Assad is in power now only because of Iran. Russia is blocking the Security Council's resolutions, and Bashar Assad has already killed hundreds of thousands of Syrian citizens and displaced millions, and the only reason for that is Iran."
He added that in the Middle East, from Cairo to Tel Aviv to Riyadh, from Arabs to Jews, everyone considers Iran to be the biggest cause of instability in the region.
Regarding the actors in Syria, James Mattis has said: "If it weren't for Iran's military support and Russia's veto, as well as Russia's current military support, the Syrian people would have removed Bashar al-Assad from power five years ago."
Protests against the government of Bashar al-Assad began peacefully in 2011, but eventually escalated into a civil war in Syria. Russia has been involved in the Syrian civil war since 2015 on behalf of Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Reports indicate that, in addition to providing weapons and financial support, Iran has also organized Shiite militias in the region in favor of the Bashar al-Assad government.
This is while the Syrian government says it is fighting terrorism.
Source: Radio Farda
