Rouhani: Tell People the Truth; War Cannot Happen Without Casualties and Wounded

Iran’s president says people will not be “without problems” in Iran’s war with America and “historical aggressors,” because war “does not happen without casualties and wounded.” He also warned about “discouraging” the Iranian people by some “media owners and platform holders.”

According to the president’s media office, Hassan Rouhani made these remarks at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting and said the groups that are “lining up” against Iran today are in “the worst condition within their own countries.”

Stating that the Islamic Republic is today in a “clear war” against “historical aggressors,” Mr. Rouhani added that America has no “political and intellectual support” from any country except a few, and some intellectuals and experts even explicitly call the “White House residents” “foolish and ignorant.”

Warning about the “grave duty and mission of media owners and platform holders” in the current situation of the country, he cautioned against creating “fear” in the hearts of people and undermining their morale.

Rouhani said: “If we stand firm and boost people’s morale, we reduce the nation’s costs, but if we create fear, terror and despair, we increase the nation’s costs. And what could be more counter-revolutionary than creating fear in people’s hearts through the front pages of our newspapers, websites, news agencies and media?”

According to Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Iran’s president, while emphasizing the necessity of telling people the truth, clarified that “of course people will not be without problems in this war, because war does not happen without casualties and wounded, but this is a war we are confident about, the final victory is with us and we will defeat the enemy in it.”

He made these remarks at a time when he had previously repeatedly told the Iranian people that they should have no concerns about managing the country and meeting their basic needs.

In November 2017, Iran’s president told the people that “they should be at ease about the dollar,” and in May this year also said: “I tell the people of the country not to worry about managing the country. We know exactly what we are doing… We have the necessary foreign exchange and all the country’s needs will be met.”

Following America’s announcement of withdrawal from the JCPOA, the value of the Iranian rial has fallen significantly, resulting in price increases for many goods and services in Iran.

The second round of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which targets Iran’s oil industry, will be implemented in October, and this issue has created concerns within the country.

In response to Iran’s foreign exchange market situation, Rouhani said: “Is foreign currency only a few percent important in our country’s economy?… Assuming imports of goods and services account for 10 percent, we should see how much of that remains at 4,200 tomans per dollar, how much at around 7,000 tomans, and how much for the parallel market.”

The president described calculating the country’s economy based on foreign currency as “far from justice, expertise, right and fairness,” and criticized the fact that “our experts, intellectuals, journalists and columnists are not telling people these realities.”

He said: “Today, education, health and medical services, water and electricity, gas, gasoline, diesel and energy are not calculated based on the dollar on every street corner.”

Rouhani warned against “discouraging” people at a time when the country is in a state of “economic and psychological war” and called for presenting “positive points” to them as well.

He also said that “no one should think that undermining the government can produce votes for them in next year’s elections or in 2021 elections.”

Using the term “virus of pessimism” expressed by the leader of the Islamic Republic, Iran’s president added that “some today are spreading the virus of pessimism in the country through their speeches, platforms and media.”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, one day after Rouhani’s appearance in parliament to answer representatives’ questions about the country’s economic situation, which according to political activists showed the president raised no important points in his remarks, supported this action.

He considered disagreements among officials as natural but added: “These disagreements should not become media issues because it worries and disturbs people.”

Regarding Rouhani’s presence in parliament and what happened in that session, Khamenei said the session “was a display of the power and stability of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and may God grant the president and the legislative branch good for such a display of power.”

Source: Radio Farda