Komsomolskaya Pravda journalists spoke with the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Photo: Oksana ZUYKO
Our countries established official relations in 1592, still under the Rurikovich era. So Russia was the Kingdom and Iran was Persia. A lot has happened since then. But the portrait of the first ambassador, Hossein Ali Beig Bayat, an important man in a picturesque turban, still hangs on the wall of the embassy building on Pokrovsky Boulevard. As did forty-one of his followers. The current 42nd ambassador of Iran, Kazem Jalali, is an energetic and modern diplomat, former member of the Iranian Majlis (parliament) and has been working in Russia for four years. He arrived in Moscow in December 2019, even before the coronavirus epidemic, the Northeast Military District and everything that Russia, Iran and the world would have to face in the future.
Is it true that Tehran is helping the Hamas militant movement in the Gaza Strip? How do you assess Russia’s position in this Middle East conflict, where Iran is the most serious actor? What is happening with women’s rights in Iran? Are Russian tourists welcome in Tehran? The ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Moscow spoke about this in an exclusive interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda journalists.
FIVE THOUSAND CHILDREN DIE
—Mr. Ambassador, the entire world is now concerned about the situation in the Gaza Strip. We can’t help but start the conversation with these events.
— Yes, the events are truly tragic and terrible. It was impossible to even imagine the horror we see in the photos and videos from Gaza. The children who die in this war (you know, about five thousand children have died in Gaza so far) have become victims of Israel’s brutal bombing. In addition, many women died, hospitals were destroyed and deprived of electricity and medicine. Many operations are performed without anesthesia. The catastrophe is enormous. In the 21st century there is a lot of talk about human rights and they even defend animal rights, but here they make fun of people like this.
—Who is, in your opinion, the main beneficiary of the crisis?
“Unfortunately, the United States unilaterally supports Israel and practically controls this war. They did not even allow the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for peace in Palestine.
Kazem Jalali spoke about the Palestinian crisis
Photo: Oksana ZUYKO
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEMS IS INJUSTICE
“At the same time, it cannot be denied that the war began with a Hamas attack on Israel’s southern regions, although it caused incomparably fewer civilian casualties than the IDF response. But some claim that “Iran was behind this attack.”
– This, of course, is not true. The Israelis and the Americans are now trying to shift all responsibility for what is happening to other countries in advance. Look, Israel was founded in 1948, and the Islamic Republic of Iran in its current system was founded in 1979. Before 1979 there was no Israeli-Palestinian crisis? Was! Always, all these 75 years, almost every year. Both before the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran and after. As President Putin correctly noted at Moscow Energy Week: “The problem surrounding today’s Palestine is a problem of justice.” It is INJUSTICE that leads to the formation of rebel movements. There are 2.2 million people living in the Gaza Strip, and they have faced and continue to face Israel’s most brutal actions. Can they forget and forgive this? Forgive that your mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters are dying? Even a small child who sees all this with his own eyes will never forget it. Resistance groups emerge from these people. [военизированные движения наподобие ХАМАС — прим. ред.].
Tour of the embassy building.
Photo: Oksana ZUYKO
—If we return to relations between Tehran and Hamas…
“We do not deny that we Iranians are on the path of supporting the truth.” But we did not create these resistance groups; It was the Americans who created them with their unjust behavior, their murders and their occupation. This is a reaction to this behavior and this reaction is completely natural.
—What exactly does Iran’s aid to Hamas consist of?
“We consider Hamas as a resistance group and we provide support to them: first of all, intellectual support, and we also try to support their spirit. When Hamas visited Moscow, we also met with them in this same room. Hamas is a group that has contacts with many countries. We, like many Arab states, advocate for a ceasefire.
DOUBLE NORMA IN A SQUARE
—How do ordinary Iranians face the Middle East crisis? What are they saying? What do you think?
“Of course, the people of Iran, like the people of other Arab countries, have an aversion to this type of crime. And now this disgust is greater than ever. Today everyone understands that the West is guided by double standards. Yesterday they cried: “children are dying in Ukraine.” Why don’t you cry today about the killing of children and other crimes by the IDF in the Gaza Strip? On the contrary, they – the United States and the West – support Israel: both financially and through media campaigns. The people of Iran understand all this, having faced the same double standard for 44 years. For example, in the “nuclear issue” we were constantly subjected to sanctions, although Iran did not go beyond the limits of nuclear security. And Israel, according to individual statements, has about 250 nuclear warheads, and no one cares.
Photo: Oksana ZUYKO
“THE QUESTION OF WOMEN” IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC
— Mr. Ambassador, many international media wrote that in your country women are completely deprived of all rights and freedoms. As a show of support, in Europe and America, women even cut their hair publicly.
– All these events were organized by our enemies: the United States of America. Our spiritual leader has said it more than once. Our country, like yours, bears costs for its sovereignty. Because neither we nor you want to be under the umbrella of other powers. There are so many countries where not only women but also men are deprived of almost all rights. But for some reason the Americans don’t interfere in their politics, they don’t care about anyone. Again, look at what is happening now in the Gaza Strip! And all these Democrats are silent. Why don’t they shed tears like they did for Iranian women’s rights last year? Yes, last year we had a tragedy: our daughter, the girl Mahsa Amini, died. This is a great tragedy for all of us. But the Americans took advantage of her death to set a fire throughout Iran and denigrate our country before the entire world. They were not going to protect anyone’s rights, the objective was another.
—But still, what is your situation with women’s rights? Can they learn? Work?
– You know, you can talk about this topic for a long time, because in each family everything is different. In some places, men’s rights are certainly not respected. But I can say that the human rights situation in our country is decent. In all universities we have even more female students than male students: around 60%. There are many teachers, many women work in health, in ministries, in commerce and in all other sectors. You know, I was a Mejlis deputy for 20 years and gave interviews to foreign journalists more than once. And I always asked what idea they had of Iran before they arrived and if it corresponded to what they saw. And 100% of them responded: the idea with which they were traveling was in no way confirmed. Unfortunately, it is beneficial for America to create a misconception about us in the world.
In Iranian culture, women are highly respected and are the axis of the family. And all men are raised in their mother’s womb. And there is not a single great man without a great woman. We even have the expression that behind every successful man there is a woman. I’ll tell you a secret: when Iranian men receive their salary, they immediately give it to their wives.
– What’s secret here? Here in Russia normal men do this too.
– Correct, absolutely correct. Because both our family and yours enjoy great respect. Come to Iran and see for yourself.
— By the way, about coming to Iran. Is the possibility of completely abolishing visas for Russian tourists being considered?
— Since August 1, visas for tourist groups of 5 to 50 people have already been canceled. We hope to increase tourist flows between our countries. Last year, 22,000 Russians visited Iran and 20,000 Iranians visited Russia. Single travelers must still apply for an entry permit, but it is a simple procedure. For its part, Iran is ready for an absolutely visa-free regime between our countries and we are waiting for a positive response from Russia.
“THE MILITARY COOPERATION BETWEEN IRAN AND RUSSIA IS NOT DIRECTED AGAINST THIRD COUNTRIES”
Iran has been under US sanctions for 44 years, Russia for 9 years (since 2014). In recent years, many far-reaching economic and military-industrial ties have been formed between our countries, which only strengthen in the context of what is happening. The trade turnover between the Russian Federation and Iran is growing and in September 2023 it already amounted to 5 billion dollars. The construction of the North-South rail transport corridor is progressing at an accelerated pace. And in general, Tehran and official Moscow have very similar opinions on the international agenda. Starting in January 2024, Iran will become a full member of the BRICS. We asked Mr. Jalali about the latter.
“We consider the BRICS as a very important organization,” the ambassador responded. “Because we really like the judgments it’s based on.” This is a union of sovereign countries. BRICS members have great opportunities, both economic and political. And we can complement each other. Therefore, we have extensive plans to be present in this organization. The experience of Iran, which has lived under US sanctions for 44 years, will be of great use to all BRICS members. The summit, which will take place in the summer of 2024 in Kazan, will be attended by the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi.
Iran’s current 42nd ambassador, Kazem Jalali, is an energetic and modern diplomat.
Photo: Oksana ZUYKO
— Experts point out that military-technical cooperation between Russia and Iran has reached a level never before seen in the history of our two countries. This is true?
— For some reason, journalists highlight the “military aspect”, but this is only a small part of our interaction. Yes, in fact, after the 1979 war we began to develop our own defense capability and our military-industrial complex. But only for deterrent purposes. Russia, given its history, has the same strong position as us in the defense industry. The current Iranian-Russian military-technical cooperation is purely bilateral in nature and is not directed against third countries. But if we look at it as a whole, our ties are strengthened in the economy, in culture and in many other areas. I believe that we are in a golden period in the development of relations between Iran and Russia; This has never happened before in our history.
— Tell us more about this.
— Our relationships are progressively developing literally every day. Russia is a major power in the production of grains and oils, and we have been buying these products from it for several years. For its part, Iran exports fruits, vegetables, medicines, cars and much more to the Russian Federation. Another megaproject is the North-South international transportation corridor. You have probably seen pictures of how the agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara section was signed in the presence of our two presidents. [недостающего сегмента, который бы связал ж/д России и Ирана через Азербайджан — прим. ред.]. The importance of this decision is evidenced by the fact that the White House attempted to torpedo this agreement.
“I AM READY TO TRAVEL THROUGHOUT YOUR COUNTRY”
— Tell us, how do you live and work in Russia? You’ve been here for 4 years now.
— Russia is a very interesting country. For some reason in Iran they think that Russians are very cold because it is cold here. But this is not true, in this climate there are very warm hearts, the people are warm and hospitable. Your country is huge and very diverse. You have an ancient history and you can really feel it. Its culture, architecture, literature are unique in its kind. The works of Russian classics contain a lot of wisdom, thoughts and deep messages. What is also striking is the peaceful coexistence of people of different nationalities and religions. Muslims can perform their rituals without any obstacles. And not only Muslims, but also Jews and Buddhists. These are very valuable manifestations. I would also like to highlight the hard work of the Russian people: proof of this is that in many scientific fields Russia is at the forefront. It seems to me that it is the harsh climate that pushes you towards progress and hard work. The fact that Russia has for many centuries built its civilization in such vast territories and with such a harsh climate is worthy of respect and study. During the four years of my mandate, I visited 20 Russian regions. I would have traveled more, but epidemiological restrictions were in force. And then I’m ready and want to go everywhere!
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