February 15, 2019
After months of saying the Americans are incapable of doing anything to cause trouble for Iran’s economy, President Rohani now says that Iran is facing its toughest economic challenges in 40 years and the fault lies with the United States. He said Iranians shouldn’t blame him.
“Today, our country is facing the biggest pressure and economic sanctions in the past 40 years. Today, our problems are primarily because of pressure from America and its followers. And the dutiful government and Islamic system should not be blamed,” he said.
Rohani’s about-face appeared to have come about because the public was concluding that Iran was in very bad economic shape and, if the Americans weren’t to blame because they were inept, then Iranian government ineptitude must be at fault.
So, Rohani has simply flipped the official rhetoric—with the obvious goal of convincing the public not to blame his administration for high unemployment, raging inflation and assorted other economic ills.
Rohani was speaking January 30 at a ceremony honoring the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as the regime prepared to mark the 40th anniversary of the revolution.
“One should not condemn the government or the great Islamic system instead of America. This is the damage that can be done,” he said.
He made the standard appeal to unity, with the standard implication that when people fail to support the regime they are only helping those abroad who hate Islam and the Iranian people.
He said, “The hope Imam Khomeini brought to the people mobilized Iranian society, something that is unprecedented in history…. Imam Khomeini was not afraid of foreign powers, but he was concerned about domestic division.”
Rohani asserted that Washington “will definitely fail” in its efforts to harm Iran. And he said Iran is not alone. “Today, the entire world is condemning the US conspiracies against the Iranian people and support Iran.” Actually, most countries are silent. And in the vote on the UN resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran taken in December, Iran got the fewest supportive votes it has ever received.