Yazdi was the foreign minister of revolutionary Iran in 1979, but resigned when Ayatoillah Khomeini refused to order the students who had seized the American Embassy to leave the site and free their hostages.
After six months in jail, Yazdi was freed just before Now Ruz and immediately resigned as secretary general of the Liberation Movement of Iran, one of the oldest anti-monarchy political parties in Iran.
In an interview published by the state news agency last week, Yazdi said he resigned because of health problems. Yazdi turned 80 Monday. He said heart problems and a weakened physical condition prompted him to leave the leadership.
Yazdi said he continues to have the utmost respect for the Iranian Constitution. But he emphasized, “Whoever states a criticism cannot be regarded as a dissident. The dominant mode of thinking should not be that you are either with me or against me. If someone criticizes you, this does not mean they are your enemy.”
Yazdi said, “I have no problem with the system, but I am against certain actions that are unconstitutional.” For example, he said demonstrations should be permitted so far as they do not disturb public order.
But he was critical of the way the Green opposition has run street protests, saying, “It is not just your supporters that come to the streets but also undesirable groups.” According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), which might have edited Yazdi’s remarks to the benefit of the regime, Yazdi said protests should be “coordinated” to prevent undesirable elements from taking them over.
A few days after the IRNA report was published, IRNA carried another article saying Yazdi had written to complain about the story. IRNA quoted Yazdi as writing, “I had clearly emphasized to IRNA officials that any statements attributed to me can only be done after receiving my written permission.… The only thing I had approved for publication was the fact that I am resigning from my position as the head of the Liberation Movement.” But the IRNA story did not say that Yazdi denied anything carried in the earlier story and attributed to him.
He said he had told Green leader Mir-Hossain Musavi that when he invites people to join street demonstrations, it is clear that many of those who take to the streets are not in fact his supporters. “They chant their own slogans and demonstrate against the regime,… and they damage the reform movement.”
IRNA said Yazdi stated that he opposed Musavi’s campaign for the presidency because he felt it was not right to have “a president who was not coordinated with the leadership.” In the 1980s, Musavi was prime minister and frequently butted heads with then-President Ali Khamenehi, now the Supreme Leader.