Tel Aviv (IANS): Independent journalist and Iranian human rights activist based in London, Vahid Beheshti who had completed a 72-day hunger strike followed by a sit-in last month was in Israel and addressed the Israel parliament,Knesset at the invitation of Middle East Forum, Israel. In an interview with IANS, Beheshti spoke to Arun Lakshman at length about how the present Iranian government was the root cause of all the problems facing not only the Middle East but also the entire world and how important it was for the free world and democratic people to oust the regime and form a purely democratic government in Iran.
You are the first Iranian leader who spoke in Knesset. What was the feel ?
♠I am bringing the message of the people of Iran to the people of Israel. In the Knesset it was giving the feel of great responsibility. I passed on the message that the people of Iran loves you. There was a great feeling and vibrancy not only in the Knesset but also outside. It reminded me the great history that the people of Iran and the people of Israel do have a close relationship with a common culture. The present problem can be solved only by
addressing the root of the problem and its the elephant in the room which is the present Iranian regime.
In your speech in Knesset you said that the people of Iran is against the present regime. Is there a possibility of a change in govt ?
♠ Of Course that’s why I am here. Since the past 44 years the people of Iran has been trying to overthrow this and since 2009 there has been several uprisings but the regime has oppressed these uprisings brutally.If another uprising comes up the regime will use brutality like what we witnessed on October 7 in southern Israel. Thats why we are seeking extermal help and need support from Israel and the attack should be on the head of the Octopus. The arms of the Octopus like Hamas ,Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Houthis would automatically be hit with this. If there is an external support we will overthrow this soon.
There has been a constant threat from fundamentalists in the Iranian government against freedom of women. Your comment
♠This Iranian regime is against women, not only women but against humanity as such. Since the past 44 years they targeted women and took their basic rights away from them. They directed women on what to wear and what to speak. They targeted women, why because women is the pillar of each family. She is a wife,mother of the children and she’s the manager of the family. By suppressing the manager of the house, mother of the house ,the family is surpressed and this is how the Iranian regime is oppressing women and thus the people of the country. They consider women not as human but as an object and their attitude towars women is ten times more brutal than that of men.
Nargees Mohammadi who is in prison for several years for fighting against the intolerance of Iranian govt has won Nobel peace prize. What is the message ?
♠ Nargis Mohammedi is a great human rights activist and women rights activist. She is a great friend of me and was introduced to me by Dr Mohammed Maliki, the first head of Tehran university after revolution of 1979. We call her Shehzan ,one with a lion heart. The regime has put her in prison thirteen times and tried to break her but she never budged. She has not seen her husband since the past ten years and her children since eight years. They live in France presently and the regime wants her also to take asylum in a foreign country and had released her from jail a few times , but she never relented and stayed back in Iran fighting oppression. The Nobel Peace prize for her was the best choice that the
committee had done. She winning the Nobel Prize inside the Iranian prison has brought the attention of the world towards Iran and thats a great thing.
You said that the Iranian government knew in advance of the October 7 massacre and mayhem in Israel . Has this Iranian government be put on trial by international bodies like UN. your comment?
♠ Of course. The international communities and agencies including UN bodies have failed miserably in taking action against the Iranian regime. Not only UN,even the Red Cross failed to condemn the Hamas massacre of October 7 properly. They have not taken any steps to get assess to the hostages from Israel. We dont know whether these hostages are alive or not. The UN women‘s body took 52 days
to condemn the Hamas massacre and its highly deplorable.
Iran Foreign Minister has warned Israel against the alleged assassination of Hamas senior leader Salech al -Aurori. What threat Iran pose to Israel on this?
♠Iran is issuing threats but they wont go for a direct confrontation with Israel. The assassination of Saleh al-Arouri is a major setback for Iran as they have invested heavily on him as their terror agent. Iran is using its proxies for the goal of elimination of Israel and this the regime have started 44 years before
when the regime came to power in Iran. Two years ago the regime have put countdown boards announcing that the days of Israel are less.However im certain that the Iranian regime wont go for a direct confrontation with Israel and instead would use its proxies as they know that if they do such a move the United States, the United kingdom and other countries would act against Iran.
The Houthis of Yemen has commenced attacking ships aligned to Israel in Red Sea. Is this again a handiwork of Iran?
♠Houthis dont drink water or eat bread without the consent from Iran . These people dont have even anything to eat and they are firing missiles against ships in red sea. Its a clear case of Iranian regime indirectly acting with their proxies.
Will Hezbollah try to increase its attack on Israel ?
♠The Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrullah has in a speech two months ago said that if there is any attack on Lebanon or any leader of Hamas or Hezbollah is attacked within Lebanon then thst wjll be the red line. Now a senior Hamas leader like Saleh al-Arouri was killed inside Lebanon. We havent seen any escalation from the Hezbollah side. We have to wait for atleast two weeks on what they are going to do but I dont think that they. Will do anything.
During your speech in Knesset you have said clearly that if the present Iranian regime is changed Middle East will be a peaceful area. Your commments?
♠Yes indeed.The root of the problem not only in middle east but the entire world is the present Iranian regime. If the outside world give a little support to the people of Iran,this present rogue regime can be overthrown. The world will be at peace if this Iranian regime of Ayatollahs is gone.
Is there a possibility of a purely democratic government coming in Iran that gives credence to all rights including women’s rights and human rights ?
♠This is the great possibility. There are many highly talented people in Iran who can form a democratic government in the country. These people will run the government properly. There are an estimated 9 million Iranian people who are living in barious countries outside Iran and they all will come and have a peaceful democratic government in Iran which will bring peace to the world. The people of Iran and the people of Israel can form a strong bondage for the upliftment of the middle east.