Iranian Hardliner to Trump: Put Your Own House in Order First!

Rafat Bayat is a conservative principlist politician who served in Iran’s parliament from 2004 to 2008. A US-educated sociologist and a founder of Faran online university, she returned to Iran from the US during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 1985, she was given the responsibility of supervising the Women’s Basij, an organization tasked with mobilizing women’s war efforts during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War.

In 2004, Bayat was elected to represent the northwestern province of Zanjan in the Iranian parliament. In 2005 and then again in 2009, she put her name forward as a presidential candidate; both times the Guardian Council rejected her candidacy.

She opposed the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany signed in July 2015.

On October 13, US President Donald Trump announced that he would not continue to certify the JCPOA and delivered a long diatribe against the Islamic Republic.

IranWire asked Rafat Bayat about Trump’s speech, the nuclear agreement, and what Iran plans to do next.

What is your take on Mr. Trump’s speech about Iran and the JCPOA?

It was not very different from those of previous US administrations, although he used harsher words in his speech. Since the revolution, we have witnessed how the US, Israel and some of their accomplices have opposed the independence of the Islamic Republic. But these words will not change anything in our defensive strategy, or even in our stance towards the JCPOA, because the JCPOA is an international agreement and it cannot be undone by one party’s opposition.

Unfortunately, he has repeatedly insulted Iran since he became president. His manner of speaking is very different from what we are used to in our culture. Yesterday [October 13], our president answered him very politely and invited him to read more history.

At last, Mr. Trump has revealed what culture he comes from. His vulgarity damages the reputation of the American people and the American people themselves must show that they are not happy with how he behaves.

Will Trump’s speech affect Iran’s relations with other countries?

Ms. Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s representative for foreign affairs, has defended the JCPOA and said that Iran has proven that it is not after nuclear armaments. But unfortunately, while Europeans have defended the JCPOA in words, they have yet to explain why they have failed to take action for lifting some of the sanctions. Their banks still do not dare to work with us.

Europe gives the appearance of defending the JCPOA, but in reality they do not behave that different from the US, because one of our conditions for the agreement was that we will able to access funds that belong to us. But we have received no funds.

You were against the JCPOA. But are you now unhappy that the US wants to get rid of it?

I was not and I am not very happy with the JCPOA’s provisions. What Mr. Trump says are just excuses, because the JCPOA’s provisions were not greatly to our benefit or to their loss. It was supposed to be a win-win agreement. I did not agree with the deal’s provisions, but I do believe that once we sign an international agreement we must stay committed to it. This is our cultural, religious and political belief. Now if America wants to scuttle this agreement unilaterally then it is a manifestation of the American imperialistic characteristic.

We surrendered some of our rights for this agreement to prove that we are not warmongers. But, in any case, Trump’s words are proving that the US cannot be trusted and you cannot count on its words and signatures.

The most important part of Mr. Trump’s speech was about imposing heavy sanctions on the Revolutionary Guards. What is your opinion on this? 

These sanctions will have no effect. The Guards are part of our people and people rely on them extensively. I believe that if they close some doors, other doors will open up. The world needs trade. It is true that Europe has not released our funds but they need to deal with us for their own benefit and we need them, too.

In this context, sanctions against Revolutionary Guards create no problem for us and we will continue on our own way. We are guarding our own borders, we have been defending our own country and we have not been after making war. The truth is that the US is against our republic, which is based on Islam and an Islamic worldview. The US wants to pressure Iran to abandon Islam. Yes, we have not been able to implement Islam perfectly, but they want to get rid of even this much.

Trump started his speech by criticizing how the Iranian government treats its own citizens. What do you think about his comments? 

What business of America's is it? It is none of your business, Mr. Trump! It is none of your affair. Are you the world’s policeman? Are you here to interfere in other people’s affairs? Get your own house in order. How many explosions have rocked your country since you became president? How much insecurity? Look at what happened in Las Vegas. They cannot provide security for themselves but are making decisions for us. What business of America's is it what Iran does inside the country? He would be set right if somebody else in the world besides Iran told him that it is none of his business.

How do you think Iran should react to American hostility towards the JCPOA?

I personally believe that Iran should announce that we will leave the NPT [the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons] before they make more trouble for us, and before they disrupt the implementation of the JCPOA more. I said the same thing about the Additional Protocol [to NPT] in the parliament. I believed that if the west wanted to make trouble for Iran then the best response would be to say that if these troubles do not stop, if they do not stop insulting us, then we will leave the NPT. Why should we be different from the US, which does not respect any of its obligations?