Ambassador Dr. Khalil Shirgholami, Iranian Ambassador to Armenia, Former Director-General of Iran’s Institute for Political International Studies

April 8—The following are the remarks of Ambassador Dr. Khalil Shirgholami, the Iranian Ambassador to Armenia and the former director of Iran's National Institute for Political International Studies in Tehran. Subheads have been added.

AMBASSADOR SHIRGHOLAMI: Hello, everybody. Thank you so much for giving me this chance, although I am an unexpected guest in this very valuable online seminar. Meanwhile, I’m really happy to be with you today.

Well, the ongoing aggression against Iran has nothing to do with the nuclear issue. President Trump several times had a chance to find a real solution and a political settlement for the nuclear issue of Iran. And at least two times he betrayed diplomacy and he betrayed the negotiating table. And he bombed the negotiation table, actually.

I’m going to very briefly just mention the very last round of negotiations there in Geneva, there were real chances for some sort of settlement. The Iranian delegation, the negotiators, provided a very pragmatic, workable package of proposals that could be a very good foundation and a starting point for a real settlement for the nuclear issue. And not surprisingly, even the American negotiators, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, also emphasized that it could be a very good, let’s say, foundation for any settlement. And just a day after they concluded there in Geneva, the new round of aggression against Iran started.

It was again the same way as it happened last June in the 12 Days War, you know. Well, there were many analyses inside Iran, it was quite controversial, that how come Iran accepted the idea of a ceasefire or a halt in the confrontation last time when the Americans and Israelis asked for the ceasefire because of the fact that it was not a real peace or a real settlement, it was only a pause in the confrontation. While the Israeli side was under heavy pressure, having been hit by Iranians very strongly on a daily basis, the Iranian missiles hit Tel Aviv, hit many other places in Israel, and Israel was under heavy pressure.

And again, this new round of aggression happened based on the same fake, misperceived notions that Iran is weak, Iran would not be able to counterbalance or to counter strike, and the Iranian political establishment would be toppled in case we start this aggression. All those misperceptions and misinformation about Iran, what Iran means, what the Iranian nation means, what a real civilization means, they do not understand, and they never try to understand it.

Fool Me Twice...

And you know, there is a proverb in English saying that if you fool me once, shame on you. If you fool me twice, shame on me. This has been the basis of the Iranian strategic mindset this time, that no more can we have any source of trust with regard to any negotiation with the United States. We need to go for a new equation in which, I mean, in that equation, there will be real guarantees for non-aggression against Iran, for preserving Iran’s rights for the use of peaceful nuclear energy and enrichment, and for the compensation for what has happened against Iran and all damages, all losses.

And it was sadly the aggression, the new round of aggression against Iran started with bombing a school where we lost 168 female students, those girl students, which was a tragedy and very shameful, very shameful provocation by the Americans.

This is the situation and the Iranian side is thinking that a new equation should emerge out of this new round of the conflict, based on the fact that the U.S. presence in the region has been a threat against Iran and all those countries who hosted Americans for many years and many decades, trying to buy and to purchase goods from the United States. First of all, they are providing the United States with the space to target the Iranian people, to target Iranian facilities and the Iranian people, the schools, the hospitals, the sport complexes, and the economic infrastructure as well.

So, based on this understanding, in the Iranian strategic mindset, this war is a war of existence. And based on this understanding, and based on the fact that the Iranians, as a long-standing civilization, have faced foreign aggression and foreign invasion many times, and there is also a deep-rooted understanding about how we need to face against the aggression. Again, our nations are emerging and are calling for, let’s say, for a united national stance against aggression and to stand against aggression as long as the aggression exists and as long as they are not ceased.

So, this is the reality on the ground. And Iran did not have any other option than to strike back, to retaliate against these unprovoked and shameful strikes against our country, be it against Israel, be it against the Occupied Territories, or also the United States’ bases and interests in the region.

They Tried to Destroy Us with Sanctions

Well, for over a decade, we Iranians watched Western countries, Arab states, and Israeli enablers stand by as our economy was deliberately crushed under the weight of America’s illegal sanctions and maximum pressure campaign. We watched them eagerly comply with policies designed to destroy our nation, shatter our lives, crush our dreams, bankrupt our businesses, return infrastructure, devalue our currency, and cut us off from normal trade and economic relations with the world. This is the situation. We watched European leaders pathetically nod in satisfaction and offer pathetic lip service as Trump declared the JCPOA as a bad deal, using it as a cover for the most brutal campaign against our people; fully aware that scrapping the deal was nothing more than his sick, twisted obsession with erasing his predecessors’ legacy.

We Iranians watched the United States officials and their Israel lobby handlers proudly parade before Congress, armed with figures and statistics boasting how their vicious policies have tanked our currency, sparked unemployment, sent inflation soaring, and inflicted trillions of dollars in damage on our already strained economy. This was the situation.

We also watched them cheer these results and laugh at the shattered lives of the millions of human beings in Iran. We watched them beautifully support the first Trump administration’s sadistic policies even during the COVID pandemic, while his criminal Secretary of State moved heaven and earth to block Iran from securing even a meager $5 billion of IMF loans, while their own governments really spent hundreds of billions to protect their populations from the same virus.

We Iranians watched them shamelessly endorse Israel’s attacks on our territory, under the obscene slogan, “Israel has the right to defend itself,” while branding Iran’s legitimate self-defense as recklessness and demanding that our government refrain from escalation. Yes, we watched them upload the assassination of our war veterans and heroes, our scientists and our brightest minds, all in the name of non-proliferation, while they kept their mouths tightly shut about Israel’s nuclear arsenal and expansionist agenda. We Iranians watched them openly or in private urging more pressure, more destruction, more assassinations, and more war and conflict. All of it justified by the ludicrous and baseless claim of Iran’s six nuclear weapons, a lie they knew was false. They were fully aware that the enrichment levels and constraints Iran had accepted under the JCPOA and during subsequent negotiations for a new deal, made the militarization of the Iranian nuclear program impossible. They invested excuses, offered excuses to engineer our destruction, and they laughed while ensuring the pain was ours alone.

Iran Supports Diplomacy

Yet, Iran has always been willing and welcoming any diplomatic solution, be it for the nuclear issue or be it for the ongoing war against the country. But first of all, there are red lines for ending this war. An immediate cessation of the United States and Israeli military action should be the very first starting point; very, very reasonable preconditions. And first of all, the aggressor should stop the aggression. This is very natural, a very natural precondition.

[The Ambassador was the asked if her would graciously yield the floor to the representative of the Palestinian Authority, who had serious time constrains about his participation in the panel. He did so, and then was offered additional time later in the panel.] 

I was told that I had 15 minutes and still I was only talking for 7 minutes. No problem. So, I can only conclude that those who started this aggression against Iran, first of all, they should go for a real ceasefire, a real guarantee that the aggression against Iran would not reoccur. And the fact that there should be also meaningful mechanisms for compensation for all losses and damages they created for Iran and Iranian people. This is the situation.

And Iran as a civilization will stand against bullying, against occupations, against all those provocations by the United States and Israel. And as long as they are continuing this aggression, we will stand against it. Thank you so much.

[Later in the panel]

Yeah, thank you so much. And thanks to all the speakers. Very briefly, only to add some points.

The U.S. and Israel Have Failed to Destroy Iran

This is a world choice by the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel. And this is not Iran’s fault that they have not, that so far, they have not obtained any of the goals they planned for. Be it toppling Iranian political establishment, be it provoking those separatist movements inside Iran, be it curbing Iran’s retaliation, counterstrikes and self-defense against all those malicious aggressions. This is the fact that the whole idea of aggression was based and built upon wrong assumptions, and they could not obtain any of the strategic goals.

This is not Iran’s fault. This is their own fault. And the maximalist approach of President Trump won’t work. The 15-point plan of Trump, which is based on Iranian surrender or Iranian capitulation won’t work. Because the United States is not in a position in terms of the battlefield and operation to be putting all those preconditions or surrender conditions for Iran.

At the time being, we are, and the whole international community, we are on the threshold of a tragedy for the whole world. Because of the fact that the United States and Israel are continuing their malicious aggression against our country. And based on the deadline Trump has put, the whole region is in a highly explosive situation which will have universal implications for everybody, every member of the international community. So, while we are at the threshold of a global tragedy, we are also at a turning point of possible international solidarity and international joint effort to prevent this tragedy from happening.

This is also a very good opportunity, and important countries like China, India, even Pakistan, that we highly value their initiatives, can play important roles. And even European countries; and even some of the Arab countries, our countries in the Persian Gulf, because they are our neighbors, they are our friends, they are our Muslim brothers. So, this situation is easy to avoid.

Well, Iran is objecting to any kind of ceasefire because we are emphasizing the need for permanent cessation of the confrontation and aggression against Iran. And there should also be some sort of joint mechanism for cooperation in safe passage in the Hormuz Strait, and also compensation for all losses and damages that they have created, I mean, in this war of choice.

Thank you so much, and thank you for giving me the second chance [to speak].