Iran Quotes - Page 21

• I like the incongruity of how in Iran, these people we think of as being revolutionaries or fanatics or whatever are just as aware of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader as our people are back home.

  Ben Affleck

  Home, Thinking, People

  Interview with Gus Van Sant, www.interviewmagazine.com. November 11, 2012.

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• By threatening war against Iran, Iraq and North Korea in his now-famous "Axis of Evil" address, the president painted himself into a corner. Either Bush now goes to war against one of these regimes, or he will be humiliated and exposed as a bellicose bluff.

  Pat Buchanan

  War, Axes, Korea

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• Iran is the greatest threat to stability in the Middle East. Iran remains the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, continues its efforts to develop nuclear weapons and has directly threatened the existence of Israel and the United States.

  James Inhofe

  Israel, Effort, Nuclear

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• I do believe that the very tense relationship between the United States and Iran presents a challenge to the United States. But to discuss Iran as that type of a threat I find somewhat unconvincing, mindful of the fact that Iran actually doesn't have those military capabilities that would be needed to refer to it as that type of threat.

  Trita Parsi

  Military, Believe, Challenges

  Source: www.motherjones.com

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• Iran has, by virtue of its growth and by virtue of the United States' mistakes in Iraq, tilted the balance of power in the Middle East. That is the case, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is a threat.

  Trita Parsi

  Mistake, Mean, Iraq

  Source: www.motherjones.com

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• The intelligence services would probably be in a better position to make an assessment of the advancement of the Iranian nuclear program than Podhoretz or Ledeen. They don't have access to any specific information. So for them to dismiss it has no great value because they have no authority whatsoever on this issue. For them to push forward with their efforts to get a war started between the U.S. and Iran, you certainly cannot say that Iran does not have a nuclear program. If you say that, then the justification for war has basically been eliminated.

  Trita Parsi

  War, Intelligence Services, Issues

  Source: www.motherjones.com

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• From the Israeli perspective, the fear is that if pressure is off of Iran, Israel would be left having to accept the balance of power in the region significantly shifting toward Iran. It's not an existential threat, but it would definitely be a problem for Israel.

  Trita Parsi

  Israel, Perspective, Balance

  Source: www.motherjones.com

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• Beyond that is the fear that the United States will end up negotiating and agreeing to a deal with Iran. The Israelis do not like that either because they fear the deal will come at the expense of Israel's security interests. From an Israeli perspective, the NIE makes the risk of some sort of settlement much greater.

  Trita Parsi

  Israel, Perspective, Risk

  Source: www.motherjones.com

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• Unfortunately, every time the United States has tried to pursue a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians by beating back Iran and trying to isolate Iran, it has failed. And it has failed under much better circumstances.

  Trita Parsi

  Trying, United States, Circumstances

  Source: www.motherjones.com

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• Under the current U.S. policy, because of this power struggle, American oil companies can't do business with Iran. So I think the ultimate goal of the U.S. administration in Iran is regime change, to put into power a pro-Western government that will eliminate the strategic challenge to U.S. interests and, at the same time, allow the lifting of sanctions and allowing American oil companies to do business with Iran.

  Michael Klare

  Struggle, Thinking, Government

  "The Permanent Energy Crisis". Interview with Julian Brookes, www.motherjones.com. June 19, 2006.

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• People in the United States don't like to hear it, but puritanical Islam has been on the rise because of our unequivocal policy of absolute support for Israel, regardless of what Israel does - even if they invade Lebanon and bombard a major city like Beirut, full of civilians. Israel has atomic bombs, but we go nuts if any Arab country or Iran develops even nuclear capabilities.

  Khaled Abou El Fadl

  Country, Cities, Israel

  "The Great Theft". Interview with Melanie Colburn, www.motherjones.com. November 18, 2005.

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• Iran is hard to understand. Although it is ruled in an authoritarian manner, it's not a state in which everything is controlled from one center. There are many forces that work in parallel: the military, the intelligence service, the Revolutionary Guard, the clergy and the government. They all share a fear of the nation's youth.

  Shahin Najafi

  Military, Government, Intelligence Services

  "Rapper Najafi on the Fatwa: 'Fundamentalists Can't Take a Joke'". Interview with Georg Bonisch and Tobias Rapp, www.spiegel.de. May 28, 2012.

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• I'm a musician; I have to perform. I can't give up. I have to be even more courageous. We know that we have a lot of enemies. Not only in Iran. But that doesn't matter.

  Shahin Najafi

  Giving Up, Enemy, Musician

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• Any jackass can talk about bombing Iran.

  Chris Matthews

  Jackasses, Bombing

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• The divers were the bravest of us. They gave their lives for the independence of our country and the success of our revolution.

  Mohsen Rezaee

  Success, Country, Eight

  "How Iran is trying to win back the youth" by Narges Bajoghli, www.theguardian.com. July 20, 2015.

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• Some countries such as Iran and Syria are using the commotion to distract attention from their own problems with the international community. The Palestinians, who have been deeply divided since their election, have found a common enemy in Denmark that unites them. Extremists and fundamentalists are exploiting the conflict to promote their radical agenda and win new members.

  Anders Fogh Rasmussen

  Country, Winning, Community

  Source: www.spiegel.de

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• Americans have eliminated Iran's worst enemies, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam [Hussein]. I occasionally threatened my Iranian counterpart in Kabul that one day I would send him a big bill for what we did. But, seriously, Iran is pursuing a dual strategy in Iraq. On the one hand, the Iranians, after decades of hostility, are now interested in good relations. On the other hand, they want to keep the country weak and dominate the region.

  Zalmay Khalilzad

  Country, Hands, Iraq

  Source: www.spiegel.de

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• We can't say whether Tehran is supporting Al Qaeda, but we do know that al-Qaida people come here from Pakistan through Iran.

  Zalmay Khalilzad

  People, Pakistan, Als

  Source: www.spiegel.de

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• Iran is undertaking a massive effort to expand its influence in southern Iraq. At the same time, that influence decreases the more the political process in Iraq progresses.

  Zalmay Khalilzad

  Iraq, Effort, Southern

  Source: www.spiegel.de

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• Iran is biggest strategic beneficiary of invasion of Iraq.

  Barack Obama

  Iraq, Invasion, Beneficiaries

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• If Iran invaded Israel, it's up to Congress to declare war.

  Ron Paul

  War, Israel, Congress

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• Sixty-three percent of our university students are female. But you still see violations of women's rights in Iran. A Muslim man can have up to four wives. He can divorce his wife without offering any reason, while it is quite difficult for a woman to get a divorce.

  Shirin Ebadi

  Divorce, Men, Rights

  Interview with Amitabh Pal, www.sharedhost.progressive.org. August 2, 2004.

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• Keep pressure on Iran, because pressure works.

  Rudy Giuliani

  Pressure

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• Disagrees with neocon adviser on immediate need to bomb Iran.

  Rudy Giuliani

  Needs, Bombs, Adviser

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• I would meet directly with the leadership in Iran.

  Barack Obama

  Diplomacy

  "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert, www.nbcnews.com. November 11, 2007.

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