In order to justify a military operation
against Iran, the neoconservatives have started to create
a record. The have put a lot of effort into making people
believe that this country is ruled by dangerously crazy
people who are trying to make a nuclear bomb to be used.
In view of such a danger, the only answer is to wage a
preventive war.

Within this context, the U.S. press agency Reuters, one of
whose representatives is, since the summer, a member of
the War Room of the Pentagon, launched an insidious
operation against Iran.

On October 26, 2005, Reuters wrote: “Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that Israel should
be wiped off the map, the official news agency IRNA
reported, dampening hopes Iran would temper its hostility
toward the Jewish state. Support for the Palestinian cause
is a central pillar of the Islamic Republic which
officially refuses to recognize Israel’s right to
exist. “Israel must be wiped off the map,” Ahmadinejad
told a conference called "The World without Zionism,"
attended by some 3,000 conservative students who
chanted "Death to Israel" and "Death to America."

Surprisingly, not many people thought of checking the
original wire from IRNA [1], that
does not cite the words attributed to president
Ahmadineyad.

Frontpage of French daily Le Monde on October 28th, 2005, based on statements wrongly attributed to Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinejad by Reuters press agency

Based on Reuters wire, the international press talked
about a radicalization of the Islamic Republic of Iran
while the United States and the whole world reminded us
that they recognize the State of Israel and its existence
could not be questioned.

On this basis, Shimon Peres requested that Iran be kicked
out of the UN, and the Israeli Foreign Minister, Silvan
Shalom, compelled the Security Council to make a decision.
In the light of Iran’s refusal, the Council limited itself
to condemning president Ahmadineyad’s remarks [2].

Some States demanded explanations from Iranian Ambassadors
and even got to call their Ambassadors in Tehran for
consultation. However, the Iranian authorities, refused to
render accounts, limited themselves to release the video
of president Ahmadineyad’s speech. But since the later
spoke in Farsi, the video was immediately broadcasted in
the international networks as a confirmation of the words
attributed, without further verification.

However, the facts are very different. President
Ahmadineyad never said that he wanted to wipe Israel off
the map, but he endorsed the statement made by imam
Khomeini that someday the Zionist regime would be wiped
from the map (see document below). There is therefore, no
such radicalization of Iran, but the same position stated
25 years ago. Neither is there a threat from Iran to kill
anyone, let alone to commit genocide against the Israeli
people. There is only a position of principle to condemn
the Zionism on the same basis as Iran condemns apartheid,
racism and anti-Semitism.

Transcript of speech by president Mahmud Ahmadineyad at “World Without Zionism” conference of the Association of Islamic Students Societies, Tehran, October 26, 2005.

“I am grateful to God for giving me the great pleasure of
speaking at this gathering.…

We must see what the real story of Palestine is. Is the
conflict in Palestine a war between some Jews on the one
side and Muslims and non-Jews on the other side? Is it a
war between the Jews and other faiths? Is it the war of
one country with other countries? Is it the war of one
country with the Arab world? Is the conflict only over the
limited lands of Palestine? I think the answer to all
these questions is negative.

The creation of the regime occupying Al-Qods [Jerusalem]
was a heavy move by the globally oppressor [United States]
against the Muslim world. The situation has changed during
the course of this historical confrontation. The Muslims
have won several times, have moved forward and the
oppressor has been obliged to retreat.

Unfortunately, in the past three hundred years, the
Islamic world has been on the retreat. I do not intend to
go to the roots of the issue and I concentrate on a
historical review of the events. In the past one hundred
years, the last trenches of the Islamic world fell and the
Oppressor World created the occupying regime. The battle
that is going on in Palestine today, therefore, is the
frontline of the conflict between the Muslim world and the
Oppressor World. It is a battle of destiny that will
determine the fate of seven hundred years of conflict.

The Palestinian nation is fighting the Oppressor World on
behalf of the Muslim nation. Thank God, the Palestinian
nation has adopted the Muslim faith, within a Muslim
environment, in its fight, and we have been witnessing its
progress and successes.

I must say that you have chosen a very valuable title for
your gathering.

Many people, who are lost in this all-out war between the
Muslim world and the Infidel Front, have tried to expand
censorship and responsibilities. Such people say it is
impossible to have a world without America and Zionism.
But you know well that this is a goal and can definitely
be realised!”

If we take a look back, we had in this country [here in
Iran] a regime that was antidemocratic and armed to its
teeth. Members of SAVAK [the Shah’s secret police]
controlled every move and a terrible reign of terror
existed. But when the dear Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini, founder of the Iranian Revolution] said this
regime must be destroyed, many of those who claim to be
political gurus and other things said it’s not possible.
The day when the Imam Khomeini started his move, all the
powers of the world supported that corrupt regime [of
shah]. Even after the massacre on September 7, [1978], the
West and the East and regional powers all supported the
regime and continued saying that the regime was
untouchable. But our nation fought and now for 27 years we
have a government that is independent of America. Tyranny
of the East and the West in the world must be destroyed,
but weak-minded persons, who only see the little world
around them, do not believe it.

Nobody believed that we would one day witness the collapse
of the Eastern Imperialism. But in our short lifetime we
have witnessed how this regime collapsed in such a way
that we must look for it in libraries, and we can find no
literature about it. The Imam said that Saddam must go,
and that he would be humiliated in a way that was
unprecedented. And what do you see today? A man who, 10
years ago, spoke as proudly as if he would live for
eternity is today chained by the feet and hands, and is
now being tried in his own country by those he believed to
support him and also by those with whom he perpetrated his
crimes....

Our dear Imam said that the occupying regime had to be
wiped off the face of the earth. This was a very wise
statement. The issue of Palestine is not an issue on which
we can compromise. It is possible to create a new front
from within an old one. This means defeat, and he who
accepts the existence of this regime in fact signs the
defeat of the Muslim world. In his battle against the
World of Arrogance, our dear Imam set the occupying regime
as the target of his fight. I do not doubt that the new
wave which has begun in Palestine and which today we are
also witnessing in the Islamic world is a wave of morality
which has spread all over the Islamic world. But we must
be alert and distrust the traps.

For more than 50 years, the World Oppressor has tried to
give recognition to the existence of this occupying
regime, and has taken steps in this direction to stabilize
it. An important stage was reached 27 or 28 years ago.
Regrettably, one of the countries of the first line made
this mistake and we still hope that it will correct it
[e.g. Peace treaty between Egypt and Israel] .

Recently, [the Israeli] have come up with a new stratagem.
They pretend that the evacuation of Gaza strip, which was
imposed by the Palestinians, was a victory…of the
Palestine people. It would be a final victory for the
Palestinian people that would lead to establish a
Palestinian State just next to Israel. Today, they want
to create conflict among Palestinian groups with their
evil maneuvers and turn the struggle into an internal
conflict by making them greedy for political positions, so
that these groups abandon the decisive issue. With the
excuse of having cleared the Gaza Strip to show their good
will, they want a group of Muslim nations to recognize
this corrupt regime. I am hopeful that the Palestinian
nation and organizations will be cautious of such sedition.

The issue of Palestine is by no means finished. The issue
of Palestine will only be resolved when all of Palestine
comes under Palestinian rule, when all the refugees return
to their homes, and when a popular government chosen by
that nation takes affairs in its own hands. Of course,
those who have come to this land from far away to plunder
this land have no right to participate in the decision-
making process for that nation.

I am hopeful that just as the Palestinian nation continued
its struggle for the past ten years; it will continue to
maintain its awareness and vigilance.

This will be a short period, and if we pass through it
successfully, the process of the elimination of the
occupying regime will be smooth and simple.

I warn all the leaders of the Islamic world to beware of
this conspiracy. If any of them takes a step towards the
recognition of this regime, then he will burn in the fire
of the Islamic nation and will have eternal shame stamped
on their forehead, regardless of whether they did this
under pressure by the dominant powers, or lack of
understanding or naiveté or selfishness or worldly
incentives.

Those who are closeted behind closed doors cannot make
decisions on this issue and the Islamic nation does not
allow this historical enemy to exist at the heart of the
Islamic world.

[2] “Press
conference by the President of the Security Council about
the Islamic Republic of Iran”, Reference SC/8542, October
31, 2005.