![](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2012\/02\/shirokhorshid-golden-100.jpg\" "\\"shirokhorshid-golden-100\\"")
NCRI – Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, described the belligerent remarks made by the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran’s Friday prayers as \u201cblackmail\u201d to counter international community\u2019s decisive actions against its nuclear program. Khamenei pledged on Friday to continue with the regime\u2019s nuclear weapons program.<\/p>\n
Khamenei said, \u201cThe more they impose sanctions on us … it is to our benefit … These sanctions are aimed to increase pressure on Iran for its nuclear program and other issues … Iran will not give up. They should know that the more they threaten us the more they will lose\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cAt the appropriate time, as it will be necessary, we will respond to the threats of war and oil sanctions\u201d.<\/p>\n
Khamenei’s speech was also a vain attempt to contain the explosive state of social discontent and to cover up the fatal internal conflicts at the highest levels of his regime on the eve of parliamentary elections in March. He asserted that there is a group inside the regime that wants “to use everything at its disposal to show that there exists a crisis in Iran.”<\/p>\n
Khamenei urged the regime\u2019s officials to maintain vigilance in face of the enemy’s conspiracies against the elections. He warned the rival faction that in case of “not having enough votes” in the elections, they should not protest and “make moves that benefits the enemy.”\u00a0 He blatantly threatened all the rival candidates and warned that they must “surrender” to the will of the Guardian Council and “follow” its guidelines.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Rajavi reiterated that the threats to launch a war in the region, confront militarily with the oil sanctions, and attacks on Arab countries as well as his claims about the \u201cbenefits” of international sanctions is a vain attempt to conceal the weaknesses of a faltering regime which finds growing internal suppression, export of terrorism and acquiring nuclear weapons as the only means for its survival.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Rajavi added that the infighting at the highest level of the regime, the increase in\u00a0 the number of defectors among ranks of the Revolutionary Guards and other state institutions, the collapse of the economy, unprecedented decline in official foreign exchange rates, and international isolation, have placed Khamenei in an unprecedented critical situation. The prospect of the fall of the Syrian dictator and changes in balance of power in the region against the clerical regime has frightened Khamenei to a point that during his long speech in Arabic he dared not to refer to \u201cSyria\u201d even once.<\/p>\n
Khamenei\u2019s speech on February 3 reveals that his regime, which is faced with an unprecedented deadlock, is in greater need of internal consolidation during the elections, continuation with its nuclear program and international adventurism.<\/p>\n
The crisis ridden regime has increased its military budget by 127 percent, at least 40 percent of next year\u2019s budget is devoted to military, and has intensified executions, arrests and plots against Ashraf residents.<\/p>\n
Secretariat of National Council of Resistance of Iran
February 4, 2012<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NCRI – Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, described the belligerent remarks made by the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran’s Friday prayers as “blackmail” to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[175],"class_list":{"0":"post-11666","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-statement-ashraf-liberty","8":"tag-updated"},"yoast_head":"\n