Dear Dr Rice:
While watching the News tonight, I heard that you have asked for $75million to help “bring about democracy in Iran”. If you ask me, to be brutally frank with you, you would not be helping Iran, but would further subvert the cause of democracy in the Middle East. That is what it is Dear Dr Rice. Why do you want to do that? My immediate response to the news, as an Iranian, was that democracy is not a pair of jeans and it is not exportable. Furthermore, I say please hands off Iran. As someone who has lived most of his life in the UK, I wonder why American policy makers have lost their abilities to learn from their own mistakes. Why Dr Rice, you never learn! If your plan is agreed, this will be the best “gift” that you can offer to the Fundamentalists who rule over Iran. As soon as this budget is confirmed, the Islamic Republic of Iran would find an “excuse”- as if they needed one- to intensify suppression in Iran under the banner of the dissidents being under the payroll of the US administration. If they were to do this- I have no doubt that this will be the outcome of your policy- I am asking you - an expert in diplomacy- under international laws could anyone, blame them? For argument sake, suppose the Iranian government decided to finance Islamic religious groups in the USA, how would you react? Would you welcome it, or, would you try to stop it? Why do you think, other governments- just because you disagree with them- do not recognise their own interests and would fail to act accordingly? Furthermore, I say to you, for God’s sake do not listen to the “Iranian oppositions” abroad, especially those in the USA who are encouraging you even to invade Iran. These people are not your friends nor are they friends of Iran or the Iranians. Remember what happened to you when you listened too much to the oppositions to Saddam Hussein. Remember what they told you about the situation in Iraq. Now consider the mess that you are in there. Believe me you, Iran as a much more complicated place, much larger, more populous would be a far greater mess. You must know that the Islamic Republic, while not very popular, is not Saddam’s regime. If you have learnt nothing after having wasted hundreds of billion dollars and thousands of young and old American and Iraqi lives, then, there must be something seriously wrong with your rationality. As an Iranian who loves his country, I am begging you not to intervene in the internal affairs of Iran. What you plan to do is a clear violation of international law, and if you do it, how can you stop others from doing the same? If you really wish to help the cause of democracy in Iran, stop this disgraceful policy of allocating money to bring about regime change in another country, be it Iran or any other country. This policy has failed and would fail again. I am telling you, Dear Dr Rice, you would only be helping the regime, and nobody else. Is that what you want?
You must know by now that your disastrous policy in Iraq and Afghanistan had only one winner, and that winner, is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Can you not see this? Do not be fooled by oversimplified analysis of some of your advisors, including your ambassador in Iraq, who claimed tonight “a free and democratic Iraq would de-stabilise Iran” [Newsnight, 20th Feb 06]. No, it will not. Iran can only change by the efforts of its own people. If you cannot help, please do not make their struggle more difficult. That is what you would be doing if you continue with this policy of intervention. If you really want to help:
- Make sure that Google, Microsoft and other American big corporations would not help the regime in Tehran to filter the Internet.
- Make sure that sophisticated technology to control the Internet would not reach Iran.
- Not only in words, in your deeds too, respect human rights across the globe. Frankly, with all these revelations coming out every day, you are not helping the cause of democracy at all. This latest step, believe me you, is another step in the wrong direction.
Most respectfully
