Iran's Supreme Leader Vows Consequences For West
Stern warning delivered during religious ceremony
By EMILY FELDMAN
Updated 10:43 AM EST, Mon, Jul 6, 2009
Iran's supreme leader warned the West that its "hostile remarks and behavior" following the country's disputed election would bring bad consequences.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told thousands of Iranians who had gathered during a religious ceremony honoring a Shiite saint that Iran would not stand for foreign meddling, according to The Associated Press.
"These governments must be careful of their hostile remarks and behaviors because the Iranian nation will" react, Iranian state TV reported Khamenei as saying. "We will calculate the interventionst remarks and behaviors of these governments. Definitely, it will have a negative impact on future relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran."
The U.S. and other Western nations have tread carefully in their dealings with Iran, post-election. President Obama came under fire from conservatives led by Arizona Sen. John McCain for being too reserved in questioning the legitimacy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection and demanding an end to violence against Iranian protesters.
While Obama did release a more forceful statement under pressure, he has maintained that the election and future of Iran is largely in the hands of the Iranians.
Th Ayatollah ordered a recount of the June 12 election results, but eventually declared the election legitimate and confirmed the leadership of Ahmadinejad inciting further unrest.
Although the movement that filled the streets of Tehran with green-clad protesters in support of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi was orchestrated and carried out by Iranians, the supreme leader blamed outsiders.
"Some leaders of Western countries at the level of president, prime minister and foreign minister openly intervened in Iran's internal affairs that had nothing to do with them," he said. "Then, they said they don't intervene in Iran's internal affairs."
Vice President Joe Biden actually reiterated the United States' willingness to engage with Iran on a Sunday morning news show.
He said that if Iranian leaders wanted to negotiate Tehran's nuclear program, the door remained open.
"If the Iranians respond to the offer of engagement, we will engage," Biden said on ABC's "This Week."
While protests that rocked the streets of Tehran for days have largely died down, the quiet is not a sign of acceptance.
"A majority of the people — including me — do not accept its political legitimacy," Mousavi said on Wednesday. "There's a danger ahead. A ruling system which relied on people's trust for 30 years cannot replace this trust with security forces overnight."
First Published: Jul 6, 2009 8:38 AM EST
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