The Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad has snatched an unprecedented interview with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s right-hand man and head of Ahmadinejad’s reelection committee, Mojataba Samareh Hashemi.
According to the Handelsblad, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Samareh Hashemi have been friends since childhood, and analysts say Samareh Hashemi has great influence on the president.
In the interview, Samareh Hashemi says that it is unthinkable that last week’s election result could be undone. “That would be an insult to everybody who voted in this election,” he says.
And so far it looks that way.
Some of the questions asked by reporter Thomas Erdbrink in Tehran are:
Why are your opponents claiming that there was voter fraud in Iran?
When Hashemi says that one of the reasons people are casting doubt on the election results is that “… they were only paying attention to Tehran and just assumed that the rest of the country felt the same way as people in the capital. Finally, they fell into the trap of their own propaganda campaign and psychological game,” Erdbrink follows up:
“What do you mean by that?”
Hashemi “explains” that the opposition candidates had pretty much “guaranteed” their followers victory, “So when they lost, their followers naturally claimed that there must have been voter fraud. But they had more observers at the polls then us. Until now, they have not been able to provide proof of voter fraud.”
Then, Erdbrink follows-up with:
They’re saying their observers were not allowed to enter the voting stations.
And asks,
The opposition wants the result annulled. Is there a chance of that happening?
(Short answer: No way!)
And,
So the Guardian Council, which now has to make a decision about the election result one way or the other, will never annul the result?
Finally, Erdbrink asks:
Iran has summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents American interests in Iran, because it says the US is meddling in Iranian domestic affairs. What kind of consequences do you think this might have?
Samareh Hashemi answers:
That’s a mistake they could pay for dearly. The United States will find it very difficult if they want to restore relations with Iran. They talk about extending a hand to Iran, but then they shouldn’t be taking steps to destroy Iranian trust.
To read all the (full) answers and comments by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s right-hand man, please go to “Ahmadinejad’s opponents fell into their own trap, says right-hand man”
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.