“There is no possibility of a public demonstration [in Iran] of such defiance, but these defiant acts are certainly going on.”

The most important dichotomy that I make for a society is between those who support democracy and human rights, and those who oppose it.

Three of our provinces have seen mass uprisings. The three provinces are Khuzestan, Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan.

Negotiation talks are the best way to solve anything. We must replace wars and weapons with negotiations and talks.

Why did the regime put me in prison in the first place? I was put in prison for six years and it has been all illegal.

Religion is the private affair of an individual…be present in the public domain, but state has to be clearly separated from religion.

I, too, am against the dismantlement of Iran.

The Shah’s regime was an incorrigible regime and after a while, when the revolution happened.

They obviously collected a lot of votes, but these monies could not solve the structural problems that these people face. But the only result, the only consequence, was that a big sum from the budget was wasted this way.

When I say that I am opposed to this budget, everyone says, “Well, what do you think the United States should do?” My response is, “Why should the United States do anything?”

We must struggle for creating a democratic system that is dedicated to democracy and human rights.

He never made economic promises to people and as a result, he never led to dissatisfaction in this perspective. Because they need to get votes, they use misleading slogans. And this leads to rising expectations. I had a personal experience.

The Revolutionary Guard was created to help defend the revolution, but it soon was diverted from its initial path.

In the West, when all of these reactors, nuclear reactors, are matters…part of the public domain, there are all kinds of supervision over them.

In a totalitarian state, the state views any act of an individual to be political in nature. For example, the clothing that a person wears in a modern state is a private affair whereas in the Islamic Republic all women are forced to wear the hijab (Islamic attire).

Revolutions invariably don’t solve the issue of justice, and in its place, suppression and limiting freedom replaces that idea.

The U.S. should start talking about disarmament, nuclear disarmament, of the region.