IAEA inspectors recently concluded that Iran is cooperating much more than previously in verification that the uranium enrichment is for peaceful purposes, but have stopped short of saying that they have enough evidence to confirm that it is only for peaceful purposes. The United Nations has issued sanctions against Iran and is considering more. What do you think the basis of the U.N. sanctions is?
BANIHASHEM: I think the reasons that they give, none of them have been proven that Iran is looking for a nuclear bomb, making a nuclear bomb. And I think there are alternative economic reasons for all that has been said. I think that it has a lot to do with, as I said before, there are no reasons for Iran to be put in this situation except the fact that it has oil, other resources, and the West, the United States mainly, wants control of all of this. The only way to legitimize their action is to make the accusations. None of which have been proven and even the ones that they have made against Iraq in the past have been incorrect.

The U.S. has declared the Republican Guard, an elite unit of the Iranian army, a terrorist organization, based on facts that they have sold weapons and bombs to Iraqi insurgent groups. Some say that the reason for this declaration is so that the U.S. can more easily justify a future strike against Iran. Are you familiar with the presence of the Republican Guard in Iran? Are they equivalent of the CIA, or U.S. Special Forces? Do they have a street presence in Iran?
BANIHASHEM: Yes, I believe they are seen on the streets of Iran. It is a serious matter if they are selling weapons to Iraq and an unfortunate one; any situation is unfortunate in which lives are lost, including the soldiers of the U.S.

If you had a direct line of communication with President Ahmadinejad what would you say without fear of persecution or any action at all with regards to this situation with Iran and the United States?
BANIHASHEM: I would tell him first of all that I understand the reasoning behind his, the importance of nuclear power for our country. Oil in the world is dwindling and I appreciate what he is doing for the future of the Iranian people. We need energy and we would be stupid not to think of that and be at the mercy of the West in the future. We are the second largest resource of oil in the world — Saudi Arabia being first — but it will run out and people will argue with this way of thinking why would Iran want to have nuclear power when they have so much oil. Because of the fact that at some point in our future this will not exist and we need to think of the future and we need to capitalize on what we have at this present time and think of what our future needs of future generations and he’s very wise in doing that. I don’t think whatever I say to Mr. Ahmadinejad would have any affect since he has no power. His decisions are made by a supreme power, meaning the Ayatollah, and it is he who I would plead for more diplomacy.

But your message would be the same to the supreme leader?
BANIHASHEM: Yes. The first thing is that I do understand what it is they’re doing. I do understand that they need to do this for the future of this country and they do not want to be bullied or policed by a western nation.

Do you think that Ahmadinejad or the supreme leader, do you think that their vision for Iran is consistent with the people or Iran?
BANIHASHEM: As far as the Islamic beliefs and so on, as far as that is concerned?

Not so much that, but the vision that the supreme leader has about power with regards to how they are pursuing the enrichment of uranium for power, their diplomatic relations to you think it is consistent with the popular opinion of the citizens of Iran?
BANIHASHEM: I do know that the Iranian people have a very poor view of the United Stated government as for them trying to make [the Iranian] government do things they don’t want and being bullied into corners or being bullied into situations. They also believe that the United States as with Iraq and Afghanistan, are using the reason of a nuclear weapon as a smokescreen and they’re making a lot of noise, they’re trying to distract from the main reason of the United States wanting to go into the Middle East. Mainly the oil resources and use it to their own advantage and this is what all of this is about.

Let me go back and ask you if you had a direct line of communication with President Bush, what would it be?
BANIHASHEM: I would plead to his more humane side and humanitarian side of him, hopefully there is one, and that he would resort to more diplomacy and not to bully the world into his will.

Do you think the information that the United States government and the media presents to the U.S. with regards to the situation, do you think it’s accurate or do you think there’s a U.S.-slant to it?
BANIHASHEM: I think they are filtering or giving us a story that is a story to support and justify many actions. Even the stories that they gave to your people to the American people were all, at the end, have come to all be incorrect and I think that they want the American people to believe something that they see to their best advantage for them to be able to move on with their plans.

Do you think that the Iranian parliament, the president, the supreme leader, and the media there present an accurate picture of the situation to the population of Iran?
BANIHASHEM: They would like the population of Iran to believe that they have things under control but I think that it is coming out that there is perhaps a chance of America resorting to the violence and armed forces and bombing and so on.

Do you think that the people aren’t getting the exact story from the Iranian government?
BANIHASHEM: They are also censored.

So if the United States government and the media here are not presenting an accurate picture of the situation and the Iranian parliament, the president and the supreme leader and the media there are not presenting an accurate picture of the story then who is talking to whom about the truth? Who really knows the truth?
BANIHASHEM: Only the governments do. President Bush does and the people around him and they would like people to believe certain things to their advantage and so does the Iranian government. Where I hear more of a balanced view of what is happening to the extent that we can know is probably in Europe, more of an open media and better access to information.

Is one of the other reasons why the U.S. and the U.N. — primarily the U.S. —  want Iran to not have a nuclear weapon is that they fear a strike by Iran towards Israel? Some people would say that the root of the U.S. approach towards Iran is on behalf of Israel.
BANIHASHEM: And I would agree with that. I think Israel does feel threatened by other Middle Eastern countries especially Iran and I think if Israel was told by the U.S., by President Bush, the only way we can resolve this is for you to destroy your nuclear bombs, your missile heads, and Iran will therefore agree “if Israel does this I would not even consider uranium enrichment, I would not even consider uranium for my power plants. I would get help from the Swiss or from the Russians if that is what Israel is willing to do.”

To be clear, you think that if Israel would abandon its nuclear program and destroy its nuclear weapons, that this would be a green light to the process of Iran saying okay, we will comply 100 percent we will not seek any type of uranium enrichment.
BANIHASHEM: I do think so. What is to say that Israel will not bomb Iran tomorrow with its nuclear missiles?

Other than the fact that they haven’t.
BANIHASHEM: Exactly they have not.