IRGC Lieutenant Commander General Hossein Salami (Fars)
The Iranian regime took credit for the protests sweeping the Arab world today as the “manifestation of the [Iran’s] Islamic Revolution in the Middle East region and the world of Islam.”
Fars News reported:
The present Revolution in Egypt serves as a prelude to more uprisings in the other Arab countries, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday.
“Egypt is the heart of the Arab world … therefore any political changes or sociopolitical revolutions in Egypt could occur in many other Islamic countries,” IRGC Lieutenant Commander General Hossein Salami told FNA.
“This is what comes of hegemonic systems dependent on foreign [states] that start a dictatorial movement n their country,” the commander added.
The IRGC deputy commander went on to describe the developments in Egypt as a “manifestation of the [Iran’s] Islamic Revolution in the Middle East region and the world of Islam.”
The military official said Egypt had become the “geologic backrest for the Zionist regime [of Israel] as well as a geostrategic spot for backing US policies on Africa.”
Emboldened by the recent popular revolution in Tunisia, which put an end to the 23-year-long reign of the country’s President Zine El Abidin Ben Ali, Egyptians have marched in several cities since Tuesday to bring an end to Mubarak’s three-decade rule.
On Saturday, thousands of anti-government protesters have returned to the streets in Egypt as President Mubarak refused to quit.
UPDATE: The Iranian opposition leader also released a statement in support of the Egyptian protesters.
Iranian opposition figure and 2009 presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has released a statement in support of the Egyptian protesters and connecting this week’s events in Egypt to the 2009 protests in Iran.
“[Egypt’s rulers] do not realise that continuing policies of intimidation will eventually turn against itself and then the coming of ‘the day of wrath’ and days of national wrath will be inevitable. Pharaohs usually hear the voice of the nation when it is too late. Our nation deeply respects the glorious uprising of the brave people of Tunis and that of the people of Egypt, Yemen and other countries in quest for their rights.”
