lion people know, and hundreds of millions of people in other countries of the world
know, that this man is guilty, was oppressive, was a criminal and committed many crimes
in this country, caused much deprivation to this nation and imprisoned, exiled and killed
its citizens. To give asylum to such a person is a political defeat in the world. But due
to the illness that Mr. Carter is suffering from, he is not able to understand this. To
leave these people who are spies and who are in this den of espionage behind, and not
to return this guilty man to this country, is in itself another defeat which is greater than
the second defeat because if Carter does not send the shah, it is possible that the hostages
may be tried, and if they are tried, Carter knows what will happen.
At times, Carter intimidates us with military threats, and at times with economic
threats, but he himself knows that he is beating an empty drum.
Carter does not have the guts to engage in a military operation, and they [unspec-
ified whom] do not listen to him. This mistake is due to that same illness from which
these superpowers suffer, and this in itself is a mistake, as he thinks that all countries
are like a ring on his finger; that if he says, “Do not sell wheat to Iran,” all countries
will fold their arms upon their chests, bow and obey.
And what need do we have of America’s wheat? We have oil. We have that sub-
stance of which Churchill, that great British statesman during the war—when con-
fronting the Germans and frightened that he might lose, speaking to the British House
of Commons about all their problems, saying that we have suffered this and that and
have been defeated—said: however, victory belongs to those who are sitting on a wave
of oil. We are sitting on a wave of oil.
You plundered us and took away our oil, and gave us guns and rifles. But these
weapons were for your sake and not for ours. We have oil. The world needs oil. The
world does not need America. The world does not need Carter. The world needs oil.
Other countries will turn to those of us who have oil and not to you, who sighs to
be made president but do not know what to do. All Carter’s efforts and endeavors are
aimed at his being reelected president when his term comes to an end. But he is bark-
ing up the wrong tree. He thought that if he were to frighten Iran, and if he were to
say that we shall impose an economic embargo on Iran and shall damage Iran’s econ-
omy, his nation would applaud him and later he would be made president....
SOURCE: “American Hostages in Iran,”Historic Documents of 1979(Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 1980),
pp. 873–875.DOCUMENT
Carter News Conference on Iran
NOVEMBER28, 1979The President:For the last 24 days our Nation’s concern has been focused on our fel-
low Americans being held hostage in Iran. We have welcomed some of them home to
IRAN 387