Presidential Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei is the most controversial of the 686 candidates who have registered to run for president. He shares President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s populist and nationalist outlook on all key issues. The following are excerpts from various interviews and public remarks.
Nuclear Energy
“The nuclear issue is the symbol of Iranians' resistance… Arrogant and bullying powers show too much resistance against this inalienable right of the Iranian nation [to a peaceful nuclear energy program].” October 23, 2013 according to Fars News Agency
“Our motto in Tehran was nuclear weapons for none. But in the United States, President Obama said, ‘We should maintain our arsenal of nuclear weapons.’ They are like cowboys. They just play with their guns and they want to bring peace by doing so. Can they offer peace to the world with a knife? The West is a big liar…
So we have been accused that maybe we [will] decide in the future to divert to a weapons program. Who is upset about it? The one who has the bombs now.” In a May 4, 2010 interview with The New Yorker
The United States
“They [Americans] know that talk of our making a nuclear bomb is a lie. They know that Iran is not undertaking a nuclear weapons program. They want to see us all the time being dependent on oil. That way they can control us by changing the oil prices all the time. But nuclear energy can reduce such pressures in Iran. And we are not going to compromise our rights whatsoever.” In a May 4, 2010 interview with The New Yorker
Human Rights
“The West has a double-standard approach toward human rights. They try to use it like a political tool. If something happens in Iran, they write about it for many months and talk about [it] on television, radio, newspapers…
We believe the West is not defending human rights. Look at the situation in our region, in the Middle East. Many countries are not democratic, and nobody is talking against them in the West. In Iran, in the past 31 years we had about 30 elections. Now compare the rights enjoyed by Iranian women with the rights in other countries. Why aren’t we talking about the women’s situation in those countries? Why is there no interest on the part of the Western mass media to talk about this?” In a May 4, 2010 interview with The New Yorker
President Ahmadinejad
“Today, Ahmadinejad is the most popular figure in Iran --- more than ever. His great sin is that he managed to knock down many inside and outside Iran.” In a May 2013 speech according to Khabar Online
"The level of compliance by Dr. Ahmadinejad's administration with the honored leader of the Revolution [Ayatollah Khamenei] is not comparable to any past administration." March 24 in an interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
Palestinian Issue
“The position that I have always taken is that Palestinians must continue to fight for their rights and the return of their land.” In a September 2008 letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei according to Press TV
Islam
“Without Iran, Islam would be lost…We want to present the truth of Islam to the world…Countries are scared of Iran, because the truth of Islam is here.” August 2010 according to Mehr News Agency
His eligibility to run
“I received my qualification from heaven and need no qualification from the Guardian Council [to run for president].” At a May 2013 meeting with government figures, according to the Young Journalists Club
Drug Trafficking
“Most of the executions [in Iran] are of major drug traffickers who are involved in big drug business… They are threatening people’s lives, threatening the lives of our young people with drugs. And we are sending our soldiers to the border with Afghanistan to stop this, and they are getting killed. When we arrest those traffickers, should we give them some prize for their actions?” In a May 4, 2010 interview with The New Yorker