TEHRAN – Dogu Perincek, Turkey’s Vatan Party chairman, believes that the martyrs in the fight against imperialism such as Major General Qassem Soleimani and nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh belong to “all Muslims and the entire humanity.”

Soleimani, the head of the IRGC Quds Force, was martyred in an airstrike near Baghdad’s international airport on 3 January 2020 by the United States. The airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) and some other resistance forces.

General Soleimani was an unmatched commander in the fight against terrorist groups, including ISIS, in Iraq and Syria. 
 
Regrettably, Fakhrizadeh was also martyred on November 27 outside Tehran. Iran directly pointed the finger at Israel for the terror act. Some analysts believe that the assassination took place through collusion between Israel and the Trump administration. Fakhrizadeh, a physicist, was instrumental in developing test kits for diagnosing patients contracting the coronavirus, especially at a time that Iran was under illegal sanctions by the U.S. which has made even import of medical devices very difficult.

“Iran provides confidence to our region’s fight against terrorism with the country’s decided resistance and struggle against U.S. and Israeli threats.”   Perincek calls the struggles of General Soleimani against terrorism and Fakhrizadeh’s scientific efforts “a fight against the crusader’s imperialism.”

In an interview with the Tehran Times, the Vatan party secretary-general says, “The martyrs in this fight belong to all of us. The victories in this fight belong to all of us. Therefore, Qassem Soleimani and Mohsen Fakhrizadeh are martyrs for all Muslims and the whole of humanity.”

The following is the text of the interview:

Q:  After the martyrdom of Gen. Soleimani you said that Soleimani is “also our martyr” and that he “sacrificed his life for us”. Please explain how can an Iranian be a martyr of other nations?

A: The states and people of West Asia have a joint and shared future. We West Asians are fighting for the independence and territorial integrity of our countries as well as for the development of our economies, and we pursue this fight against U.S. imperialism and Israeli Zionism. This struggle is a fight against the crusader’s imperialism. The martyrs in this fight belong to all of us. The victories in this fight belong to all of us. Therefore, Qassem Soleimani and Mohsen Fakhrizadeh are martyrs for all Muslims and the whole humanity.

Q: Given the geopolitical situation in West Asia and the dangers that may threaten the region, how do you evaluate Iran's role in the war on terrorism?

A: The U.S. and Israel are behind all terror organizations of ethnic separatist and reactionary features in West Asia. The struggle against terrorism therefore cannot be separated from the struggle against imperialism and Zionism. Iran provides confidence to our region’s fight against terrorism with the country’s firm resistance and struggle against U.S. and Israeli threats.   

Q: Iran has been a victim of terrorism since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, but it has gained valuable experience in combating terrorism at both national and regional levels. How do you evaluate Iran's policies and efforts by General Soleimani to develop effective coordination between the states and peoples of the region to combat all types of terrorism?

A: During his fight against terror organizations in the north of Iraq, Qassem Soleimani dedicated great effort to cooperation and coordination with the people of the region. He developed realistic policies for the solidarity and joint struggle of Arab, Turkmen and Kurdish people as well as neighboring states in the fight against attempts to establish a “Second Israel” labeled as ‘Kurdistan’. This is the reason why he was targeted. 

“During his fight against terror organizations in the north of Iraq, Qassem Soleimani dedicated great effort to cooperation and coordination with the people of the region.”Q: Why is there a wide difference between Western media and Muslim countries regarding terrorism? 

A: The imperialists from the Atlantic and the countries of West Asia have exactly opposing definition of terror and terror organizations. The U.S. and Israel blame all countries that fight for independence and territorial integrity as “terrorists”. The U.S. accusation of Qassem Soleimani as “terrorist” is a psychological warfare tactic. This tactic was in response to the fact that Soleimani pursued a very effective struggle for the elimination terror organizations like DAESH and PKK/PJAK/YPG/PYD, which are all strategic pawns of the U.S.  

Q: What are the similarities between terrorism and the occupation? How could Qassem Soleimani serve as a link between confronting the occupation and the fight against terrorism?

A: The U.S. in West Asia first fought with its own armed forces, but they suffered heavy losses and a defeat. Following their defeat, they changed the strategy and have been using terror organizations for a time now. U.S. President Obama for instance has described the PKK as “our ground forces”. The U.S. tries to maintain the territories it occupied in our region by using terror organizations like the PKK or DAESH. But the defeat of U.S. bases east of the Euphrates is also nearing because Turkey, Iran, Russia, Syria, and Iraq in the end will unite in a joint operation to eliminate these U.S. bases. 

Q: Given the need to form a coalition among West Asian countries to fight terrorism, what role can Iran and Turkey play in forming such an alliance?

A: Turkey and Iran are the two countries that build an axis in the effective fight against terrorism in West Asia. The U.S. and Israel have not dared to attack these countries directly, because the castles of Iran and Turkey are very strong. Therefore, the U.S. apparatus of psychological warfare intends to cause discord between Turkey and Iran. Lastly, the poem cited by President Erdogan in Baku has been used to this purpose.  But the interpretations made out of this poem are not based on reality, because Erdogan in his speech has declared the intent to establish a 6-member-platform consisting of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and if they accept, Armenia. It is unthinkable that a Turkey looking to establish such a platform pursues any bad intent towards Iran.

The propaganda about Turkey’s rapprochement with the U.S. and Israel is completely wrong and only intended to cause discord and conflict between Turkey and Iran. The director of Mossad declared just months ago that Turkey was Israel’s main enemy in West Asia. The Israeli governmental documents and texts about security display the same evaluation. Moreover, U.S., Israeli, Greek, and French military vessels have positioned their cannons towards Turkey and pursue naval exercises. They name these exercises with expressions and figures from the Torah, as in “Noble Dina”, or from Greek mythology as in the example of “Nemesis”, all connected to acts of revenge.

U.S. President-elect Biden declared in January 2020 before the world his will to topple the Erdogan government. Given these circumstances, there is no possibility of rapprochement between Turkey on the one side and the U.S. and Israel on the other.  Bu it is true that Atlantic pawns both in Turkey as well as in Iran are spreading colorful lies to create an atmosphere of distrust between Turkey and Iran. To foil these attempts will strengthen the unity and brotherhood between the two countries.