It was universal pressure on the regime to secure my release. International pressure was certainly helpful in my release.

I did join the Revolutionary Guard, but I was simply a simple Revolutionary Guard, never a commander.

Why did the regime put me in prison in the first place? I was put in prison for six years and it has been all illegal.

Would Americans accept if we decided to come here and decide who your rulers should be? So why do you expect us Iranians to accept the idea that the United States shall come in there and decide who shall govern us?Of course, everyone knows that I'm also opposed to the Iranian regime and I have said that we must change the regime. But it is us, the Iranians, that must change the regime.

You cannot bring democracy to a country by attacking it.

Today, as a result of a miraculous set of circumstances, Iran is going to get between $50 to $55 billion in oil revenue, which is unheard of in the history of the revolution.

Three of our provinces have seen mass uprisings. The three provinces are Khuzestan, Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan. Recently, we witnessed massive demonstration by Iranian woman in the 7th of Tir square, and it was brutally suppressed.