The Secretary-General of the Habilian Association stated that assassination and terrorism are among the tools used by countries such as the United States to advance their foreign policy objectives.
According to Habilian, at the beginning of American Human Rights Week, Radio Iran interviewed Seyyed Mohammad Javad Hasheminejad, Secretary-General of the Habilian Association. The following is a transcript of the interview.
Question: We are observing America Human Rights Week. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident—not only in our region but around the world—that many people view the United States' approach to human rights as selective, self-interested, and based on double standards. Human rights issues that serve US interests receive extensive attention, while alleged crimes committed by the United States and Israel receive little attention or are, according to critics, downplayed or justified. What is your view?
Answer: First, I would like to honor the memory of the late Imam Khamenei, who designated this period as American Human Rights Week. For decades, Western countries, particularly the United States, have established institutions and mechanisms that, in my view, support their global influence. These include the United Nations, various human rights organizations, and international media networks, which I believe have been used to present a favorable image of the West. However, I believe the hegemonic nature of these countries, rooted in their colonial history, has never been consistent with the legal principles they claim to uphold.
As the world has changed, nations have become more aware and more independent, and, in my opinion, the influence of hegemonic powers has diminished. The Islamic Revolution in Iran, I believe, demonstrated how the Iranian people were able to free themselves from what they regarded as American and British domination. More broadly, I believe the influence of nation-states is evolving, with peoples exercising greater sovereignty while traditional forms of global dominance are weakening.
In my view, the current international order differs significantly from that of previous decades. The United States has withdrawn from several international agreements and institutions, including some that it helped establish. I believe this reflects an unwillingness to operate within international legal frameworks when doing so conflicts with its interests. By contrast, I believe the principles of the Islamic Revolution increasingly demonstrate a commitment to justice over time.
As martyred Imam Khamenei predicted, we have seen large public demonstrations in support of Palestine during the war in Gaza and in other parts of the world. In my opinion, these demonstrations reflect the growing global influence of the ideals associated with the Islamic Revolution. I view what I describe as the increasingly aggressive conduct of the United States and its allies as evidence of declining hegemony rather than growing strength.
In my opinion, the United States is becoming increasingly isolated and is losing influence internationally. I believe the recent conflict involving Iran demonstrated that it no longer possesses the same level of power or endurance that it once did. I hope the international community will ultimately achieve justice regarding what I view as centuries of domination and exploitation by the world's major powers.
Question: Mr. Hasheminejad, you are the son of someone who was killed in an attack and serve as Secretary-General of the Habilian Association, which works extensively with the families of victims of terrorism in Iran. Could you briefly tell us how many victims have been registered by the association since the victory of the Islamic Revolution?
Answer: After two years of research, we published our first list of victims of terrorism in 2011. At that time, we reported that approximately 17,000 people had been killed in terrorist attacks in Iran between the victory of the Islamic Revolution and 2011.
In 2024, after 13 years, we updated the database and reported that the number had risen to approximately 23,000. We regard this as the official national figure, although subsequent incidents have increased the total further.
In my view, assassination and terrorism are among the methods used by countries such as the United States to pursue their foreign policy objectives. I believe terrorism has been a recurring feature of their activities in different parts of the world. Iran has been one of the countries most affected by terrorism, with a large number of casualties.
I also believe that many of the groups responsible for terrorist attacks in Iran have maintained offices or a presence in the United States and Europe and have benefited from support there. In my opinion, these circumstances have enabled such groups to carry out attacks inside Iran.